Lt Frank Luke, MOH

 

OK, I've been thinking about things in my USAF career that brought thought to my brain.  (Easy folks, my feelings could be easily hurt with comments about that.) In any case, one of my first assignments was to F-4 training at Luke AFB, AZ.  I had a lot on my mind at the time having just graduated from pilot training and now about to start learning how to fly a real Fighter!  I was very excited and somewhat nervous.  But...I got through, scared my IP's a couple of times, but I got through. 

But, one of the things that I didn't think about at the time was "Why was Luke AFB named that way?"  Well, I will rectify that right now.  Hang on to your hats.

Source

 The above picture is of Lt Frank Luke one of, if not "the", first aces in the USAF History Books. There is some confusion of when victories by Luke and Rickenbacher occurred. Hence "First" is in doubt.  

My wikipedia source stated "Because of his arrogance and occasional tendencies to fly alone and disobey orders, Luke was disliked by some of his peers and superiors. But the 27th was under standing orders to destroy German observation balloons. Because of this, Luke, along with his close friend Lieutenant Joseph Frank Wehner, continually volunteered to attack these important targets although they were heavily defended by anti-aircraft guns on the ground. The two pilots began a string of victories together, with Luke attacking the balloons and Wehner flying protective cover.  Wehner was killed in action on September 18, 1918, by Georg von Hantelmann in a dogfight with Fokker D.VIIs, which were attacking Luke. Luke then shot down two of these D.VIIs, two balloons, and a Halberstadt; the last "credit" enabled Luke to achieve his 13th official kill—a Halberstadt C-type observation plane of Flieger Abteilung 36."

Luke with his 13th Kill 

Source

Between September 12 and 29, Luke was credited with shooting down 14 German balloons and four airplanes. Luke achieved these 18 victories during just 10 sorties in eight days, a feat unsurpassed by any pilot in World War I. To be honest, Captain Rickenbacker had 26 victories but it took him longer and he survived the war.  

Luke didn't.   One might think shooting down a stationary balloon might be easy.  Not so fast there! The balloons were anchored to the ground and surrounded by a lot, and I do mean an Awful Lot, of AAA as well as German fighters to protect them.  So, not as easy to do as it might seem. 

 

Source

 

 And....Unfortunately, luck didn't hold true for Luke.  He was shot down and surrounded by German Soldiers who ordered him to surrender.  He pulled out his pistol and...That was That.

Rest in Peace, Hero! 

 

Citation for the Award of the Medal of Honor to Frank Luke

 After having previously destroyed a number of enemy aircraft within 17 days he voluntarily started on a patrol after German observation balloons. Though pursued by 8 German planes which were protecting the enemy balloon line, he unhesitatingly attacked and shot down in flames 3 German balloons, being himself under heavy fire from ground batteries and the hostile planes. Severely wounded, he descended to within 50 meters of the ground and flying at this low altitude near the town of Murvaux opened fire upon enemy troops, killing 6 and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded on all sides by the enemy, who called upon him to surrender, he drew his automatic pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest.

Never give up, Never surrender! 

Luke AFB was named for him and was the primary fighter training base at the time. His story was a fine example for a budding fighter pilot. 

Rest in Peace, Warrior!

Sources 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Luke 

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196836/lt-frank-luke-jr/ 

https://www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb/2022/03/22/remembering-luke-afbs-namesake-2nd-lt-frank-luke-jr/ 

The First One!

 Ok, so a bit of a change of pace.  Yes...Still Medal of Honor related (there is a LOT of history in those stories), but I'd always wondered who was the FIRST? And how do you define "First", First one awarded or received for actions in the earliest battle the Medal was awarded for.  

Given my absolute love for gummint bureaucracies, I'm gonna go with the latter as my definition of FIRST. 

So, here we go. 

 

 

This distinguished gentleman is Bernard J. D. Irwin of the US Army.  No, he wasn't Cavalry nor Infantry, rather he was a Doctor.  But...his story is no less riveting.  So.  Here we go.

 

Dr. Irwin was an Army Surgeon in Arizona during the Apache Wars.  

 

 His most notable action occurred on February 13–14, 1861, at Apache Pass, Arizona, where he volunteered to lead a small relief force on a perilous 100-mile mule march through a blizzard to rescue Second Lieutenant George N. Bascom and 60 encircled soldiers from the 7th Infantry, who were besieged by superior Chiricahua Apache forces under Cochise; Irwin's tactical engagement defeated the attackers, recovered stolen livestock, and liberated a kidnapped boy.(6)

 

 

While this action took place  in February 1861 before the Civil War and before the Medal of Honor was created those actions described above were the actions for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor on January 24, 1894. 

