At the age of twenty-two, Denis Heckford opened fire and blasted a Korean Yak out of the sky. It was the first enemy aircraft to fall to the guns of any allied ship during the Korean War. Acting completely on his own, without orders, he had averted the destruction of the USS Rochester and saved untold lives. This same impulsiveness and self-reliance has been a characteristic of Denis"s entire life. Now retired and living in Chesham, not far from where he spent his childhood, he looks back over a life filled with reckless action and humour.