DVIDS – News – Decorated World War I Aviator Capt. Edward W. Rucker Jr.

The house of Military Aviation shall be formally redesignated Fort Rucker on Thursday, July 17. The change, ordered on June 11 by the Secretary of the Military, honors U.S. Military Capt. Edward Walter Rucker Jr., who was a pioneering Military Aviator and distinguished fight pilot from World Warfare I.

Though the vast majority of Rucker’s navy information had been misplaced within the 1973 Nationwide Archives hearth in St. Louis, Missouri, authentic newspaper information had been handed down within the Rucker household, which highlighted a lot of Rucker’s navy expertise, together with printed letters to his household, interviews with the press, and biographical information. Additionally included within the assortment had been authentic orders and letters from Rucker’s time within the service.

Rucker was born March 20, 1894, in Bosworth, Mo. Not a lot is thought about his youth, however he attended school after which instantly pursued a profession in schooling. From 1914 to 1916, he served as principal of the highschool in Lebanon, Mo., and subsequently grew to become superintendent of colleges in Platte Metropolis. In line with the Rucker household, he was the youngest college superintendent within the historical past of public schooling within the state of Missouri to that cut-off date.

He was instructing at College Metropolis Excessive College when he enlisted within the Military Air Corps throughout World Warfare I.

His service started within the Nationwide Guard. He first enlisted within the Missouri Nationwide Guard on December 31, 1915. From there, he went on to serve on the Mexican-American border from July 1916 to February 1917.

In Might 1917, he entered an officers’ coaching camp the place he was given a “provisional second lieutenancy within the Artillery Corps of the Common Military.” Rucker turned down the place, nevertheless, as he was additionally given a possibility to go to flight college.

Rucker traveled to Toronto and attended Floor College there, flying in and round Toronto till November 4, 1917.

In a letter dated October 19, 1917, Rucker outlined a few of his coaching in Toronto to his dad and mom.

 I’m within the 79th squadron now. My checks in that may contain in twenty-five hours of flying, a cross-country flight 
 previous Toronto, carrying a message, and return, doing 4 determine eights at 3,000 toes, reducing off the motor and 
 stopping twice in succession with the machine in a fifty-foot circle on the bottom, staying 8,000 toes fifteen 
 minutes, reducing off the motor and touching the bottom first in a sure fifty-foot circle, additionally normally looping 
 the loop and doing tail stalls.

Then I am going to the 78th squadron for bombing and photographing; then to the aerial gunnery. The aerial gunnery college goes to Texas October twenty eighth, and the remainder follows later, or most likely instantly, since they don’t count on far more respectable climate on this area.

Rucker did go on to Fort Price, Texas, as outlined in his letter, as a member of the Reserve Flying Corps. He left Texas in January 1918 to go abroad and was promoted to first lieutenant on January 12, 1918. There, he was deployed with the twenty seventh Aero Squadron.

On June 2, 1918, the twenty seventh Aero Squadron formally entered fight.

Though no present information might confirm the next info, his grandson, Edward W. Rucker IV, has highlighted that his grandfather himself said that he was the second U.S. pilot to fly into German Airspace. This was one thing that was personally vital to Rucker and positioned him past the entrance strains.

Rucker’s most well-known feat occurred on June 13, 1918.

Close to Lunéville, France, Rucker and three fellow pilots engaged 12-15 enemy plane that had attacked three American reconnaissance planes. Rucker, himself, engaged in single-handed fight with 4 enemy combatants.

The quotation from his commanding officer, Maj. H.E. Hartney, when recommending Rucker for his award, learn as follows:

 By devotion to responsibility, braveness and talent, coupled with good self-discipline within the finishing up of pre-arranged 
 plans, these officers, though outnumbered and handicapped in that they had been to this point inside enemy territory, 
 succeeded taking pictures down three enemy machines uncontrolled and driving off the entire of the remaining 
 formation, thus enabling the reconnaissance machines to return safely throughout their strains with precious 
 info and images.

Rucker’s talents throughout this engagement earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest navy ornament for distinctive heroism in fight, reserved for these whose acts of bravery and self-sacrifice set them other than their friends, usually involving extraordinary danger.

He additionally went on to earn the French Croix de Guerre with a palm leaf for his extraordinary valor and contributions. Established in April 1915, the award honors troopers for outstanding feats of bravery. Rucker’s receipt of the award highlights his vital contributions alongside French forces on the Western Entrance.

Aviation was no totally different within the ever-changing tactical setting of World Warfare I. Rucker appeared to sense this shift in mentality and mused in a letter to his dad and mom shortly after his first engagement, “Don’t count on wonders; the day of the ‘aces’ is over, techniques have modified.”

Only some quick months later, Rucker was made a flight commander and was promoted to Captain on November 1, 1918. Solely 10 days later, the battle would come to an finish on 11 November 1918.

Not lengthy after the armistice was signed, Rucker was indifferent from the unit and despatched again to the States. From there, he needed to make the choice to proceed within the navy or return to civilian work.

Not a lot is claimed concerning the specifics of his life after the battle, aside from just a few key notes.

The primary was that he started working in a bond and securities enterprise in St. Louis.

The second, in March 1920, he acquired an appointment to the Air Service Reserve Corps as a Main however turned down the supply – ostensibly to concentrate on his civilian profession.

And, lastly, in June 1920, he married Mabel Elmore of Oneonta, New York, with whom he had two kids: Ann Rucker and Edward Walter Rucker III. Collectively they moved to New York, dwelling first in Oneonta and later in Buffalo. In Oneonta, he served as a senior govt within the Elmore Milling Firm, offering and transporting grain and feed to feed shops and grain elevators in 5 states all through the Northeast.

Rucker spent the final two years of his life in Fayette together with his sister, Harriet Rucker. He handed on March 27, 1945, on the age of 51 at Lee Hospital in Missouri, “after a lingering sickness which had prolonged over an extended interval of years.”

The legacy of Rucker’s unit, the twenty seventh Aero Squadron, persists to today because the twenty seventh Fighter Squadron (FS) “Fightin’ Eagles.” They’re assigned to the first Fighter Wing (FW) at Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE), Hampton, Virginia, and fly the F-22 Raptor.