Medal of Honor - USAAS

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Medal of Honor​

The Medal of Honor is America's highest award for valor in action against an enemy force. The President, in the name of the Congress, has awarded 59 Medals of Honor to our nation's bravest Airmen. What began as the Army Medal of Honor in 1862, the Air Force Medal of Honor was introduced in 1965. In 1918, Congress established other medals, such as the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star. These new medals can be approved by the secretary of defense or the service secretary, but the Medal of Honor requires presidential approval.

Between World War I and 1965, the Army Medal of Honor was awarded to Airmen who distinguished themselves in battle. In 1963, a new standard was set by Congress which established that all future medals could only be awarded for heoric action in combat. The Medal of Honor is awarded in the name of Congress to a person who, while a member of the Armed Services, distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the U.S. is not a belligerent party. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. Incontestable proof of the performance of service is exacted and each recommendation for award of this decoration is considered on the standard of extraordinary means with at least two eyewitness accounts.

Since 1965, Airman have received the Air Force Medal of Honor design. In the Air Force, recommendations for a medal must be made within two years of the action and awarded within three years. The review of the recommendation is stringent at all levels of command.

Even though Congress enacted the establishment of the medal and it is presented in the name of Congress, the official title of the award is the Medal of Honor, not the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Recipients of the Medal of Honor receive $1,000 per month for life, a right to burial at Arlington National Cemetery, admission for them or their children to a service academy (if they qualify and quotas permit), and free travel on government aircraft to almost anywhere in the world, on a space-available basis.

 

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USAAS​

The United States Army Air Service was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. It was established on May 24, 1918, after U.S. entry into World War I, replacing the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps which had been the nation's air force from 1914 to 1918.

Although the Air Service was recognized by the Department of War on May 24, 1918, no Director of Air Service was appointed until August 28, when President Wilson made John D. Ryan a Second Assistant Secretary of War and civilian Director of Air Service. After World War I, the Air Service was again directed by a military officer and remained so until replaced by the United States Army Air Corps on July 1, 1926.

 

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First, a little known side story of the 'Lost Battalion'.

Valley of the Shadow
By John L. Frisbee , Contributing Editor, the Air Force Association Magazine

As the last page of 1917's blood-stained calendar was torn from the wall, the German General Staff became immersed in planning for a massive spring offensive. The Allies had to be defeated, or at the least forced to accept a negotiated settlement, before slowly mobilizing American manpower and industry could reinforce the staggering British and French armies on the Western Front.

Everything looked favorable to Gen. Erich Ludendorff, the dominant member of Germany's Supreme Command. Allied morale, particularly in France, was faltering after the costly and near-disastrous campaigns of 1917. The Russians had dropped out of the war a few months after the March revolution, enabling Ludendorff to move nearly 80 divisions to the Western Front, where, for the first time, Germany was superior to the Allies in both manpower and materiel.

A series of gigantic offensives, begun in March 1918, drove to within 37 miles of Paris before the overextended German armies ground to a halt and an Allied counteroffensive could be launched in July. By mid-September, Gen. John J. Pershing had 42 American divisions, each twice the size of other Allied divisions, on the line in the Meuse-Argonne sector, some 50 miles east of Reims. There were about 600 planes in American squadrons augmented by 200 Allied aircraft, operating under the control of Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell in support of Pershing's First Army offensive that kicked off on Sept. 26.

Several American bombardment and observation squadrons were equipped with British-designed DH-4s, the only American-manufactured aircraft to reach the front lines during the war. The 50th Observation Squadron was one of those flying the often-maligned DH-4 "Flaming Coffin," which, in truth, was no more vulnerable to fire than any other combat plane of that time.

On Oct. 2, Pershing ordered his 77th Division to drive into the Argonne Forest. The 1st and 2d Battalions of the 308th Infantry, their left flank uncovered, soon were cut off and surrounded by strong German forces in a ravine deep within the Argonne. Known to history as the Lost Battalion, the units, commanded by Maj. Charles Whittlesey and Capt. George McMurtry, were soon out of food and medical supplies. Half their troops were dead or wounded, and they were running out of ammunition to repel continuous German attacks on the 75- by 350-yard pocket. It was to be six days of horrible suffering before American forces could break through to their rescue.