 Citation for the Award of the Medal of Honor to Dr. Bernard J. D. Irwin

 

 

 Citation

On this day in 1861, Bernard J.D. Irwin went above and beyond the call of duty while serving our nation during the Indian Campaigns, for which he would later receive the Medal of Honor. Surgeon Irwin voluntarily assumed command of a group of troops and led a successful attack against hostile Indians encountered along the way. This initial engagement showcased his willingness to take charge and his tactical abilities. Further demonstrating his bravery, Irwin volunteered for a perilous rescue mission. 2d Lt. George N. Bascom, 7th Infantry, and 60 men were trapped by Chiricahua Apaches under Cochise. Irwin and 14 men, not having horses, began the 100-mile march riding mules. After fighting and capturing Indians and recovering stolen horses and cattle, he reached Bascom's column and helped break his siege. Irwin's timely arrival and assistance were instrumental in breaking the siege and saving the trapped soldiers. Preserving stories like Irwin’s is essential—not only to honor their sacrifice but to inspire future generations with examples of valor, integrity, and service. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is committed to ensuring these incredible acts of bravery are never forgotten and continue to serve as a beacon of hope and resilience for our nation.

Sources 

1 https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/bernard-j-irwin

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_J._D._Irwin 

3 https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-275/ 

4 https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/this-day-history-feb-13-1861-army-surgeon-jd-irwin-rescues-60-men-medal-honor 

5 https://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/upLoads/library_Irwin-Bernard-John-Dowling.pdf 

6 https://grokipedia.com/page/bernard_j_d_irwin 

Demas Thurlow Craw MOH & Pierpoint M Hamilton MOH

 

 I hope y'all had a safe, fun and thoughtful weekend.  There are a lot of people who have paid a high price to get us and keep us free.  We should remember them.  Here are two.

This is an interesting story,  Demas Thurlow Craw Col US Army and his aide Pierpoint M Hamilton Maj US Army, up until Afghanistan, had received the only two Army Air Force Medal of Honor awards not involving air combat.

Source

 

 

Source

 

 

Colonel Craw's Medal of Honor citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. On November 8, 1942, near Port Lyautey, French Morocco,* Col. Craw volunteered to accompany the leading wave of assault boats to the shore and pass through the enemy lines to locate the French commander with a view to suspending hostilities. This request was first refused as being too dangerous but upon the officer's insistence that he was qualified to undertake and accomplish the mission he was allowed to go. Encountering heavy fire while in the landing boat and unable to dock in the river because of shell fire from shore batteries, Col. Craw, accompanied by 1 officer and 1 soldier, succeeded in landing on the beach at Mehdia Plage under constant low-level strafing from 3 enemy planes. Riding in a bantam truck toward French headquarters, progress of the party was hindered by fire from our own naval guns. Nearing Port Lyautey, Col. Craw was instantly killed by a sustained burst of machinegun fire at pointblank range from a concealed position near the road.

Major Hamilton's Citation for the Medal of Honor

 The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Major (Air Corps) Pierpont Morgan Hamilton, United States Army Air Forces, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Western Task Force, in North Africa during the landings of Operation Torch. On 8 November 1942, near Port Lyautey, French Morocco, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton volunteered to accompany Colonel Demas Craw on a dangerous mission to the French commander, designed to bring about a cessation of hostilities. Driven away from the mouth of the Sebou River by heavy shelling from all sides, the landing boat was finally beached at Mehdia Plage despite continuous machinegun fire from three low-flying hostile planes. Driven in a light truck toward French headquarters, this courageous mission encountered intermittent firing, and as it neared Port Lyautey a heavy burst of machinegun fire was delivered upon the truck from pointblank range, killing Colonel Craw instantly. Although captured immediately, after this incident, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton completed the mission.

 

 *I had no knowledge of Port Lyautey, French Morocco, but Google came to the rescue.  The gap at the very top of the map is the Strait of Gibraltar to help with location.

 Sources

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demas_T._Craw#Medal_of_Honor_citation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierpont_M._Hamilton 

 

Lloyd "Pete" Hughes MOH

 When I read through this officer's Medal of Honor story, it was horrifically informative.  179 B-24 bombers took off, 54 were shot down, a 30 percent loss rate.  Given that there were 10 or 11 airmen on each that makes the casualty rate over 30%.

