FIGHTER MEDALS OF HONOR AT A GLANCE

In August 1918, Quartermaster Charles Hammann became the first fighter pilot awarded the Medal of Honor when he rescued a squadronmate in his Macchi M5 flying boat during combat with Austrian aircraft. Eddie Rickenbacker successfully lobbied Congress for his Medal 12 years after the action it represented. The saga of Frank Luke is well known: the Arizona Balloon Buster who left a flaming line of German Drachen before dying in combat in 1918. Marine Captain Henry Elrod received a posthumous Medal for both air and ground actions on Wake Island in 1941. The Navy’s first ace of WW II, Edward “Butch” O’Hare made his record in February 1942 but died in a night mission in November 1943. Maj. John L. Smith initiated a string of Medals of Honor at Guadalcanal…

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Flight Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2024

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