LUKE, FRANK, JR. - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 27th
Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service. Place and date: Near Murvaux,
France, 29 September 1918. Entered service at: Phoenix, Ariz. Born: 19
May 1897, Phoenix, Ariz. G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919. Citation: 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.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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