WWI · Battle Death Record
Frank Luke
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Service · Arizona
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Frank Luke
- Entered the Service From
- Arizona
- Rank
- Second Lieutenant
- Service
- U.S. Army Air Service
- Unit / Regiment
- 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group
- War
- WWI
- Date of Death
- September 29, 1918
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross (with oak leaf cluster), Italian War Merit Cross
- Burial / Memorial
- Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France
- Grave
- Plot A, Row 26, Grave 13
Their story
Known as the "Arizona Balloon Buster," Luke shot down 14 German observation balloons and four airplanes in a span of eight days, becoming the second-ranking American ace of WWI and the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor. On September 29, 1918, after attacking three balloons near Murvaux, France, he was severely wounded by ground fire, landed his damaged aircraft, and drew his pistol to resist capture before dying of his wounds. He was initially buried by German troops at Murvaux and later reinterred at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.