Membership Directory

(1897-1918) Born in St. Mary’s Hospital in Phoenix, AZ on 19 May 1897. Graduated from Phoenix Union High School in 1917. Enlisted in September 1917; made his first solo flight in November at Rockwell Field, San Diego. Commissioned a second lieutenant, Luke was in service on the western front by July 1918. Decrying discipline and rules, he was on active duty for a period of just over two months. In that period he was given credit for shooting down nearly two dozen enemy aircraft. He was given the name “Balloon Buster” for the destruction of German observation balloons used for military purposes. Forced down in France, Luke defended himself with an automatic pistol until killed. In 1930, the American Society for the Promotion of Aviation named him the nation’s greatest air hero. In 1941, the air base near Phoenix was named in his honor.