The Many Lives of an American Hero

This is a “two part” story about one of America’s greatest heroes-– a story that takes more than one 800-word column to tell

By Tom Morrow

PART I:

Most people under the age of 70 probably never heard the name “Eddie Rickenbacker,” but for us “older folk,” he was America’s first flying ace. He shot down more than 26 German aircraft during World War I. He and Sgt. Alvin York were America’s most famous heroes during that conflict.
Born on Oct 8, 1890. Rickenbacker had many lives – an auto mechanic, a race car driver, an automobile designer, a government military consultant, a comic-strip writer, as well as a radio and screen writer, plus the long-time CEO of a major U.S. air carrier – Eastern Airlines. He received the most awards for valor by an American serviceman during World War I.
At eighteen, Rickenbacker was, in his own words, “salesman, automobile demonstrator, mechanic, chief engineer, experimenter — in short, the whole ball of wax.” In this early period of his life he once chauffeured presidential candidate Williams Jennings Bryan.
1910, he won most of the dirt-track races he entered around and near Omaha, Neb. Noted driver Lee Frayer invited Rickenbacker to be his relief driver in May of that year during the first-ever Indianapolis 500. He would compete four times as a driver in the Indianapolis 500 before World War I.
At the beginning of World War I, Rickenbacker had several encounters with aviators, including an incident in which he repaired a stranded aircraft for Townsend F. Dodd, a man who later became General John J. Pershing’s aviation officer and an important contact in Rickenbacker’s attempt to join the U.S. flying corps.
During World War I, with its anti-German atmosphere, he, like so many other German-Americans, changed his original surname. The “h” in “Rickenbacher” became a “k” in an effort to “take the German out of his name.”
In 1916, Rickenbacker traveled to London to develop a race car. Because of an erroneous press story and Rickenbacker’s known “Swiss” heritage, the British suspected him of being a spy and closely monitored his activities.
Back in America, he developed the idea of recruiting his race car friends as fighter pilots because they were accustomed to tight spaces and high speeds, but the suggestion was ignored by the military. In 1917, the U.S. declared war on Germany and Rickenbacker enlisted in the U.S. Army. He arrived in France on June 26, 1917, as a Sergeant First Class.
Most men chosen for pilot training had college degrees and Rickenbacker had to struggle to gain permission to fly because of his perceived lack of academic qualifications. Because of his mechanical abilities, Rickenbacker was assigned as engineering officer for the U.S. pursuit aircraft training facility, where he practiced flying during his free time. Rickenbacker learned to fly well, but because his mechanical skills were so highly valued his superiors tried to keep him grounded.
Rickenbacker demonstrated he was a qualified replacement, and the military awarded him a spot in one of America’s air combat units, the famed 94th Aero Squadron, informally known as the “Hat-in-the-Ring” Squadron because of its insignia.
On April 29, 1918, Rickenbacker shot down his first enemy plane. On May 28, he claimed his fifth to become an ace. Rickenbacker was awarded the French Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) that month for his first five aerial victories.
On May 30, he scored his sixth victory. Rickenbacker shot down Germany’s new fighter, the Fokker D.VII, on Sept. 14, 1918, and another the next day. On Sept. 24, 1918, now a captain, he was named commander of the squadron, and on the following day, he claimed two more German planes, for which he was “belatedly” awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (in 1931) by President Herbert Hoover.
After claiming yet another Fokker victory on Sept. 27, 1918, Rickenbacker became a balloon buster by downing observation balloon on Sept. 28, Oct. 1, Oct. 3, Oct. 27, and Oct. 30. He was credited with destroying five balloons earning Rickenbacker the distinction of “balloon ace.”
Thirteen more victories bringing his total to 13 Fokker, four other German fighters, five highly defended observation balloons, and four two-seated reconnaissance planes. Rickenbacker’s 26 victories remained the American record until World War II. He flew a total of 300 combat hours, more than any other U.S. pilot. On Nov. 11, 1918, the day of the Armistice, Rickenbacker flew his plane above the western front to observe former enemy troops crossing the front lines greeting and joining in the celebrations. Rickenbacker was awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross a record eight times during the war. He was discharged in the U.S. Army Air Service with the rank of captain.
But there’s more … much more in the life of this fascinating American hero.
NEXT WEEK: The continuing saga of Eddie Rickenbacker
Humorous or human-interest stories or notes for this osidenews.com column can be forwarded via e-mail to me at: quotetaker@msn.com