While the heroism of the World War
I aviator could not be discounted, the value of the airplane as a military weapon faced an
uphill battle among traditional military planners. In the two decades of relative
peace the United States enjoyed after The War to End all Wars, military aviators
continued to prove their courage to demonstrate the value of flight. Congress
recognized the non-combat heroism of aviators who pushed the envelope with
specially authorized Medals of Honor. Two Naval aviators, Commander Richard Byrd and
Machinist Floyd Bennett received Medals of Honor for their aerial expedition to the North
Pole in 1926. The Army Air Corps followed that historic flight the following year
when the LONE EAGLE, a reserve pilot, demonstrated that aerial flight knew no
geographical boundaries, and flew alone across the Atlantic Ocean.
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