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Podcast: Medal of Honor Podcast
Episode: The Myth of the Arizona Balloon Buster: 1st Lt. Frank Luke
Description: 1st Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. served in the Army in World War I as a pilot. He quickly gained a reputation as being arrogant and overconfident, but he had the skills to back it up. He scored 18 aerial victories in under three weeks, mostly on unsanctioned missions. His friendship to his group commander allowed him to fly as he pleased, consequence free. On September 29th, 1918, after almost being grounded by his squad commander, Luke left on another solo flight, destroying three German observation balloons. What happened after became subject exaggeration and speculation for decades to come. Originally, i...