Bonfire in the Sky The Story of Frank Luke, the First American Aviator to Win the Medal of Honor

9781889059808

1889059803

"A Bonfire In The Sky" is the story of the brief, but brilliant combat career of Lieutenant Frank Luke, the first American aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor. It tells of his coming to the 27th Squadron at a low point in its history, his alienation from his fellow pilots, his conflicts with Squadron Commander, Captain Grant, and his friendship with the squadron outcast, Lieutenant Joe Wehner. It follows Luke as he wins the confidence of, first, Wehner and then the squadron mechanics and finally the squadron as a whole. It chronicles a run of successful missions unmatched by any pilot in the war.Woven through the story is an exploration of what it meant to be a WWI pursuit pilot flying combat mission without a parachute in a fragile and highly flamable fighter.But, more than anything else, "A Bonfire In The Sky" is an attempt to provide an understanding of the enigmatic figure that was Frank Luke. To explain why, of all the pursuit pilots in WWI, his star burned so much brighter andso much faster than any of the rest. And finally, to come to terms with the mystery surrounding his death.