At about this time in 1918, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Frank Luke, Jr., a.k.a. the “Balloon Buster,” has been called the “most spectacular air fighter of World War I.”
“He was the most daring aviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war,” renowned Captain Eddie Rickenbacker said. “His life is one of the brightest glories of our Air Service. He went on a rampage and shot down 14 enemy aircraft, including 10 balloons, in eight days. . . . [No other Ace] had ever come close to that.”
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On this day in 1920, a future U.S. Coast Guardsman is born. John “Jack” Cullen is best known for his role in finding and stopping Nazi saboteurs as they attempted to invade America during World War II.
He received a Legion of Merit for his actions.
Cullen was once described as “a thoroughly wholesome, typically American boy” with “a modest demeanor.” When the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor, he did what so many in that generation did: He signed up to help.
Before too long, Cullen was a Coast Guardsman stationed near Amagansett, New York.
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On this day in 1916, a future aviation heroine is born. Violet (“Vi”) Thurn Cowden is best known for her service in the Women Airforce Service Pilots [WASPs] during World War II.
Vi grew up on a small South Dakota farm and would later remember her early fascination with flight. As a young girl, she’d watched a hawk swoop down to grab a chicken. Vi knew instantly: “I wanted to fly like that.”
She grew older and became a teacher, but she still longed to fly. She soon convinced a pilot to give her lessons. “[I had to] ride my bike six miles out to the airport for class in the morning,” she chuckled. “And thank goodness it was downhill on the way back. And the little kids [at school] would say, ‘You flew today.’ And I said, ‘Well, how do you know?’ They said, ‘Well, you’re so happy.’”
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On this day in 1944, a flight nurse is shot down and taken prisoner. Reba Z. Whittle was the only U.S. Army flight nurse to be held as a prisoner of war in the European theater of World War II.
Second Lt. Whittle had logged more than 500 hours of flight time during her months as a flight nurse. She served aboard 40 missions.
Things took a turn for the worse on September 27, 1944. On that day, Whittle and her colleagues from the 813th Aeromedical Evacuation Transportation Squadron were dispatched on a mission to pick up casualties.
They never made it.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-reba-whittle
