Luke's DFC?

[Barrett]

They just held the annual Luke Air Force Base air show last weekend, featuring the T-Birds.
The airshow program has a segment on Frank, saying (among other questionable statements) that he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Since that gong wasn't established until 19-ought-26, and does not appear on any other list of his awards that I've seen, it seems highly dubious. After all, he received the MoH and two DSCs for his other notable missions.
Anybody have other info?

[Billy_Bishop]

I have to say, I've never heard, been told, or read of ANY pilot or aircrewman receiving the US DFC for action in WWI.

Does anyone know, does the US DFC have anything written in it's commission or what ever that back dates eligibilty??

VBR,

Al Lowe

The United States Distinguished Flying Cross was instituted in 1926, and to my knowledge had no provisions for back-dating eligibility.

The American DFC has sometimes been equated and confused with the British/Commonwealth DFC. They should be treated as entirely different. The American DFC was (and probably still is) for both combat and non-combat bravery (combining the functions of the British DFC and AFC) and for both civilian and military recipients (the British AFC was/is exclusively for military recipients except for a spell 1919-1930). By the same token, the American Air Force Cross (instituted 1960) is much higher up the hierarchy of American awards than its British namesake in the British system.

American awarding of their DFC seems to have been much more lavish than British awarding of their DFC and of course the American Air Medal has no equivalent in the British or Commonwealth systems, past or present.

As a piece of useless history, about 22 RCAF pilots were attached to USAF Sabre squadrons during the Korean War; only one received a Commonwealth DFC, while roughly eight got the American DFC.

[Billy_Bishop]

Barrett can, and no doubt will correct me on this, but I think the American DFC is or was meant to sort of take the place of the Bronze Star. Or perhaps is even considered a lesser award than the Bronze Star.

What say you Barrett??

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Shooter]

Al:

I am not certain about the Bronze Star, since I do not know when that award became official, but I do know that the Silver Star became an official decoration after the end of the Great War. *During the war, the DoA and the DoN issued a "Silver Star certificate" but there was no medal to be awarded at the time. *Those who were awarded the Silver Star certificate were supposed to have their certificates upgraded to the Silver Star Medal during the post war period, but too many were overlooked, so many never received their gong. *

Until the Second Big Show, a number of the common gongs were just not available.

Shooter sends

[Barrett]

The Bronze Star equivalent is the Air Medal, though Bronzes still are awarded to aviators. (especially those a couple of continents removed from the theater of war, for "combat support.") The BSM was established in 43, I think, when a few infantry generals noted grousing in the ranks about the number of gongs going to flyboys. Increasing, the BSM has become a semi-automatic I Was There award. Sorta like the Iron Cross II Class.
The US DFC is awarded for combat and noncombat events: Lindbergh, Byrd, and Earhart were among the early recipients even though Lindy & Byrd also got the MoH for the same citations.

Greetings Al: The DFC was a branch specific award, but not a substitute for the Bronze Star. I subscribe to the Air Force Times, which is an outstanding source for historical and technical information on aviation matters. It is in the format of a newspaper issued weekly with good honest reportage and graphics in color. Billy H mentions it here because there was a heated debate about the ease with which the Air Force awarded THE BRONZE STAR-repeat-THE BRONZE STAR to the flyboys in the Middle East and other air ops. I won't go into the details, but it does seem that the awards are easier to get.
Now the Bronze Star, is followed by the Silver Star, which precedes the MOH, which is given for conduct "above and beyond the call of duty." When Rickenbacker was awarded the MOH for shooting down two planes in a single day, it is hard to see that experience as 'above and beyond' when that was his duty; if so then why didn't Luke get the MOH for downing two balloons and three EAs on 18 September, for which he was given the DSC. His action, on 29 September was clearly MOH conduct for which he gave his life. It was beyond the call because he was not ordered to attack those three balloons, and he assumed the risk that he had poor chances of surviving.
Barrett: Belated congrats on your marriage: How's the garbage detail? VBRs Billy H

[Graeme]

From the sources I have accessed - Taprell Dorling, Purves, the internet etc -

The DFC was established by Congress on 2 July 1926 and although originally awarded for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to 11 November 1918”, was given for similar acts prior to that date provided that the recipient had been recommended for, but not received, the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross or Distinguished Service Medal.

Since Luke had already received both the Medal of Honor and DSC, he would have been disqualified from receiving the DFC.

As an example of the award being made for service prior to 11/11/18 - Eugene Ely, who was killed in a flying accident on 14 October 1911, received the award posthumously in 1936.

The Citation Star (or Silver Star as it was generally known) was established as a result of an Act of Congress on 9 July 1918 and promulgated in War Department Bulletin No 43 dated 1918. It was retroactive to include those cited for gallantry in action in previous campaigns back to the Spanish-American War.

Per letter from General Jervey, Office of the Chief of Staff, dated February 26, 1926: The Secretary of War directs as follows - The following is the amended version of paragraph 187 of Army Regulation: "No more than one Medal of Honor or one Distinguished Service Cross or one Distinguished Service Medal shall be issued to any one person, but for each succeeding or act sufficient to justify the award of a Medal of Honor or Distinguished Service Cross or Distinguished Service Medal, respectively, a bronze oak leaf cluster, shall be issued in lieu thereof; and for each citation of an officer or enlisted man for gallantry in action, published in orders from headquarters of a force commanded by a general officer, not warranting the issue of a Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross or Distinguished Service Medal, he shall wear a silver star, 3/16 inch in diameter, as prescribed in Uniform Regulations."

Army Regulation 600-40, paragraph 48, September 27, 1921, specified that the Citation Star would be worn above the clasp, on the ribbon of the service medal for the campaign for service in which the citations were given.

Graeme