On Oct. 5, the 77th Division commander called on Capt. Daniel Morse's 50th Squadron to succor the beleaguered defenders who were being cut to shreds by machine-gun fire from the heights surrounding the ravine and by grenades, flame throwers, and even misdirected rounds of friendly artillery. The squadron responded in what is believed to be the first sustained attempt at aerial resupply of a ground unit.

Flying through fog and rain, pilots of the 50th pinpointed the surrounded men. Intense ground fire downed three DH-4s, which crashed near Allied lines--none of them afire--with one dead and two wounded crewmen. On the morning of the sixth, a DH-4 flown by Lt. Harold E. Goettler with 2d Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley as observer-gunner tried again, unsuccessfully, to drop food and ammunition into the ravine. After their battle-damaged plane had been patched up, they returned to the forest late in the afternoon, hoping to come in at 1,000 feet. Clouds and fog forced them into low-level runs through a barrage of enemy fire. Finally, determined to get their small load of supplies to the desperate infantrymen, Goettler dove into the ravine at treetop height with enemy machine guns firing down at the plane from cliffs along the ravine. Both men were fatally wounded, but Goettler managed to fly the battered DH-4 to a crash landing near French lines.

Goettler and Bleckley, both awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, were among four American airmen of World War I to be so honored. The other two were Lt. Frank Luke (posthumously) and Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Three officers of the Lost Battalion(s)--Whittlesey, McMurtry, and Capt. Nelson Holderman--were also among some 100 World War I heroes to receive the nation's highest decoration for valor.

The story of the Lost Battalion, though no more than a page in the long history of World War I, is the stuff of which legends are made. Two very young and courageous airmen who are forever a part of the Air Force heritage played a seldom-recalled part in that heroic action.

 

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1st Lt. Harold E. Goettler

Cut off and surrounded by German forces during World War I, in the Argonne Forest, France, more than 500 American Soldiers were slowly succumbing to the enemy’s deadly grip, and needed immediate assistance. Pilot 1st Lt. Harold E. Goettler and his aerial observer would fly into the face of danger in their attempt to help, and would receive America’s highest military honor for their heroic actions.

It was Oct. 6, 1918, near Binarville, France. Goettler, a U.S. Army Air Service pilot and his observer 2nd Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley were flying in a DeHavilland DH-4, an open-cockpit biplane. They were on a second voluntary mission of the day in an attempt to locate and drop critical supplies to a battalion of U.S. Army Soldiers. The American Soldiers were pinned down during a five-day siege, and were from the 77th Division -- historically known as “The Lost Battalion.”

Goettler and Bleckley had completed an earlier mission in the day and landed with numerous holes in the plane after being subjected to violent gun fire. They repaired the aircraft and prepared for a second mission. Their commander warned a second try would be more difficult and hazardous. It is reported Bleckley said they’d make the aerial delivery or die in the attempt. They departed the aerodrome late in the afternoon, determined to find and assist The Lost Battalion. They would not return alive, and in December 1922, both received the Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions that day.

The citation for Goettler’s Medal of Honor reads, in part: They attempted on the second trip to come still lower in order to get the packages even more precisely on the designated spot … the plane was brought down by enemy rife and machine-gun fire from the ground, resulting in the instant death of Lt. Goettler. In attempting and performing this mission, he showed the highest possible contempt of personal danger, devotion to duty, courage and valor.

The DH-4 crashed inside Allied lines. These two men are one of four Airmen who received the Medal of Honor for actions during World War I.

Goettler was born in Chicago in July 1890. He joined the Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps as a private first class in July 1917, and was called to active duty. He was assigned to the School of Military Aeronautics at the University of Illinois for three months, and from October 1917 to January 1918 was stationed at Camp Mohawk, Canada, and Taliafero Field, Texas, as a student. He was transferred to the 50th Aero Squadron in France in August 1918.

Goettler is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.


