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Frank Luke, Jr. was born on 19 May 1897 in Phoenix, AZ, after his family immigrated from Germany to America and settled in Arizona in 1873. Frank was his family's fifth child, and he grew up excelling in sports, working in copper mines, and participating in bare-knuckle boxing matches.
Frank Luke, Jr. was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 19th, 1887. His story began when his father, Frank Luke, Sr., came to the sun-scorched, wind-weathered desert of the Arizona Territory in 1873. Born of sturdy German stock, he had originally immigrated to New York, but his restless, adventurous spirit soon brought him westward.
Frank Luke, known as the "Arizona Balloon Buster," destroyed 4 airplanes and 14 German balloons in 17 days, during ten of which he didn't fly. His brash manner made him unpopular with fellow aviators, but his accomplishments ranked as perhaps the greatest in the history of aerial combat. At the time of his death he was the American "Ace of Aces ...
Feb 6, 2023 · Frank Luke Jr. who received the Medal of Honor for shooting down 14 German balloons during World War I (Task & Purpose image). SHARE. The saga of that Chinese spy balloon floating across the ...
Frank Luke was awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1917, the Army put an airfield on Ford Island, at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This was named Luke Field after Luke's death. This airfield and Hickam Field were hit hard during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. Later, Luke Air Force Base, 30 miles northwest of Phoenix, was named in his honor.
After aerial combat training at Issoudun, France, Frank Luke, Jr. was assigned to the 27th Aero Squadron under Harold Hartney on 25 July 1918. Often flying alone or with his sidekick Joseph Wehner, he shot down 18 enemy balloons and planes in just 18 days. After flaming three German balloons on 29 September 1918, Luke's SPAD XIII (S7984) was ...
Nov. 4, 2019. The name “Frank Luke” has been bestowed on not one, but two air bases. No other American airman can claim that distinction. Ford Island AS, Hawaii, became Luke Field in 1919. In 1941 the Army shifted the name to a new base (today’s Luke Air Force Base) in Arizona. Luke’s home state pushed to acquire the name.
