As an avid champion of Charles Lindbergh, I was quick to notice a serious error in Larry Bledsoe’s very good article in the June 17 issue about my personal hero. His many firsts and revolutionary records in aviation are without a doubt enough to place him in the “inner sanctum” of any aviation enthusiast, but a military hero, he wasn’t.
There is no record that he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross as alluded by Larry Bledsoe. The DSC is the number two decoration in our military service, second only to the Medal of Honor. His exploits with the P-38 cruise control certainly don’t fall into that category.
It is true, however, that he was one of the very few civilians to ever be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was for his transAtlantic flight in the “Spirit of St. Louis.”
Could he have confused the two decorations and the reason for its award?
William T. “Bill” Creech
via email
Editor’s Note: Larry Bledsoe got that information from the artist. He’s working to track down where the artist got his information.