The Citation (posthumous)

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, pilot, U.S. Army Air Corps, 50th Aero Squadron, Air Service.
Place and date: Near Binarville, France, 6 October 1918.
Entered service at: Chicago, Ill.
Born: 21 July 1890, Chicago, Ill.
G.O. No.: 56, W.D., 1922.
Citation: 1st. Lt. Goettler, with his observer, 2d Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley, 130th Field Artillery, left the airdrome late in the afternoon on their second trip to drop supplies to a battalion of the 77th Division which had been cut off by the enemy in the Argonne Forest. Having been subjected on the first trip to violent fire from the enemy, they attempted on the second trip to come still lower in order to get the packages even more precisely on the designated spot. In the course of this mission the plane was brought down by enemy rifle and machinegun fire from the ground, resulting in the instant death of 1st. Lt. Goettler. In attempting and performing this mission 1st. Lt. Goettler showed the highest possible contempt of personal danger, devotion to duty, courage and valor.

 

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2nd Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley

Second Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley and his pilot rose above the call of duty, flying close to the tree tops over enemy positions entrenched with rattling machine guns during two attempts to help save more than 500 American Soldiers who were completely surrounded. The heroism each of these men displayed that day later elevated them to the highest of American military recognition. It was World War I, and aerial tactics were relatively new to the Army.

On Oct. 6, 1918, near Binarville, France, in the Argonne Forest. Bleckley, a U.S. Army Air Service observer and pilot 1st Lt. Harold E. Goettler and were flying in a DeHavilland DH-4, open-cockpit biplane, on a second voluntary mission of the day in attempting to locate and drop critical supplies by air to a battalion of U.S. Army Soldiers who had been cut off and surrounded by the Germans. The American Soldiers were from the 77th Division and are historically known as "The Lost Battalion." During a five-day siege, the Soldiers were slowly succumbing to the enemy's deadly grip and needed immediate assistance.

Bleckley and Goettler had completed an earlier mission in the day and landed with numerous holes in the plane after being subjected to violent gun fire from the enemy. They repaired the aircraft and prepared for a second mission. Their commander warned a second try would be more difficult and hazardous. It is reported Bleckley said they'd make the aerial delivery or die in the attempt. They departed the aerodrome late in the afternoon, determined to find and assist The Lost Battalion.

Flying low and just clearing the tree tops, they were looking for the Soldiers who occupied an area that was approximately 350 yards long and 50 yards wide. They carried bundles of medical supplies, chocolate and cigarettes. During the flight, a bullet struck Goettler in the head as the plane was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire from the ground. The DH-4 crashed inside Allied lines and Bleckley was thrown from the plane. His unconscious body was picked up by American and French soldiers and rushed to a hospital -- Bleckley died of internal injuries while en route.

Erwin R. Bleckley of Wichita, Kansas was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery of the Kansas National Guard in July 1917. He was sent to France in March 1918 as a member of the 130th Field Artillery and when the Air Service announced a need for artillery officers to train as aerial observers, Bleckley volunteered for observer's school. He completed the course and was attached to the 50th Aero Squadron for combat duty on Aug. 14, 1918.

Bleckley flew his first combat mission on the opening day of the St. Mihiel offensive on Sept. 12, 1918. Less than a month later, he and the pilot he served with, Goettler, were dead.

For heroism in the face of intense enemy fire, Bleckley and Goettler were both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in December 1922. Following the war, Bleckley's remains were permanently buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery at Romagne, France.


The Citation (posthumous)

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 130th Field Artillery, observer 50th Aero Squadron, Air Service.
Place and date: Near Binarville, France, 6 October 1918.
Entered service at: Wichita, Kans.
Born: Wichita, Kans.
G.O. No.: 56, W.D., 1922.
Citation: 2d Lt. Bleckley, with his pilot, 1st Lt. Harold E. Goettler, Air Service, left the airdrome late in the afternoon on their second trip to drop supplies to a battalion of the 77th Division, which had been cut off by the enemy in the Argonne Forest. Having been subjected on the first trip to violent fire from the enemy, they attempted on the second trip to come still lower in order to get the packages even more precisely on the designated spot. In the course of his mission the plane was brought down by enemy rifle and machinegun fire from the ground, resulting in fatal wounds to 2d Lt. Bleckley, who died before he could be taken to a hospital. In attempting and performing this mission 2d Lt. Bleckley showed the highest possible contempt of personal danger, devotion to duty, courage, and valor.