In case you didn't recognize the description of the mission above, this again is one of the 5 Medal of Honor Recipients from the Ploesti mission, 3 of whom received it posthumously. 

And the mission provided little change in the progress of the war.  I know that "Feces occurs" is a family version of the real version, but it should not be used in this disaster.  

Anyhow, on with Lt Hughes story.

 

 

 

 

 

Hughes' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry in action and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On August 1943, 2d Lt. Hughes served in the capacity of pilot of a heavy bombardment aircraft participating in a long and hazardous minimum-altitude attack against the Axis oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania, launched from the northern shores of Africa. Flying in the last formation to attack the target, he arrived in the target area after previous flights had thoroughly alerted the enemy defenses. Approaching the target through intense and accurate antiaircraft fire and dense balloon barrages at dangerously low altitude, his plane received several direct hits from both large and small caliber antiaircraft guns which seriously damaged his aircraft, causing sheets of escaping gasoline to stream from the bomb bay and from the left wing. This damage was inflicted at a time prior to reaching the target when 2d Lt. Hughes could have made a forced landing in any of the grain fields readily available at that time. The target area was blazing with burning oil tanks and damaged refinery installations from which flames leaped high above the bombing level of the formation. With full knowledge of the consequences of entering this blazing inferno when his airplane was profusely leaking gasoline in two separate locations, 2d Lt. Hughes, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of his assigned target at any cost, did not elect to make a forced landing or turn back from the attack. Instead, rather than jeopardize the formation and the success of the attack, he unhesitatingly entered the blazing area and dropped his bomb load with great precision. After successfully bombing the objective, his aircraft emerged from the conflagration with the left wing aflame. Only then did he attempt a forced landing, but because of the advanced stage of the fire enveloping his aircraft the plane crashed and was consumed. By 2d Lt. Hughes' heroic decision to complete his mission regardless of the consequences in utter disregard of his own life, and by his gallant and valorous execution of this decision, he has rendered a service to our country in the defeat of our enemies which will everlastingly be outstanding in the annals of our Nation's history.

When I was putting this post together, I ran across an interesting fact.  Lt Hughes went to Texas A&M University.  My Children did also.  We moved to College Station to be with them.  Lt Hughes and 8 other A&M Medal of Honor recipients are alumni of A&M.  I read somewhere that there is a room on campus which has pictures, memorabilia and a few of the Medals themselves.  Suffice it to say, I'm going to look a bit further into that and pay it a visit if it's true.

Peace out y'all 

Sources,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Herbert_Hughes

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hughes-lloyd-herbert-jr 

https://www.af.mil/Medal-of-Honor/Hughes/ 

 https://www.war.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3107011/medal-of-honor-monday-army-2nd-lt-lloyd-hughes/

https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-2240/ 

https://stories.tamu.edu/stories/9-medal-of-honor-recipients-remembered-for-bravery-and-exemplifying-aggie-core-values/ 

 

 

Brian Shul Sled Driver

 

OK this guy is another of my heroes for a lot of reasons.  No, not a Medal of Honor recipient, but let me tell you his story, you'll understand why he was one of my heroes.  He was one of my Instructor Pilots when I was making the transition from F-4 Pilot to Lead-In Fighter Training AT-38 Instructor Pilot.  Suffice it to say, I learned a lot from him, an awful lot.  So, let's get on with the post.

 Major Brian Shul (rhymes with School) came on active duty in the Air Force in 1970, completed pilot training and was sent to Southeast Asia as a T-28 Trojan pilot.

Source

 As one can pretty well ascertain, this wasn't a fabulous aircraft for fighting an air war.  But being fairly slow, a pilot could make out a lot more details than say a pilot in an F-4.  He served as a Foreign Air Advisor teaching other SouthEast Asian Air Forces how to do close air support to troops in contact with the enemy.  On his 213th mission, he was shot down and crashed in the jungle.  One of the drawbacks to the T-28 is that it is fueled with AvGas, basically high octane gas much like in your car, albeit much more flammable.  Unfortunately when he crashed, he was knocked unconscious and the plane caught fire.  Special Forces folks came and pulled him out of the flames.  Suffice it to say he was severely burned and it took a few days before he could be airlifted out of the jungle and provided with more effective medical treatment. Doctors in the hospital in Okinawa didn't believe he would survive but they did their best to treat him.  He was airlifted to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio when he was capable of traveling. He then underwent 15 operations over the next year.

He underwent several months of physical training with a personal goal of returning to flying status.

OK, to refresh,  severely burned, not expected to live, over a year in the hospital.  Wow! A lot, just to be alive!

