OCR Text |
Show Posihumous Honors Awarded j Gallant Arizona Air Officer I Lieutenant Frank Luke Given Congressional j Medal for Courageous Action in Battle ; Near Mervaux, France. - . j WASHINGTON. Apr:! 14. Award of the congressional medal of honm to the late Second Ideu-tenattt Ideu-tenattt Prank Luke. Jr.. for conspicuous ca'dirtry and intrepid in-trepid t y a ho j t n n. d b e y o i : d the call o f duty in action rear Mervaux. France, September fhh was announced to- d l y L ;- i h e v a r d f p a run: n. t . Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Luke's home add-ess was fT 0 0 "West Monroe tt rect. 1'hoemx. Ari-. Pi; X. Ar April 14. Frank Luk.. S".. of Cms ciiy. father of Lienten- 1 ant Pra : : k L u k e . w o w a s po s t h u m o u sly ; a'.ar-.lcd: the concrcssiom.il medad of' ho-or tor ja'k'.ncry m acou near M-:r- ; au. Fya-ve. said tonight that he had ' ;;. . rr-eiv-:d what he believed to be the first a u 1 1 1 e n t i c ; !. c c o u n t of his r o n " s ! a s t ' P-3 irformation. sa'd I uk-u was con- , t a m e d in a letter f p--n i a p t a ' n F. W . ; Z.nn ot te airolare service, w ho visr.ed ; V.-rvv.ix ad if t - h wed the mayor o ' the 'own and several citizens who wit- j :vsed th-3 b .it tie acamst heavy odds. w h . c h e : : d e d in the y o u : i g lit l: t e na n t ' s I .ieath. ! Went After Three Huns. Lieutenant Luke, accr-iirc to Car-tain I ."'ur's letter, left hn- airplane base or. ! ;h' fvo'vmc '( Si'to'f'ber r.h VM v bent ; 'or"':'': clowr; t -h . e d-TP's:; observa- ; t."'i ia.lo-.'ns wh:-m were dire-'t.'ig t;,f ! enemy artillery are. As he tie.v over i the American front e dipped a note! j to tp g::?:r.ers. w!;i:ic ti'tm to wa.tch : j for t;ie t-u;i 0f tj,e .r!0 OI- o-n:an : k-ausciges." He trade 'W hitf nr-oms-.'. I The ma;, or :md ouiien.s oi Mervaux; , firt noticed th- 'one American aviator , (at a hrcn altitude, en-aged in, con-bat j wuh c'ch.t Gorma". nlaues. Then i-e ,-.s ' Stf't to d:vo suode- '-. p;T,. ' diculn-ly. Who; he came wuhh: Vj n-e ! of the balloons he opened f:re. and two i went dou n. while a had cf sbcih- from j the German a-:tia'rerai It oaf-mi- sw:-!ed ' ; at-Mut :vs plai1--. It is bd:eed tiat J ; hr ter r.-etved te it-or: a.1 o'.i"d in the' ! ';i'-: which iVn-'-'i irs o-'a'h.. but h- '!" down in fiam.es. ! Then Pays the Forfeit. i Swepmc 'o thv it ir of The Gn-un i barracks at Meravi. he tcr--m r-a- i six and woundhic ;.?:.'. foro, a'"---' wh;-h he f';-.v tA a ! a m-uidow on the! outskirts of t.e wn. where h j He was at te,,,ptir,c f ua ke h s way V1' a smaH stream rear by when erVmv j troopers caught mo with "-o.". er sod rhem o' for a mn'o-it wo.h "b-s I automat -, n h ho-.:i:h no ;-ho s we-e fired on ei'her side, then fad do -a d-ad. i When the body was .ammed a wound ! was found in the chest, e v : d m 1 1 v r e -c e i v e d from the f ' r e o t the antiaircraft suns. Tne remains of th intrepid air fhchter were buried close bv in a erave ntarkd as that of an "unknown American aviator."' avi-ator."' It was str pned. as the Crcrira.!.? thojChr. of ev.-'yhrrc tha.t wo-j.'i ;de".- i t.t':-' it. but timy r.ookt-d a ru-t i wat'h. v h;oh w as found 'a:er a"u s.mt to the tdcnf.ticaf :cu bureau at i'ar.s. |