 

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2nd Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.

Frank Luke, called the most spectacular air fighter of World War I, who shot town 18 airplanes and balloons in his short military career, enlisted in the Signal Corps Sept. 25, 1917. He took ground training at the University of Texas' School of Military Aeronautics and learned to fly at Rockwell Field, San Diego, Calif.

He received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps' Aviation Section in January 1918. He went overseas to Issoudun, France, where he took additional training at the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center for the combat role due to make him famous. Completing training on May 30, 1918, he went to Cazeaux, France, for duty at the front with the 1st Pursuit Group's 27th U.S. Aero Squadron in the Aisne-Marne line of defense.

On Aug. 16, 1918, Lieutenant Luke engaged in his first aerial combat, shooting down an enemy plane--he eventually got four airplanes and 14 balloons, the 18 being second to Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker's 26 confirmations.

Lieutenant Luke earned the reputation of being a "lone fighter," preferring to seek out and destroy the enemy on his own initiative. Thirteen of his victories were obtained in a single week in September, and on two days of that week he did not fly. He finally agreed to partnership, and for awhile teamed with Lt. Joseph Wehner.

During the St. Mihiel offensive in Sept. 1918, the pair destroyed three balloons at Reville, Mangiennes, and Romagne on Sept. 16, and two days later got two more near Labeuville. Somehow, on the latter mission, the pair became separated and Luke shot down three enemy planes.

Lieutenant Luke's big day, and final one, was Sept. 29, 1918. He had been grounded the previous day for being absent without permission and now he went to the air without proper authority. He destroyed three enemy observation balloons in the Meuse region. but was hit and wounded during the encounter. He was being chased by eight enemy Fokker planes that were protecting the balloons he shot down and he also was under heavy fire from ground batteries.

The Medal of Honor, which he earned for this final heroic action, tells the rest of the story best: "Severely wounded, Lieutenant Luke descended to within 50 meters of the ground and, flying at this low altitude near the town of Murvaux, opened fire upon enemy troops, killing six and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded on all sides by the enemy, who called upon him to surrender, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest."

During his short but colorful career, Frank Luke also earned two Distinguished Service Crosses for extraordinary heroism in air action in the face of heavy enemy fire.

He was only 21 years old when he was killed.

On Armistice Day 1930, a costly statue of Frank Luke, Jr. was unveiled on the capitol grounds in Phoenix.

In June 1949, the Army Air Base near Phoenix was named Luke AFB in his honor.


The Citation (posthumous)

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service.
Place and date: Near Murvaux, France, 29 September 1918.
Entered service at: Phoenix, Ariz.
Born: 19 May 1897, Phoenix, Ariz.
G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919.
Citation: After having previously destroyed a number of enemy aircraft within 17 days he voluntarily started on a patrol after German observation balloons. Though pursued by 8 German planes which were protecting the enemy balloon line, he unhesitatingly attacked and shot down in flames 3 German balloons, being himself under heavy fire from ground batteries and the hostile planes. Severely wounded, he descended to within 50 meters of the ground, and flying at this low altitude near the town of Murvaux opened fire upon enemy troops, killing 6 and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded on all sides by the enemy, who called upon him to surrender, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest.

 

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A Man for His Time
By John L. Frisbee , Contributing Editor, Airforce Magazine

Frank Luke ranks second to Eddie Rickenbacker among American aces who flew with the Army Air Service in World War I. He was the first airman to be awarded the Medal of Honor, but in several respects, Luke is least typical of the 58 Air Force men who have earned that distinction in four wars.

Luke earned his wings at Rockwell Field, Calif., in January 1918. When he showed only mediocre ability during operational training in France, he was assigned the unglamorous task of ferrying planes to the Front. For a young man motivated by a lust for personal glory earned in combat, that was a bitter blow. He compensated by constant bragging about his skill as a pursuit pilot and by flouting regulations.

