Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02
AVIATION HEROES
AWARDED HONORS
President to Present Tokens
of Nations Esteem to Dis
tinguiShed Flyers.

The gallantry of seven of the Nations
aviation heroes was recalled in develop
ments of the past week in the National
Capital
While the War Department was Oom-
pleting plans for the presentation by
President Hoover of the Congressional
Medal of Honor to Edward v. Ricken-
hacker, Americas leading war ace, the
Navy Department announced the
awarding of the Distinguished Flying
Cross to Lieut.. Apollo Solieek, holder
of the two major world altitude records,
and four other Naval aviation people,
and the Navy Cross to Rear Admiral
Richard E. Byrd for his fight across
the South Pole.
The award to Lieut.. Soucek Is a re-
suit of his repeated altitude flights
above the National Capital from the
Naval Air Station, during which he
climbed farther above the earth's sur
face than any other man. He probab bly,
will come to the National Capital, the
scene of his altitude efforts, for the
presentation Of the decoration. No
date has been set for the ceremony.
Four to Receive Cross.
The other four naval aviation people
to whom the cross has been awarded
are: Lieut. Wallace M Dillon, now on
Richard F. Whitehead, the late Lieut..
E. F. Burkett and Chief Radio Elec-
trician Claude G.. Alexander. The
awards to all four were made in recog-
milton of extraordinary achievement"
while engaged in an aerial survey Of
Alaska in 1926.
In the citation accompanying the
award to Lieut.. Soucek it is pointed out
that his altitude experiments ARE con-
sidered to be of the very highest i'm
portance in the proper development Of
and flying equipment for high
attitudes"
Besides the prestige gained by
American aviation, and naval aviation
| in particular" the citation continues,
"a very large amount of valuable
data has been obtained by Lieut.. Sou
eek, who has exhibited throughout his
entire naval career offlcerlike qualities
of the highest order"
Lieut.. Soucek is now on duty with
the aircraft squadronS of the battle
| fleet, attached to the u. S. S. Lexing-
ton, aircraft carrier, now based at San
| Diego, Calf. He recently had a narrow
! escape when he was forced to take to
| his parachute to save his life. The
| chute fouled in his disabled plane and
| tore loose at the last minute, badly
damaged. He landed hard and was in
jured and severely shaken up in the
/ fall.
Served in Alaskan Exploration.
Lieut.. Dillon was executive officer and
second in command of the Alaskan ex-
| petition, with Lieut.. Burkett as navi-
| gator, Lieut. Whitehead as photogra phic
officer and Alexander as radio officer
Lieut.. Burkett was killed in a crash
near San Diego last January. Lieut.
Whitehead is on duty at the Naval Re-
serve aviation base, Valley Stream
Long Island and Alexander is on duty
| aboard the u. S. S. Aroostook, naval air.
craft tender.
The citation of the Navy Cross u
Admiral Byrd points out that he wa.
lin command of this flight, navigatec
the atrplane, made the necessary prep.
arations for the fight and, through hi!
untiring energy, superior leadership anC
excellent judgment, the flight wa!
brought to successful conclusion"
Admiral Byrd already holds the Con.
greSsional Medal of Honor for his NORTH
Pole flight, the Distinguished Servic,
Medal for the same flight and the Dis
tinguished Flying Cross for the trans
atlantic flight of the airplane America