ADVISORY/Microsoft to Honor General Joe Foss at Special Pre-Veterans Day Presentation.

Business/Entertainment/News Editors & High-Tech Writers

ADVISORY...for Thursday (Nov. 9)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

World War II Pilot Ace to Discuss How His WWII Combat Experiences Are
     Preserved in Microsoft's CD-ROM Software Program ... and WHY

WHAT:   Microsoft honors Gen. Joe Foss, World War II Ace, at a
        special event at the U.S. Navy Memorial for contributing his
        real life experiences to a new software program created to
        reach the computer generation and future generations to come.
        General Foss will share some of his experiences from WWII,
        and Microsoft will demonstrate how those stories impacted the
        making of the software program, "Combat Flight Simulator 2."

WHEN:   Presentation: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
        Lunch reception to follow
        Thursday, November 9, 2000

WHERE:  U.S.Navy Memorial
        701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
        Washington, D.C. 20004
        202/737-2300

ABOUT JOE FOSS:

        Born in South Dakota, Joe Foss completed a bachelor's degree
        and civilian flight training in 1940, and immediately enlisted
        in the Marine Corps. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, he
        became executive officer of VMF-121. On October 9, 1942, he
        flew his F4F Wildcat from the aircraft carrier Long Island to
        Henderson Field on Guadalcanal to become part of the "Cactus
        Air Force." Four days after his arrival he scored his first
        victory, a Zero, and by October 18, he was an Ace. Despite six
        weeks out of combat with malaria, by early 1943, Foss tied
        Eddie Rickenbacker's WWI record of 26 enemy aircraft shot. In
        May 1943, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor from
        President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his service. After WWII,
        he became Brigadier General of the South Dakota Air National
        Guard. From 1954-58, he served as a two-term governor of South
        Dakota. He was also the first commissioner of the American
        Football League, and served from 1959-66. He graciously agreed
        to share his experiences with Microsoft to make "Combat Flight
        Simulator 2: WW II Pacific Theatre" as authentic as possible.

ABOUT "COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2":

        With the help of pilots like Gen. Joe Foss, Microsoft's
        "Combat Flight Simulator 2" CD-ROM enables today's tech savvy
        generation the chance to simulate authentic missions flown
        during World War II's Pacific Theater and learn about the real
        life combat through their home PC. Microsoft tells the story
        from both an American and Japanese perspective, and invites
        players to experience missions for either country in more than
        120 distinctly intense and taxing missions.

Media only. RSVP Required. Please call to reserve your space.