The final German offensive kicked off on July 15, with American pursuit squadrons suffering heavy losses. On July 26, Lieutenant Luke was sent as a replacement to the 27th Aero Squadron of the 1st Pursuit Group. He immediately alienated the old hands by bragging about his untested ability.

On Aug. 1, during his first patrol, led by squadron commander Maj. Harold Hartney, soon to become group commander, Luke left the formation to go off on his own. Turning a deaf ear to Hartney's lecture on air discipline, Luke repeated that performance in his next two missions, once claiming an unconfirmed victory.

None of the squadron's flights wanted the unreliable Luke. He was an outcast with no friend other than Lt. Joseph Wehner, a quiet young man who was intrigued by Luke's unorthodox behavior. Luke asked Hartney to let him fly solo patrols, and Hartney, apparently seeing some potential in the unruly pariah, agreed.

By Sept. 11, Luke's search for glory remained unrewarded. That evening, he heard some of the pilots talking about the most dangerous of targets--tethered enemy observation balloons. Each balloon site was surrounded by a ring of antiaircraft guns and a second ring of heavy machine guns and protected by pursuit planes stationed at nearby strips. The pilots agreed that they would attack a balloon only if ordered to do so. Immediately Luke knew he had found his path to fame.

He persuaded Wehner to fly cover for him the next day when he intended to--and did explode his first balloon. Heading for home base to post his victory claim, Luke left Wehner without cover as the latter attacked another balloon, a pattern that was to continue so long as the two flew together.

Luke and Wehner soon concluded that the best time to attack balloons was at dusk, when the big bags were being hauled down. On Sept. 18, Luke had his best day, shooting down two balloons, two Fokkers that attacked Wehner and him, and one German observation plane to become the leading Air Service ace. Wehner, with eight victories--second only to Luke--was shot down that day and died in a German hospital.

Luke's arrogance mounted with his victories. Several times he landed at French fields to spend the night. On Sept. 29, after still another AWOL episode, his new squadron commander, Capt. Al Grant, grounded his 15-victory pilot. Luke's response was to fly to an advance field where he planned to refuel and attack three balloons reported near Murvaux.

Grant phoned the field commander, ordering that Luke be placed under arrest. By coincidence, Group Commander Hartney landed moments after Luke and, not knowing the circumstances, approved Luke's request to hit the balloons.

While Hartney watched, there were three explosions in the gathering dusk, just as Luke had predicted. Grant is reported to have said that when Luke returned, he would court-martial him, then recommend him for the Medal of Honor.

Luke never returned.

The details of Luke's death were not known until after the war. His Spad had been damaged on one pass at a balloon, and perhaps Luke had been wounded. He may have shot down two of the Fokkers that pursued him in the twilight. Certainly he machine-gunned German troops near Murvaux, then landed in a field and was surrounded by enemy soldiers. Luke drew his pistol and killed three Germans before he was fatally shot in the chest.

Rickenbacker called Luke "the greatest fighter who ever went into the air." He was a fighter to the end. Arrogant, self-centered, and undisciplined, Luke probably would have been a failure in later wars, but in the freewheeling days of the baptism of air combat, he earned a niche for himself in the history of military aviation with 18 confirmed victories in as many days.

He was, indeed, a man for his time.

 

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Capt. Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Capt. "Eddie" Rickenbacker, as he has been fondly called by several generations of Americans and millions of people the world over, was a racing driver who went into World War I at America's entrance and came out of it as the leading U.S. Ace with 26 confirmations over the enemy.

He was originally turned down for enlistment for lack of education but was persistent, and on May 25, 1917, at New York City he joined the Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps, with assignment to the Aviation Section. Three days later he was on his way to Paris, France, for assignment to Aviation Headquarters American Expeditionary Forces. His rank was sergeant first class. He served as General John J. Pershing's staff driver. At his insistence he was permitted to join a fighter unit, being assigned as a student at the Aviation Training School at Tours, France.