 However, at the end of that, he passed a flying physical and began flying again!

Talk about "Never Give Up! Never Surrender", Brian Shul is the epitome of that.

His next flying assignment was in the SR-71.  I'll let him tell you a story about that in the video at the end of this post. 

Brian Shul on the right, his Back Seater Walt Watson on the left

Brian Shul about to refuel his SR-71 on a KC-135

 

Brian in a Selfie while flying WAY High and WAY FAST

 

 

 Now on to that video I promised you.  Pretty Humorous and put an Airline Pilot in his place. Pay attention to his airspeed reading in this video.  After a few whiskeys, he told me that he had significantly slowed down to this speed.  Wouldn't/Couldn't tell me, no matter how may whiskey's I pried him with, how fast he HAD been going!

 The guy that taught me the meaning of "Never give up, Never surrender!"  Miss you Brian, see you in the great beyond.

Peace out y'all 

Sources

 https://usaf.patchcollector.nl/2026/05/18/brian-https://

https://sleddriver.square.site/

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Shul 

https://theaviationist.com/2023/05/24/the-sled-driver-has-flown-west/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyHH9G9et0&t=358s 

 

Richard Etchberger MOH

 

This is a VERY interesting story. Chief Master Sergeant (CMS) Richard Etchberger was born March 5, 1933 and was killed in action March 11, 1968.  Interestingly, he wasn't awarded the Medal of Honor until September 21, 2010.

That should pique your curiosity.  Which brings us to his story which is quite fascinating. I will try to summarize it, but, I strongly recommend you clicking the link and read it.  I'll still be here when you get back.  President Reagan's statement of "Where do we find such men?" applies in triplicate to Chief Etchberger.

A quick summary, a radar station was built in Laos which could direct US aircraft to bombing targets in North Vietnam regardless of time of day or weather.  Obviously, the North Vietnamese weren't happy about it, so they launched an attack against the site.

During the attack Chief Etchberger was killed.  As I mentioned, the details of the attack can be found in the link above.

Then politics got involved.  Because the site was in Laos and although "approved" by the Laotian government, it was a secret.  Since it was a "secret" and the US wasn't supposed to have troops in Laos and even though his actions were "above and beyond the call of duty", Chief Etchberger was awarded the Air Force Cross, USAF's second highest award.  His sons had no knowledge about how their father died having been told he died in a helicopter accident.  In the early 2000's, USAF veterans began lobbying to have the medal upgraded.  In 2008, Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force approved the upgrade which was also approved by Congress in 2009 and presented to his 3 sons in 2010.  

And, IMHO, it was well deserved.

Chief Etchberger's Medal of Honor Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded, in the name of the Congress, the Medal of Honor to Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger, United States Air Force, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty.

Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism on March 11, 1968, in the country of Laos. While assigned as Ground Radar Superintendent, Detachment 1, 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron. On that day, Chief Etchberger and his team of technicians were manning a top-secret defensive position at Lima Site 85 when the base was overrun by an enemy ground force. Receiving sustained and withering heavy artillery attacks directly upon his unit's position, Chief Etchberger's entire crew lay dead or severely wounded. Despite having received little or no combat training, Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue. Because of his fierce defense and heroic and selfless actions, he was able to deny the enemy access to his position and save the lives of his remaining crew. With the arrival of the rescue aircraft, Chief Etchberger without hesitation repeatedly and deliberately risked his own life, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire, in order to place three surviving wounded comrades into rescue slings hanging from the hovering helicopter waiting to airlift them to safety. With his remaining crew safely aboard, Chief Etchberger finally climbed into the evacuation sling himself, only to be fatally wounded by enemy ground fire as he was being raised into the aircraft.

Chief Etchberger's bravery and determination in the face of persistent enemy fire and overwhelming odds are in keeping with the highest standards of performance and traditions of military service. Chief Etchberger's gallantry, self-sacrifice, and profound concern for his fellow men, at risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, reflect the highest credit on himself and the United States Air Force.

A lot of things were done wrong in Vietnam and a lot of good folks were killed because of that.  Chief Etchberger, IMHO, was one of the best.  I'm glad President Reagan stood up for him and hope he took it out on the chickens of a fecal nature (you know what I mean) that wouldn't stand up for the Chief when it happened.   

Rest in peace Chief! 

References

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Etchberger

https://www.af.mil/Medal-of-Honor/Etchberger/ 

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/richard-l-etchberger

 

Leon Vance MOH

 

 

Another WOW Medal of Honor recipient.  He did a lot of excellent flying and was lucky through most of his flying career. Which will be the focus of this post.

