LT. FRANK LUKE, JR. MEDAL OF HONOR WAR MEMORIAL PLAQUE

Rank and Organization: Second Lieutenant, 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group. Place and Date: Near Murvaux, France, September 29, 1918. Entered Service At: Phoenix, Ariz. Born: May 19, 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.

The citation contained errors attributable to confused accounts from French witnesses to Luke’s final flight, and to a staff officer’s re-write of the original write-up, which emphasized the numerous high-risk missions he flew between September 12 and 29.[1] Reports that he was intercepted by German fighters, strafed enemy troops before his forced landing; and was “surrounded on all sides” were literal mis-interpretations of French testimony and became part of the mythology that grew up around the event.
SEE ALSO-ARIZONA MILITARY AVAIATION WALK OF HONOR MEMORIAL