- The Lafayette Escadrille is the name of the squadron portrayed in Flyboys. You can find photos online that include the lion, Whiskey!
- Who was The Red Baron? How is he viewed by Americans?
- Who was Eddie Rickenbacher? What is he known for?
- Who is John J. Pershing? What role did he play in WWI?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
WWI: Heroes....you decide!
Use this blog to find the names and contributions of The Great War heroes. As a starting point you may want to consider researching the following (or find your own "hero"). Share what you find, and feel free to raise questions! Do we STILL have war heroes in modern times?
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The Lafayette Escadrille was a French air fighting unit formed to demote neutrality and promote joining the war. It was composed largely of American fighters. Its goal was obtained, as it eventually ecame so overcrowded that the Lafayette Flying Corps was formed. I found one hero from this unit named James Norman Hall, who was awarded the Croiz de Guerre and the Medaille Militaire, both medals given to those who have shown bravery and heroism during combat with enemy forces. Eventually he was captured, and spent the last months of the war in a German prison camp. After the war ended, he and Charles Norhoff, a friend from the war, wrote many adventure books. Also, after he was released, he was a warded the French Legion d'honheur and the American Distinguished Service Cross. The Distinguished Service Cross is awarded to those who show extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. The Red Baron was Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, a German WWI flying ace. He is credited with 80 air combat victories, and was obviously feared by anyone opposing Germany at that time. While being infamous in America, he is revered as a WWI hero in Germany. Eddie Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in WWI and earned the Medal of Honor. He won his medal for attacking seven enemy airplanes, disregarding odds against him while on a voluntary patrol. He brought down two of those planes. John J. Pershing was a general officer in the U.S. Army who held the highest militry position: General of the Armies. He was regarded as a mentor by many American soldiers. I believe that we do still have war heores today. I mean, just look a the men who killed Osama bin Laden! They devoted their lives to avenging the deaths of innocent people on September 11, 2001. They most likely didn't even know anyone involved in it! They knew that there was a great chance of death, or even simply a failed mission, which would have been a waste of a heck of a lot of time. But they succeeded, and now are on the faces of coins! They are celebrated by most American citizens. Also, just a year ago, Salvatore Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor for risking his life saving an injured soldier from being captured. His heroic actions made him the first living recipient of this award since the Vietnam War. So, obviously, we still have war heroes.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Elizabeth! You answer the questions with specific detail and make a nice tie to today's heroes:)
ReplyDeleteEddie Rickenbacher is known as the most famous American ace of World War One, he has the record for the most kills of any American pilot during World War I. Before Eddie decided to join the war, he was known for his famous race car skills. When Rickenbacher entered the war the army placed him as a driver. He would transport all soldiers, where ever they wanted to go. Eddie was in no danger. He didn’t like the idea of being a chauffeur; he decided that he wanted to be a fighter pilot. Once his mind was set Eddie knew that there was no turning back, he was going to be a pilot no matter what. In his first year of combat he shot down a total of six fighter planes. Some pilots never acquired that many hits during their entire career, and he achieved this in one year. By the end of Rickenbacher’s career he had a total of twenty-six air victories. Eddie was given the Medal of Honor, because of his accomplishments and hard work in fighting for our freedom.
ReplyDeleteA lot of questions are being raised as to are there any American war heroes today? I say that there are. Every one of our troops defending our freedom is a hero to me. Not all of them hold the record for the most aces, but every solider that has the guts to get out on the front lines and serve for our country should be considered a hero. For example when Lori Piestewa’s unit was attacked she had the courage to fight back, she knew that she had a family back home in Arizona, but that didn’t change her attitude. Lori took control of her unit and was the woman in charge of defending the attack. She didn’t make it out of the attack alive, but she came out a hero. She gave her life to save the lives of others and I think that she deserves the honor of being named a hero. I think that the example of Lori really shows that yes, we do have war heroes today. Anyone who defends our freedom will be known as a hero to me.
I decided to choose a different “hero” and complete some extra research of my own. The person who I chose to celebrate was a brave young man by the name if Frederick Holmes. This fine gentleman was born in England on September 27th 1889. He attended a boarding school in downtown London, once completed he headed on to join the British army in 1907. He served his country for 7 years before he was deployed to enter WWI. After about two weeks of being in France with the British Expeditionary force, Holmes found himself, and his partner, in the midst of a blood thirsty battle in Le Cateau. They had been fighting for 6 hours straight when his partner, Norman Woodcock, became severely injured. Holmes made a difficult decision; he decided to carry his partner two miles through battle lines. Once he made it to some stretcher bearers he headed back to his platoon, sadly though, many of his men had been killed or wounded. After he had just finished the grueling work of carrying one of his men for two miles he decided to pick up the one of the last still living wounded soldiers and carry him to his horse. Unfortunately though, while traveling through enemy lines the man fell off the horse and was lost in the darkness. Just minutes after this man fell off Holmes’ horse, Frederick was severely wounded himself. He came extremely close to having to get a leg amputation.
ReplyDeleteFor the bravery Mr. Holmes showed at the battle he was rewarded with the Victorian Cross, presented by King George V at Buckingham Palace on January 13th of 1917. My question is, do we really have people willing to give their lives for the other around them today? Or would say that we would when the reality is when it came to it, we would hide ourselves from the anger and hatred found in the human race?
Today I personally think that we have heroes in times of war today as we have in the past. I actually think that our nation’s military has actually improved in the way we function. What I am saying is that warfare has changed, and now instead of working as in individual person working towards a common goal, we are a group of united beings determined to prove what we believe in is worth dying for.
A hero I decided to research on was Red Baron. Red Baron was only a nickname for this leading avatar. His real name is Manfred Von Richthofen. Red Baron is a legendary fighter pilot. He was born on May 2, 1892, in what is now Wroclaw, Poland. His initial job was a cavalryman but he became very bored with it. He asked if he could be transferred to the German Air Force, and they accepted his idea. His first kill he made was on September 17, 1915, with many kills to follow after that. His Fokker triplane was painted bright red to restrict the German ground troops from shooting him. This is where the idea of the name, Red Baron, came from. Americans were not much of a fan of Red Baron. They consider him a very “cocky” man. They think he bragged too much about his kill streaks and believed his plane was a little over exaggerated. He was later shot by Austraian soldiers. The bullet came from under the aircraft to his ribs, through his heart, and ended in his tunic. Although he was disliked by many Americans, he had the honor of being a hero to the Germans. As for today, I believe there are still many heroes still existing. Agreeing with 15christensenc, she believes all troops fighting are heroes, as do I. The definition of a hero is, A person, who is admired for courage or noble qualities. I believe each troop has much courage and noble qualities for risking their lives to serve our country and keep us safe.
ReplyDeleteFrom DANI BLACKMOND:
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of John J. Pershing before I read about him in our textbook, so I decided to find more out about him. John J. Pershing was a general officer in the United States Army. Before America was involved in World War I, he had already fought in several wars. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Force, and he had to complete the task of training millions of men and turning them into an effective fighting force. He arrived in France in June of 1917 with a small American force. In January of 1918, Pershing insisted on an improved combat boot because of hoe trench warfare was effecting soldier’s feet. The “1918 Trench Boot,” or the “Pershing Boot,” was introduced. In October of 1918, he saw the need for a dedicated Military Police Corps. The first US Army MP School was established at Autun, France, and he became known as the “founding father” of the MPS. John J. Pershing was the only person to be promoted to the highest rank ever in the US Army in his lifetime. His skill of doing many things to contribute to the military and being a very important soldier and leader helped the Allies win The Great War, or World War I.
Interesting reading:)
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