In this 1919 article from THE LITERARY DIGEST, the first American ace, Eddie Rickenbacker (1890 - 1973), recalled his experiences as a fighter pilot in World War I France. Arriving rather late in the game (March, 1918), Rickenbacker quickly racked up 26 kills and was soon awarded the Legion d'Honeur, a Distinguished Service Cross, a Croix de Guerre, and the Congressional Medal of Honor (which would not be approved and bestowed upon him until 1930). "I learned pretty fast. Long practice in driving a racing-car at a hundred miles an hour or so gives first-class training in control and judging distances at high speed..." Rickenbacker was baffled as to why the rumor spread that he had been the chauffeur of General Pershing; in this article he confirmED that he never was.
Read what the U.S. Army psychologists had to say about courage.
Click here to read an article about the development of aerial reconnaissance during W.W. I.
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