Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (November 5, 1896 – August 11, 1926) was a noted aviator and was a First Lieutenant in the
United States Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...
and
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps:
* Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army
* Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
* United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
. The new Barksdale Field (now
Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...
) in Bossier City/
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
, was named for him on
Early years
Born in
Goshen Springs, Mississippi
Goshen Springs (also New Goshen Springs) is an unincorporated community in Rankin County, Mississippi, United States.
History
The settlement was founded around 1833.
Goshen Springs had a post office. The historic building has since been moved to ...
, Barksdale had one brother and five sisters. He attended
Mississippi State College
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...
in
Starkville for three years before leaving to enter officers training camp at
Fort Logan H. Roots in
Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
, government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager
, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
. He volunteered for the
aviation section of the
U.S. Army Signal Corps
)
, colors = Orange and white
, colors_label = Corps colors
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...
as a Private First Class.
Life and career
Barksdale completed aviation ground school in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. In September 1917, he embarked to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and received flight training with the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
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, decorations ...
and was assigned to the 41st Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, in 1918.
[ He later became a founding member of the U.S. Army's ]25th Aero Squadron
The 25th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.
The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 4th Pursuit Group, Second United States Army. I ...
. In 1919, Barksdale was assigned to Mitchel Field
Mitchell may refer to:
People
*Mitchell (surname)
*Mitchell (given name)
Places Australia
* Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate
* Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst
* Mitchell, Northern Territory ...
, New York, where he married Lura Lee Dunn in 1921. On 8 March 1924 then Lt Barksdale and his navigator, Lt Bradley Jones, flew a DH-4B, powered by a 400-horsepower Liberty engine
The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine displacing and making designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It saw wide use in aero applications, and, once marinized, in marine use both i ...
from McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
, OH to Mitchel Field using instruments only.
25th Aero Squadron.jpg, 25th AS, Lt Barksdale pictured (bottom row, 2nd from left)
25th Aero Squadron Pilots.jpg, 25th AS, Lt Barksdale pictured (forth from right, back row)
Barksdale_aircraft1.jpg, Lt Barksdale, date unknown
US Army Air Force Lt. Eugene Hoy Barksdale.jpg, Lt Barksdale, date unknown
Death
Barksdale was testing a Douglas O-2
The Douglas O-2 was a 1920s American observation aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Development
The important family of Douglas observation aircraft sprang from two XO-2 prototypes, the first of which was powered by the 420 hp ...
observation airplane for spin characteristics over McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
, and did not recover from a flat spin. While parachuting out of the plane, his parachute caught in the wing's brace wires, and he went down with the plane.[Mueller, Robert, "Air Force Bases Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, , p. 15.] He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
.
See also
* 25th Aero Squadron
The 25th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.
The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 4th Pursuit Group, Second United States Army. I ...
* Reed G. Landis
* Frederick Ernest Luff
Lieutenant Frederick Ernest Luff was an American flying ace during World War I. He was credited with five aerial victories, and awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross.
Although he survived the war, he was injured in an air accident in May ...
References
External links
Barksdale Air Force Base
– the base provides information about its dedication to its namesake
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barksdale, Eugene Hoy
1896 births
1926 deaths
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
United States Army officers
United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1926