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Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Medal of Honor to Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker.

November 06, 1930

THE PRESIDENT said:

"Captain Rickenbacker, in the name of the Congress of the United States, I take great pleasure in awarding you the Congressional Medal of Honor, our country's highest decoration for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. At a stage in the development of aviation when the flying of airplanes was a much more hazardous undertaking than it is today, you were achieving victories which made you the universally recognized 'Ace of Aces' of the American forces. Your record is an outstanding one for skill and bravery, and is a source of pride to your comrades and your countrymen.

"I hope that your gratification in receiving this Medal of Honor will be as keen as mine in bestowing it. May you wear it during many years of happiness and continued usefulness to your country."

Note: The presentation ceremony took place at Bolling Field, headquarters of the Army Air Corps. Captain Rickenbacker, America's "Ace of Aces" in World War I, was credited with victories in 22 air duels. The medal was awarded for an incident in which he had single-handedly attacked seven enemy planes, downing two of them.

Herbert Hoover, Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Medal of Honor to Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/212285

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