Spirit of captain eddie rickenbacker biography

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
Captain, U.S. Army Air Service

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.

He was born Edward Rickenbacher (without a middle name) on 8 October 1890 in Columbus, OH, to German-speaking Swiss immigrants. From childhood, he loved machines and experimented with them, encouraged by his father's words: "A machine has to have a purpose."

In what was to become one of the defining characteristics of Rickenbacker's life, he nearly died many times in events ranging from an early run-in with a horse-drawn carriage, to a botched tonsillectomy, to airplane crashes. His first near death experience occurred when he was in the "Horsehead Gang." He lived near a mine, and they decided to ride a cart down the slope. It tipped over and almost crushed them.

According to Rickenbacker's autobiography, at age thirteen, his schooling ended in grade seven after the accidental death of his father on 26 August 1904. However, according to Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth Century, by W. David Lewis, his father died after an altercation with another man in Columbus. Rickenbacker found jobs to help support the family, but driven by an intense admiration for machines, Rickenbacker taught himself as much as he could, including enrolling in a correspondence course in engineering. He aggressively pursued any chance of involvement with automobiles. Rickenbacker went to work at the Columbus Buggy Company, eventually becoming a salesman.

Rickenbacker became well known as a race car driver, competing in the Indianapolis 500 four times before World War I, and earning the nickname "Fast Eddie." Rickenbacker joined the Maxwell Race Team in 1915 after leaving Peugeot. After the Maxwell team disban

Rickenbacker: An Autobiography

October 15, 2020

It's been many years since I read an autobiography, as I always figured someone who would presume - not only to write their own story , but that others would read it, wouldn't be something I wanted to read. Bad assumption. I thought I knew Eddie Rickenbacker's history. Another bad assumption. His mother & father were from Switzerland, and he was born in 1891. The large family struggled financially, then Eddie's father died when the boy was 13. He dropped out of 7th grade and found work in various shops and trades, always leaning toward mechanical skills. He became a race car driver during the very earliest days of racing. He traveled to England to try and enter the war as a pilot, but the Brits didn't want him. When the Americans finally entered the war, Eddie's dream was realized. Within a year, he had shot down 26 German planes, and became America's 'Ace of Aces'. He earned 19 separate decorations for valor, including the Medal of Honor. He returned home a hero. He went back to automobiles, eventually purchasing the Indianapolis Speedway. He built automobiles, including "The Rickenbacker". He joined General Motors as a senior executive, took a handful of college correspondence courses, then purchased the fledgling Eastern Airlines, building it into a commercial power house. He was involved in a horrific wreck in an aircraft - his pelvis was crushed, numerous ribs broken, with some protruding from his body, his eye was pulled from the socket, hanging on his cheek. He spent months in the hospital. America entered WWII while he was in the hospital. He pushed the aircraft industry to support America's need for aircraft. He was recruited by the Sect of War to visit American airbases all over the world, assess their needs, and report back to the Sect. His next trip involved traveling to Iran, China, India, and Russia (all supporters of the Allies) to assess our Lend Lease operations as well as those countries' probl

How did eddie rickenbacker die

Several months ago I led communion service at my church. To introduce the service, I shared an anecdote about Eddie Rickenbacker’s life-giving encounter with a seagull. It’s a fascinating and true story.

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was a legendary war hero.

Born in 1890, he was in his 20’s when WW1 began. He persuaded Army leadership to allow him to train as one of the first pursuit fighter pilots. He became one of the most successful pilots in military history — known as America’s “Ace of Aces.”

As a result of repeatedly attacking enemy aircraft alone or outnumbered, in his first six months as a pilot he shot down 26 German aircraft, which was a record that stood until the later part of WW2.

For his service in the war, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor and a record eight Distinguished Service Crosses, as well as the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre by France.

When World War II began, Rickenbacker was eager to serve his country once again.

Too old to fly, he toured the country recruiting and inspiring pilots and became a special envoy for President Roosevelt. One of his assignments from the President was to deliver a secret message to General Douglas MacArthur who was in New Guinea.

In route to New Guinea, the B-17 on which Rickenbacker was a passenger had a malfunction in its navigation system, got lost over the Pacific Ocean, ran out of fuel, and ditched at sea. For 24 days, Rickenbacker and seven other crew members lived in a small rubber life raft. Food ran out in three days. One man died and the others began to slowly waste away.

Then, a miracle happened.

On the eighth day of being lost at sea, following a brief worship service, Rickenbacker leaned against the side of the raft and drifted into sleep. We was awakened by the feel of a seagull that had landed on his head. He reached up and grabbed the bird and it became both dinner for the men, and fishing bait. They ate the bird and fished with what was left. In the nex

Eddie Rickenbacker

American World War I aviator (1890–1973)

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker (born Edward Rickenbacher, October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was the most successful and most decorated United States flying ace of the war. He was also a racing driver, an automotive designer, and a long-time head of Eastern Air Lines.

Early life

Rickenbacker was born Edward Rickenbacher in Columbus, Ohio. He was the third of eight children born to German-speaking Swiss immigrants, Lizzie (née Liesl Basler) and Wilhelm Rickenbacher. Later in life, he changed the spelling of his last name to Rickenbacker and adopted a middle name, Vernon.

His father worked for breweries and street-paving crews and his mother Lizzie took in laundry to supplement the family income. In 1893, his father owned a construction company. With a loan from Lizzie's parents, the couple purchased a lot and built a small home on 1334 East Livingston Avenue, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of downtown at the edge of the city limits in 1893. The house lacked running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity. This is where Edd, as he was called by his parents, spent his childhood.

Growing up, Rickenbacker worked before and after school. He helped in the garden where the family grew potatoes, cabbages, and turnips and cared for the family's chickens, goats, and pigs. He earned money by delivering papers, setting up pins at a bowling alley, and selling scavenged goods. He gave most of his earnings to his mother but spent some on Bull Durham tobacco, a habit he picked up from his older brother Bill.

As a child, Rickenbacker was accident-prone. Before entering school, he toddled into an oncom

Eddie rickenbacker plane crash