Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker

In World War I he volunteered for the air service and became the leading U.S. ace by destroying 26 enemy planes. Almost immediately he demonstrated his exceptional combat ability and by the end of the war, he was our nation's leading ace with 26 confirmed victories, despite the fact that through most of June, July, and August 1918, he had not been permitted to fly combat missions because of severe ear infections. On Nov. 6, 1930, President Herbert Hoover awarded the coveted Medal of Honor to Rickenbacker for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in attacking seven enemy airplanes while on Sep. 25, 1918, shooting down two.