He completed the course Oct. 10, 1917, and was commissioned a first lieutenant. He then became Engineering Officer to HQ Detachment, 3rd Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun, serving under Maj. Carl A. Spaatz, whose own fame lay ahead in World War II. For many months Spaatz refused to allow him to become a combat pilot because he needed him on the staff but, in March 1918, Captain Rickenbacker prevailed in his repeated requests and he was assigned to the 1st Pursuit Group's 94th Aero Squadron, the famed "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, as a pilot under Maj. Raoul Lufbery. Rickenbacker was in action next month, flying his Nieuport fighter over the lines against the enemy on April 25, and shooting down a German flying a Pfalz, without a single bullet hitting his own machine.

By June 1, 1918, Rickenbacker had become an ace, with five enemy kills to his credit. He was flying with Lufbery. Capt. James Norman Hall, and others who first saw combat with the Lafayette Escadrille, and the squadron was making history, which eventually led to 69 overall victories.

During that summer Rickenbacker suffered from a mastoid infection and spent two months in a hospital in Paris. Returning to duty, he was put in command of the famed 94th Squadron on Sept. 25,. 1918, and on Oct. 28, received promotion to captain. A daring, fearless, talented but never reckless flyer, Rickenbacker as CO would never assign his men to a target he wouldn't lead and he continued as "Hat in-the-Ring" Squadron leader until his return to the U.S. on Jan. 27, l9l9, when he was hailed for leading the Americans with 26 victories.

He also had been awarded major French and U.S. decorations including our nation's highest, the Medal of Honor, with the following citation: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy near Billy, France, Sept. 25, 1918. While on a voluntary patrol over the lines, Lieutenant Rickenbacker attacked seven enemy planes (five type Fokker, protecting two type Halberstadt). Disregarding the odds against him, he dived on them and shot down one of the Fokkers out of control. He then attacked one of the Halberstadts and sent it down also."

Rickenbacker also received eight Distinguished Service Crosses. Between April 29 and May 22, 1918, he engaged a large number of Albatross enemy monoplanes over occupied France shooting down three of them and discouraging the others from a concerted effort. On May 28, he sighted a group of two battle planes and four monoplanes which he at once attacked vigorously, shooting down one and dispersing the others," according to the Distinguished Service Cross citation. Two days later "over Jaulny he attacked a group of five enemy planes. After a violent battle, he shot down one plane and drove the others away."

On Sept. 14: "In the region of Villecy, he attacked four Fokker enemy planes .. . after a sharp and hot action, he succeeded in shooting one down in flames and dispersing the other three."

On Sept. 15: "In the region of Bois-de-Waville, he encountered six enemy planes that were in the act of attacking four Spads, which were below them. Undeterred by their superior numbers, he unhesitatingly attacked them and succeeded in shooting down one, in flames, and completely breaking the formation of the others."

From France Rickenbacker received the Legion of Honor (chevalier) and two Croix de Guerres, with Palm, being cited as: "A pilot of extraordinary bravery, indifferent to danger, who does not hesitate to attack his adversaries regardless of their numbers. During the Marne and Aisne operations he veritably electrified his comrades. He shot down four enemy planes."

In June 1929, Rickenbacker took a colonel's commission as a Specialist in the Officers Reserve Corps, but he gave it up at the end of the five-year appointment period as he had often stated he always wanted to be remembered as Captain Eddie.

During the early part of WWII, he served as the personal observer of Secretary of War Stimson in a flight over Leningrad. On his return to Washington to report on German war damage of the Russian city, his plane was followed down in the Pacific, but he survived a long ordeal on a raft and was eventually rescued.

After WWI Rickenbacker returned to auto racing and became president of the Indianapolis Speedway. He moved back into aviation and built up Eastern Air Lines into one of the commercial giants. On the last day of 1963, Captain Eddie retired as Eastern's Board Chairman, more than 40 years after his glory days over France.


The Citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 94th Aero Squadron, Air Service.
Place and date: Near Billy, France, 25 September 1918.
Entered service at: Columbus, Ohio.
Born: 8 October 1890, Columbus, Ohio.
G.O. No.: 2, W.D., 1931.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy near Billy, France, 25 September 1918. While on a voluntary patrol over the lines, 1st Lt. Rickenbacker attacked 7 enemy planes (5 type Fokker, protecting two type Halberstadt). Disregarding the odds against him, he dived on them and shot down one of the Fokkers out of control. He then attacked one of the Halberstadts and sent it down also.

