Eddie Rickenbacker: A Hero’s Hero. “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” (Brodi Ashton) Came across a piece on the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, which got me to thinking about people who were badasses before badassary was cool. That of course led me to thinking about one of my few heroes – Eddie Rickenbacker. From poverty to the heights of successes with a stop along the way to become America’s top WW I Ace and a Medal of Honor recipient. Rickenbacker was born on October 8, 1890, in Columbus, Ohio. His parents immigrated from Switzerland, and he was the third-oldest of seven children. The Rickenbacker family was poor and his father a hard man who worked in construction. Eddie Rickenbacker’s first language was Swiss German, which was spoken at home, so of course all the children had Swiss accents. Eddie, well he’s what in my time was called a ‘wild kid’ – today he’d be called a young criminal. He started smoking at five, by seven he was working odd jobs to help support his family, and in school he was known for fighting, usually with those who teased him about his accent. Not sure if he was a gang member as we think of the term today, but he and his friends were known as the “Horsehead Gang.” I have to admit that’s a pretty cool name! As hard as life was for Eddie, it got harder. In 1904 his father died in a construction accident and at 13 Eddie dropped out of the 7th grade to work full time – his family needed the income to survive. He bounced around from job to job – worked in a steel mill, a beer factory, and a bowling alley until he got a job at Frayer Miller auto plant. There he met Lee Frayer, who was not only the chief designer of cars, but also raced them. At 16 Rickenbacker became Frayer’s ride along mechanic. Not satisfied with being a mechanic, Rickenbacker soon started driving race cars himself. For the next 11 years he entered races across the U.S., becoming one of the top drivers making about $40,000 a year (almost a million today). In 1914 he solidified his reputation as one of the most daring drivers when he set the world speed record of 134 mph. When the U.S. entered WW I Rickenbacker left the racing world to enlist in the Army. Initially, the Army rejected Rickenbacker because of his lack of education. However, like everything else in his life, Rickenbacker refused to give up and on May 25, 1917, the Army finally accepted him. Three days later he was on his way to France as a Sergeant First Class. What’s not often mentioned is that Rickenbacker gave up $40,000 a year to go to war for $44 a month. When he got to France he was assigned as a staff driver for General Pershing, Commander, American Expeditionary Forces. With the help of Gen. Pershing, Rickenbacker was reassigned to the Aviation Training School at Tours, France as a student pilot. Most of the other student pilots were graduates of Ivy league colleges and treated Rickenbacker with disdain. My God man, he was not even a high school graduate, let alone a graduate of a prestigious Ivy league university! Fortunately, Rickenbacker didn’t have to put up with the holier than thou gang for long. He soloed after 5.5 hours of flight time with an instructor, completed flight training in 17 days, and then joined the American 94th “Hat in the Ring” squadron as a newly commissioned lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps. On April 29, 1918, Rickenbacker shot down his first German aircraft. By late May 1918 he shot down 4 more to become an Ace with 5 “kills.” On May 28 he added his 6th aerial victory, but then suffered a severe ear infection that grounded him for two months. September was a busy month for Rickenbacker. He was promoted to Captain, assumed command of the 94th Squadron, and added 6 more victors to bring his total to 12. But October was even busier. He shot down another 14 enemy aircraft that month bringing his total to 26, making Rickenbacker the highest-ranking American Ace and earning him the title of “America’s Ace of Aces.” Three others held that title before him – Gervais Raoul Victor, David Putnam and Frank Luke. They were all killed in combat. As good a fighter pilot as Rickenbacker was, it was not a one-way street. After one air battle he landed with his fuselage full of bullet holes, half a propeller shot off, and a bullet graze on his helmet from a not too friendly German machine gun. In the seven months Rickenbacker flew in combat he not only became America’s top Ace in WW I, but was also awarded a record eight Distinguished Service crosses – our nation’s second highest military award and the Medal of Honor – our nation’s highest military award. 1 The French also recognized his bravery by awarding him the Legion of Honor (chevalier) and two Croix de Guerres with Palm. Guess he didn’t need that Ivy league education after all. Going from poverty to one of the nation’s top race car drivers, a war hero, and America’s top Ace by the time you’re 28 would be enough for most. But Rickenbacker was just getting started. After returning to the States Rickenbacker and some of his associates created the Rickenbacker Motor Company with Rickenbacker as Vice President and Director of Sales. The first cars went on sale in 1922, but the 1925 recession proved too much. In an effort to help the company, Rickenbacker resigned – he was a quarter million dollars in debt but refused to declare bankruptcy. He eventually paid back every penny he owed. In 1927 the Rickenbacker Motor Company filed for bankruptcy and went out of business. In 1927 a … Continue reading Eddie Rickenbacker: A Hero’s Hero