This recipient's name was Leon Vance, born and raised in Enid Oklahoma.  I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the USAF Air Base located in Enid is named Vance AFB.  

Or maybe not a coincidence. 

 

 Major Vance was promoted to Captain in April 1942 and Major in July 1942. He was also promoted to LtCol in September 1943.  Of course a lot of things are going on.  First, not everyone comes back from missions, including senior officers.  Second, the Army Air Forces are expanding exponentially. Leaders are needed.

 

 

 But it was with a bit of difficulty to leave his wife and daughter and do his duty.

 

 Major Vance flew his first combat flight to bomb a Luftwaffe airfield on May 30th, 1944. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to Lt Col. 

On June 5th 1944, he was assigned as the flight lead of the squadron.  As such, he wasn't the assigned pilot or co-pilot rather stationed behind them near the radio compartment so he could direct the formation if needed.  As they approached the target, the AAA, unsurprisingly, got very heavy and a shell hit their bomber, killing the pilot and setting an engine on fire.  The co-pilot was initially knocked unconscious, but recovered and pulled the aircraft out of the dive.  LtCol Vance's right foot was nearly severed by the explosion and was trapped in the bulkhead.  However, he as able to assist the co-pilot in recovering the aircraft from the dive, putting out fires and shutting down damaged engines.  After recovering the airplane, he was able to dislodge his foot and bandage his leg.  They headed for home, but as they crossed the channel, they concluded that the bomber could not be landed safely, so LtCol Vance directed the crew to bail out.  He thought the radio operator was too injured to bail out, so LtCol Vance decided to fly the aircraft back over the channel and ditch it to save him.  Upon ditching, he evacuated the aircraft realizing that the radio operator had bailed out with the crew.  Successfully leaving the bomber, he was rescued.

Now, for the hard part.  His injury was so serious that he was sent back to the states for treatment.  Somewhere over the Atlantic, the aircraft was lost and crew and passengers declared dead.

Rest in peace, Hero! 

Medal of Honor Citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 5 June 1944, when he led a Heavy Bombardment Group, in an attack against defended enemy coastal positions in the vicinity of Wimereaux, France. Approaching the target, his aircraft was hit repeatedly by antiaircraft fire which seriously crippled the ship, killed the pilot, and wounded several members of the crew, including Lt. Col. Vance, whose right foot was practically severed. In spite of his injury, and with 3 engines lost to the flak, he led his formation over the target, bombing it successfully. After applying a tourniquet to his leg with the aid of the radar operator, Lt. Col. Vance, realizing that the ship was approaching a stall altitude with the 1 remaining engine failing, struggled to a semi-upright position beside the copilot and took over control of the ship. Cutting the power and feathering the last engine he put the aircraft in glide sufficiently steep to maintain his airspeed. Gradually losing altitude, he at last reached the English coast, whereupon he ordered all members of the crew to bail out as he knew they would all safely make land. But he received a message over the interphone system which led him to believe 1 of the crewmembers was unable to jump due to injuries; so he made the decision to ditch the ship in the channel, thereby giving this man a chance for life. To add further to the danger of ditching the ship in his crippled condition, there was a 500-pound bomb hung up in the bomb bay. Unable to climb into the seat vacated by the copilot, since his foot, hanging on to his leg by a few tendons, had become lodged behind the copilot's seat, he nevertheless made a successful ditching while lying on the floor using only aileron and elevators for control and the side window of the cockpit for visual reference. On coming to rest in the water the aircraft commenced to sink rapidly with Lt. Col. Vance pinned in the cockpit by the upper turret which had crashed in during the landing. As it was settling beneath the waves an explosion occurred which threw Lt. Col. Vance clear of the wreckage. After clinging to a piece of floating wreckage until he could muster enough strength to inflate his life vest he began searching for the crewmember whom he believed to be aboard. Failing to find anyone he began swimming and was found approximately 50 minutes later by an Air-Sea Rescue craft. By his extraordinary flying skill and gallant leadership, despite his grave injury, Lt. Col. Vance led his formation to a successful bombing of the assigned target and returned the crew to a point where they could bail out with safety. His gallant and valorous decision to ditch the aircraft in order to give the crew member he believed to be aboard a chance for life exemplifies the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.  

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Vance

https://www.af.mil/Medal-of-Honor/Vance/ 

https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/military-history/2025/08/05/one-foot-in-the-grave-moh-pilot-bombed-nazis-despite-severed-limb/