Eddie Rickenbacker’s autobiography made a huge impression on me when I was around age 12.
IMHO there was at that time (WW-I) no braver group of people than those who flew those wood and silk death-traps known as aero-planes. The engines could barely get the plane into the air. The pilot sat with no parachute on a piece of 3/4” plywood behind a fuel tank that was not self-sealing and would explode if exposed to any type of spark. There was no protection for the pilot from the weather or bullets or anything else that happened to occupy the same airspace at any given moment. Yet many men took to the air every day knowing that fewer would come home later.
That is the very definition of brass balls.
The SPAD was a sweet kite.
bkmk
The Post-war Hat in the Ring squadron was based at Selfridge Field, Michigan. The First Pursuit Group figured prominently during the golden age of aviation and the inter-war years with the 17th “Snow Owls” Pursuit Squadron, the 27th PS, the 71st PS and the 94th ‘Hat in the Ring” Squadron. However, “Capt. Eddie” as he was known, never served at Selfridge Field. In 1967, he attended as the Guest of Honor at the 1967 Open House and Air Show at Selfridge Air Force Base (Selfridge Field) during it’s 50th Anniversary celebration.
Great American Hero!