Another Hero from World War I

Frank Luke

Place of birth: Phoenix, Arizona
Place of death: KIA near Murvaux, France
Allegiance: U.S. Army
Years of service: 1917-1918
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Battles/wars: World War I
Awards: Medal of HonorDistinguished Service Cross (USA)Croice de Guerra (Italian).

Frank Luke Jr. (May 19, 1897 in Phoenix, Arizona – September 29, 1918 near Murvaux, France) was an American fighter ace, ranking second among U.S. Air Service pilots to Eddie Rickenbacker in number of aerial victories during the First World War. Frank Luke is a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Luke's family emigrated from Germany to America, and in 1873 Frank Luke Sr. settled in Arizona. His fifth child, Frank Jr., grew up an active, hardy youngster who excelled at sports, worked the copper mines, and entered bare-knuckle boxing matches. Following America's entry into WW I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 25, 1917 and received flight training in Texas and California. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant, in March he went to France for further training and in July was assigned to the 27th Aero Squadron.
Luke was simultaneously admired and disliked for his aggressive tendency to fly alone. But the 27th was under standing orders to destroy German observation balloons, and Luke partnered with Lieutenant Joseph Wehner. They began a remarkable string of victories but Wehner was killed in action on September 18, 1918. That same day Luke shot down his 13th "official" kill - a Halberstadt C type observation plane of FA 36.
Between September 12 and September 29, Luke was credited with shooting down 14 German balloons and four airplanes.
Lt. Frank Luke, Jr. with his SPAD XIII.
Luke met his fate in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Under threat of arrest for going AWOL, Luke took off in a SPAD XIII fighter without authorization and flew to the front. He shot down three observation balloons but was wounded by antiaircraft fire. He landed in German-held territory along the Somme River. Surrounded, Luke pulled out his Colt 1911 and opened fire before he was killed. He was found a day later with an empty gun and a bullet hole in his chest with 7 dead Germans in front of him. He was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor in 1921.
Rickenbacker said of Luke: "He was the most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war. His life is one of the brightest glories of our Air Service. He went on a rampage and shot down fourteen enemy aircraft, including ten balloons, in eight days. No other ace, even the dreaded Richthofen, had ever come close to that."

Fallen Heroes of Operation Enduring Freedom

-Army Capt. Clayton L. Adamkavicius

43, of Fairdale, Kentucky.Adamkavicius died of injuries sustained in Abu Ghurayb, Afghanistan, when he came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 149th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division, Louisville, Kentucky. Died on April 21, 2006.

-Army Sgt. Kevin D. Akins
29, of Burnsville, North Carolina.Akins died west of Asadabad, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, North Carolina. Died on March 12, 2006.

-Army Sgt. Maj. Phillip R. Albert
41, of Terryville, Connecticut.Albert was onboard an MH-53 helicopter conducting combat operations when it crashed in Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. Died on November 23, 2003.

Aviators of World War I

Eddie Rickenbacker


Place of birth: Columbus, Ohio
Allegiance: United States
Rank: Captain
Battles/wars: World War I
Awards: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross (USA), Legion of Honor, Croix de Guerre.

Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 27, 1973) was best known as a World War I fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation. During his lifetime, Rickenbacker worked with many influential civilian and military leaders. He had keen insight into technology, and vision for future improvements. Among other events, he participated in or observed Armistice Day on the Western Front.

One more Hero

A soldier from Portland died when an improvised explosive device struck the Humvee he was driving in Baghdad, Friday, April 13, 2007 12:19 PM PDT

Army Pfc. Brett A. Walton, 37, died Monday, less than a month after he was deployed to the Middle East, Fristad said.Walton was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Ft. Carson, Colo.Walton graduated from Grant High School, and was a driver for Airgas Inc.

In Portland before entering the U.S. Army on Sept. 13. He deployed to Iraq on March 10.He is survived by his wife, Lindsay, and 5-year-old daughter, Sydney. They moved to Sherwood after Walton joined the Army, to be closer to Lindsay's family.

