The Myth of the Arizona Balloon Buster: 1st Lt. Frank Luke

02/19/24 • 10 min

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1st Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. served in the Army in World War I as a pilot. He quickly gained a reputation as being arrogant and overconfident, but he had the skills to back it up. He scored 18 aerial victories in under three weeks, mostly on unsanctioned missions. His friendship to his group commander allowed him to fly as he pleased, consequence free.

On September 29th, 1918, after almost being grounded by his squad commander, Luke left on another solo flight, destroying three German observation balloons. What happened after became subject exaggeration and speculation for decades to come. Originally, it was thought that Luke fought 10 German planes, destroying two of them before being shot down himself, and then died in a gunfight on the ground with German soldiers. For this he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Decades later in 2008, thanks to archeological digs, interviews with descendants of witnesses, reviewing unpublished material, and analyzing evidence, the truth was finally revealed. After destroying three German observation balloons, Luke had circled back to head home, but was down by a German machine gun. He crash landed and attempted to escape on foot, but succumbed to his injuries.

Luke was reburied at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Italian War Cross, in addition to being the first airman ever awarded the Medal of Honor. He’s been commemorated with a statue that stands at the Arizona State Capitol, and by Luke Air Force Base, which was named after him. To this day, Luke’s Medal of Honor citation has never been updated to reflect the full picture.

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Previous Episode

The Kamikaze Attacks: Lt. Richard Miles McCool Jr.

After an enemy Japanese plane crashed into the water besides the USS William D. Porter, it exploded causing the destroyer to partially leave the water and crash down again. Thanks to Lieutenant Richard Miles McCool Jr., the commander of a smaller Landing Craft Support ship (LCS-122), all 300 crew members were evacuated to safety.

The next day, on June 11th, 1945, the LCS-122 was subject to its own Kamikaze attack that made a direct hit to its bow. The impact caused an explosion and a serious fire that threatened to ignite the ship’s ammunition cache, igniting 120 rockets all at once. Despite his right side being covered in burns and shrapnel, Lt. McCool helped two wounded sailors escape the flaming deckhouse, and directed his crew in order to keep the fire from spreading. His lung then collapsed, but he was able to receive aid and be evacuated to another LCS.

Lt. McCool was awarded the Medal of Honor role in saving both the crew of the USS William D. Porter on June 10th, and his own crew on June 11th, 1945.

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Next Episode

The Battle of Ia Drang Valley: Col. Walter Marm Jr.

Colonel Walter Joseph Marm Jr. served in the Army during Vietnam. On the 14th of November, 1965, Marm and his company were tasked with rescuing a platoon that had been surrounded by the NVA. After their first push was unsuccessful, Marm led his platoon through heavy machine gun and light arms fire. Marm killed four enemies that approached their position before exposing himself to enemy fire in order to locate their hidden machine gun. He then charged the machine gun bunker alone, running through 30 yards of open terrain, again exposed to enemy fire. He then tossed a grenade into the bunker, killing several of the 8 enemies that manned it, and killed the rest with his rifle. As he motioned for his men to join up with him, he was shot. The bullet entered his left jaw and exited through his right cheek. Despite the wound, Marm walked back to his company by himself, where he was evac’d to a hospital.

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