C4C Nicholas Bacogiannis
Major Short
History 100
21 September 2015
The Oldest Soul
With the recent innovation of the airplane revolutionizing the battlefields of World War I, American air warriors like 1st Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. and Captain Eddie Rickenbacker separated themselves through valiant actions that contributed significantly to the American war effort. Yet, the fearless determination to serve and the advances in tactical air warfare influenced by Lt. Luke Jr. greatly outweigh the amount of citations and medals earned by Capt. Rickenbacker setting the prescient for the massive contributions airmen could make in war. Throughout his infamous career in 1918, Lt. Luke Jr. led the world in what was to become the newest element to combat,
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Luke Jr. was persistently under the skepticism for his radical behavior on the battlefield making his performance notorious. Being in the U.S. Signal Corps at the time of its inception, many dreaded the thought of being trapped in an aircraft, but Lt. Luke Jr. not only rode into these battles willingly, but he openly welcomed them. During a battle around Dun-Sur-Meuse as reported by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, “though pursued by eight aircraft and facing heavy ground fire, he destroyed three balloons and killed six enemy soldiers in strafing attacks”. The courage he exhibited during the heat of combat, allowed him to accomplish more than what was expected of him. On September 29, his plane took on high amounts of shrapnel forcing him to land his plane in German territory where he was asked surrender by advancing German troops; instead he drew his pistol and began firing killing seven before taking direct fire instantly killing him. To Lt. Luke Jr., the honor that he’d receive for his actions did not matter, as stated by Arizona Public Broadcasting Service, “simple cross does not boast of his accomplishments. Those speak for themselves.” His determination to serve his nation forced him to take uncommon routes, untraveled by most just for the opportunity to inspire others to contribute the absolute most to the war …show more content…
Luke Jr.’s actions proved to have contributed to the American operational success during World War I. Without a doubt his direct actions in the air played a major role in saving countless lives and guaranteeing the success of the American war effort during the duration of World War I.
Works Cited
"Arizona Stories." Arizona Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
"Factsheets : Luke Air Force Base - Lt. Frank Luke, Jr." Factsheets : Luke Air Force Base - Lt. Frank Luke, Jr. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
"Factsheets : 2nd Lt Frank Luke Jr." Factsheets : 2nd Lt Frank Luke Jr. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
"Make a Donation." National Aviation Hall of Fame. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
"National Museum of the US Air Force™." Lt. Frank Luke Jr. Display. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Rickenbacker, Eddie. Rickenbacker. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,Inc, 1967.
Captain Luke was only 21 years old when he was shot down by German troops. In World War I, “having previously destroyed a number of enemy aircraft within 17 days he voluntarily started on a patrol after German observation balloons” (Writing Assignment #1: Guidance). He specialized in attacking observation balloons, “possibly the toughest target any WWI pilot could face”( Toliver, Constable). This was due to the artillery, fighter squadrons, and new to WWI, machine guns. Captain Luke stared death in the face and continued to fly and fire into enemy lines. He shot down 2 balloons and 3 aircraft on September 18th alone (Toliver, Constable). Captain Luke destroyed 13 enemy airborne targets in a mere 5 days. His contributions would not have been so great if he had not had the qualities of bravery that he did. He also exhibited Skilled
Sanderson, Jefferey. "GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.” Last modified may 22, 1997. Accessed January 4, 2014. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a331356.pdf&ei=tYbHUtv3HcGs2gX2u4HAAQ&usg=AFQjCNFU5EzdWjKlt81w8gh_Bj2UEttaZw&sig2=aAz3jIZg7U6peDzL_i8w9w.
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