A Hero for All Time – Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I – Ace of Aces!

Thirty years ago, before computers, iPhones and Google, I was a stay at home Mom who enjoyed helping my two sons and their friends with school homework and special projects. Graduation time was approaching and some extra credit was needed for English for a couple of the kids and an essay on a historical person was needed by the next day!

I loved research and history, so I assured them that this would be fun and easy! We all piled into the car and headed for the library. On the way, we were discussing various people in history, but the kids were not enthusiastic about writing about most of the historical figures they had studied in school.

I asked each of them, “What are you interested in?” Answers ranged from riding dirt bikes, building and flying U-Control model airplanes, racing cars to conducting scientific experiments, such as – how many M-80’s it would take to blow the mailbox off of the wall! Keep in mind, these are teenaged boys.

Since I have always loved aviation, I immediately thought of a man in history who fulfilled many lifetimes during his life and seemed to be like a cat with nine lives. We found many books on this man’s accomplishments and the boys just couldn’t stop reading. They were amazed at the endeavors of this man! By the way, they all graduated and received an ‘A’ on their reports.

Now I’ll tell you about this amazing man – Eddie Rickenbacker – mechanic, race car driver, World War I fighter pilot, advisor and heroic civilian survivor during World War II, airline executive and elder statesman.

Rickenbacker was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1890 to Swiss immigrants. He always loved machines and was encouraged by his father to discover the purpose of the machine.

His father died in an accident in 1904, when Rickenbacker was in the seventh grade, at which time he quit school and worked where he could to help support the family. He took a job at the Columbus Buggy Company, hoping to eventually become involved with working on automobiles.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, was constructed in 1909 and Eddie Rickenbacker started racing there in 1910, participating in the very first Indy Race. He established the world record of 134 miles per hour at a race at Daytona Beach, Florida. He raced at Indianapolis four times before World War I and joined the Maxwell Race Team in 1915. He earned the nickname, ‘Fast Eddie.’ He actually purchased the race track in 1927 and owned it for at least 15 years.

In 1917, the U.S. declared war on Germany and Rickenbacker had already enlisted in the U.S. Army and was training in France. He wanted to fly, but men chosen for pilot training had degrees from prestigious colleges. He lacked these qualifications, but was allowed to practice flying on occasion due to his position as engineering officer at the flight training facility. His mechanical abilities were second to none.

Rickenbacker got a break one day when he had a chance to fix a motorcar carrying Colonel Billy Mitchell, then chief of the Army’s Air Service. He made his interests known to Mitchell, and Rickenbacker, then at the advanced age of twenty-seven, entered pilot training. Rickenbacker suggested that the Army have a squadron with race car drivers, but his suggestion wasn’t taken seriously. After seeing his record, I think it was a good idea!

The military awarded him a place in the 94th Aero Squadron, also known as the “Hat-in-the Ring” Squadron. He flew the Nieuport 28 and SPAD XIII aircraft. While flying a Nieuport on April 29, 1918, he shot down his first enemy plane, then claimed his fifth victory on May 28, making him an Ace. Rickenbacker flew a total of 300 combat hours, reportedly more than any other U.S. pilot in the war and ended the war with 26 victories, a record that stood until World War II.

Rickenbacker was declared dead by the press twice in his life, once when he barely survived a plane crash outside of Atlanta, GA while serving as owner/president of Eastern Airlines in a DC-3 in 1941 and once, as a civilian, when carrying out a special assignment for the Secretary of War in the South Pacific in 1942.

In the DC-3 crash, Rickenbacker suffered grave injuries, was soaked in fuel, and was immobile and trapped in the wreckage overnight. Amazing that he survived at all, but he was undaunted and supported the war effort as a civilian.

Although still suffering from his injuries, he toured training bases in the southwestern United States and in England in 1942. He encouraged the American public to contribute time and resources, and pledged Eastern Airlines equipment and personnel for use in military activities.

In October, 1942, flying in a B-17 over the Pacific, he was on such a mission and was also tasked with delivering a secret message to Douglas MacArthur. Due to faulty navigational equipment, the plane went down in the Pacific. In a horrifying ordeal, Rickenbacker and seven other men, tied three small rafts together and drifted for twenty-two days before they were rescued. One man died; Rickenbacker, the oldest man in the raft, lost 54 pounds.

The crew’s food supply ran out after three days. On the eighth day, a seagull landed on Rickenbacker’s head. He captured it, and the bird gave food to the dying men. They used part of it for fishing bait. They lived on sporadic rain water and similar food ‘miracles.’ Rickenbacker assumed leadership, encouraging the others to keep their spirits up. He encouraged them to turn to Christianity for solace using Psalm 46, which begins with, “God is our refuge and strength and very present help in trouble…”

Some of our prized possessions are two books about this epic story – “Seven Came Through,” by Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker and “We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing,” by Lt. James C. Whittaker.

Ever positive, he still promoted flying to the American public, but, always aware of the possibility of accidents, he wrote in his autobiography, “I have never liked to use the word “safe” in connection with either Eastern Air Lines or the entire transportation field; I prefer the word ‘reliable’.”

Dozens of books could still be written about this incredible man and there are many videos online about his life. This one has a good bio and tells of the B-17 crash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUzsePvpv28

See you on our next flight!