A Hero for his country

Army Sgt. Adam Kennedy, a rock climbing enthusiast and Norwich University graduate who began his first tour of duty in Iraq last fall, was killed by a blast from an improvised explosive device south of Baghdad.

Kennedy, 25, was killed Sunday when his unit was hit with indirect fire while conducting combat control near Diwaniyah, Iraq,
Kennedy, 25, served in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Fort Richardson and was sent to his tour in Iraq.
"His lifelong ambition was to be in the military," his father said. "He really loved the discipline, and the physical conditioning."
Kennedy's unit provided security for an Army colonel, clearing hidden explosives and otherwise ensuring safe passage for convoys. The work frequently put Kennedy's unit in danger - a reality that became clear to his family when he returned for a 10-day leave late last year.
Despite the risks, Kennedy in December made a commitment to remain with the Army for another six years, his father said.
Kennedy, who was single, graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood in 2000. He graduated from Norwich University, a private military college in Northfield, Vt., in 2004, majoring in computer science, according to a statement from the university.
At Norwich, he spent time away from his studies rock-climbing in the Green Mountains, and participated in a cold weather rescue team, his parents said.
Although he had little background as a runner, he last year finished a marathon during a break from military training in Alaska.
"He ran a respectable time his first time out," his father said.
Arrangements for a funeral in Norfolk were pending.

A Hero to remember

Jon-Erik Loney, who was a specialist in the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, drove a Bradley fighting vehicle.

A roadside bomb killed Loney, a 2003 Danville High graduate, in Iraq on Tuesday. He was 21.

Loney was the 2,881st soldier killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003. Two more American soldiers died that day.

The grandfather said Loney enjoyed being in the military and that he and his wife supported him 100 percent.
"The military was the thing he wanted to do," Allen Kaylor said. "He was an all-around great kid. He's going to be dearly missed."

One of the HERO officers

Samuel B. Ringgold (1796 – May 11, 1846) was an artillery officer in the United States Army who was noted for several military innovations which caused him to be called the "Father of Modern Artillery." He was also, famously, the first U.S. officer to fall in the Mexican-American War, perishing from wounds inflicted during the Battle of Palo Alto.
Ringgold was the son of Samuel Ringgold, a U.S. Congressman from Maryland. A younger brother, Cadwallader Ringgold, also served in the military, becoming a rear admiral.
On July 24, 1818, Samuel Ringgold graduated 5th in a class of 23 from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery.[1]
In the early 1820s, Ringgold was on the staff of General Winfield Scott. At about that time, (roughly 1825) John Vanderlyn, then working in New York City, painted Ringgold's portrait.
Ringgold's significant military innovations included the McClellan military saddle and artillery techniques. Based on his research in Europe, he rewrote the Army's manual for artillery, which included the tactical concept of flying artillery -- employing artillery pieces that could be moved quickly from place to place.[1] The Army adapted his manual, "Instructions for Field Artillery" on March 6, 1845, and he was promoted to the rank of Major in acknowledgement[1] of his military innovations.
Ringgold served in General Zachary Taylor's occupation force in Texas as a Major of Artillery. On May 8, 1846, as he and 2,400 troops were en route to Fort Texas, they were engaged at the Battle of Palo Alto by Mexican General Mariano Arista and his force of 3,800 men.
Arista's army was stretched a mile wide, making an American bayonet charge, Taylor's first option, impossible. Taylor, in an unlikely move, advanced his artillery to attack the enemy. The use of Ringgold's flying artillery tactic won the battle for the Americans. The Mexican artillery, heavy and slow, was futile in the thick steel-wool brush at Palo Alto. Arista ordered cavalry charges to flank the artillery gunners, but the American flying artillery was able to mobilize, relocate, and repel the oncoming dragoons.
Ringgold was mortally wounded, but refused to leave the field during the battle. He survived three days, during which time he debriefed on the battle, before dying in Point Isabel, Texas.