 

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Courage, Heroism, Valor
By John L. Frisbee, Contributing Editor, Airforce Magazine

Some of us think of courage as a quality that enables one to face the trials of life with firmness and resolution, heroism as an act performed in the face of danger but not necessarily in battle, and valor as extreme heroism in combat. If these are reasonable distinctions, the life of America's leading World War I ace is a text in all those virtues.
Edward V. Rickenbacker was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1890. When he was 13, his father was killed in a construction accident. Young Eddie quit school, never to return, for a series of 12-hour-a-day jobs to help support the family. He soon found his niche in the infant automobile industry. At 17, he was in charge of testing the Columbus Buggy Co.'s new models, some of which he helped design.

The path to success in the industry was the risky business of racing. Rickenbacker became a race driver while still in his teens and rapidly rose to national prominence. In 1916, his last year of racing, he won $60,000 in prizes--worth many times that in today's dollars.

The US entered World War I in April 1917. Rickenbacker applied for pilot training, but was past the age of 25 and lacked a college degree. A friend arranged for him to join General Pershing's staff as a sergeant driver. Contrary to legend, Rickenbacker never drove for Pershing, but he did drive for Col. Billy Mitchell, who was impressed by the young man's skill, mechanical knowledge, and determination to become a pilot. Mitchell arranged for Rickenbacker to enter flying training with the understanding that he would then be assigned to the American flying school at Issoudun, France, as engineering officer.

The school's commander, Maj. Tooey Spaatz, finally gave in to Rickenbacker's continual requests for combat and sent him off to the new 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Aero Squadron to fly obsolescent Nieuports. He completed his first combat mission on April 14, 1918, and won his first victory two weeks later. By the end of May, he was an ace with six confirmed. Then came nearly three months in and out of hospitals with an ear infection.

September was a turning point. The squadron began receiving Spads to replace their Nieuports, and Rickenbacker was given command of the 94th. Early the next morning, Sept. 25, while on a solo patrol, Rickenbacker attacked a pair of two-seater photo planes escorted by five Fokkers. After downing one Fokker and scattering the others, he went in on the photo planes, under steady fire from their rear-seat gunners. In a running battle, he shot down one of the two-seaters before the Fokkers could rejoin the melee.

For that mission, Rickenbacker was recommended for the Medal of Honor. The recommendation, lost in the confusion of demobilization, was not approved until 12 years later. On Nov. 6, 1930, President Herbert Hoover presented the Medal to Eddie Rickenbacker, still a national hero and probably the best-known veteran of the late war.

During October 1918, Rickenbacker's last month of combat, he shot down 11 more German planes and three balloons to end the war with 26 victories in less than six months of action--the top American ace until he was overtaken by Richard I. Bong in the Pacific in April 1944.

In the postwar years, Rickenbacker became an executive in the automobile, and later the aviation, industry. When his automobile company was forced out of business by the industry giants, Rickenbacker refused to file for bankruptcy and personally paid off the large sums owed his creditors.

Early in 1941, while president of Eastern Air Lines, Rickenbacker was gravely injured in a crash. He was not yet fully recovered when Gen. Hap Arnold and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson sent him as a troubleshooter to every theater of war and to the USSR. One of the greatest tests of Rickenbacker's leadership came in October 1942. The B-17 in which he was traveling from Hawaii to Australia was forced to ditch at sea. Rickenbacker assumed leadership of the seven Air Force men who drifted with him for 24 days in liferafts, surviving on rain water and the few fish they were able to catch. The will of his companions to persevere was kept alive by Rickenbacker, who bullied, cajoled, encouraged, and prayed with them. All but one made it. After he and his men were rescued by the Navy, Rickenbacker completed his mission for Secretary Stimson.

For most of his remaining years, Rickenbacker continued to be a leading figure in American aviation and an inspiration to those who knew him. He died July 23, 1973, to the end a man of courage, heroism, and valor.

 

[American Woman]

It' unbelievable how fast he learned and became a hero pilot, And they thought he would'nt be smart enough to begin with. wow, he had tenacity....

 

[ddrane2115]

thanks Bobcat, these were wonderful reading about our long ago heros of war