Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker, America's World War I "Ace of Aces," was born in Columbus in 1890 to Swiss immigrant parents and left school at age 12 to help support his family. Work for several Columbus automobile companies began his love of racing, and he became famous as a race driver and team owner between 1910 and 1916. After enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1917, he went to France as staff driver for General John Pershing while seeking to become a combat flier. He secured a transfer to the American Expeditionary Force's Aviation Instruction Center, learned to fly, and joined the 94th Aero Squadron, the "Hat in the Ring" squadron led by ace Raoul Lufbery. In the deadly conditions of aerial combat, where a pilot's life expectancy was measured in weeks, he quickly mastered air combat tactics, scored six victories in little more than a month, and took command of the 94th Aero Squadron in June 1918. By the Armistice he was America's leading fighter ace with 26 victories, and he eventually received the Congressional Medal of Honor. During the interwar years he played an instrumental role in the development of commercial aviation, served as general manager and president of Eastern Airlines, continued to set aviation records, survived two flying mishaps that added to his legend, was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1965, and died in 1973 as a beloved hero of American aviation.

Ohio · United States