page_title: Eugene Bullard
section_title: Honors
hierarchical_section_title: Eugene Bullard / Honors
caption_attribution_description: English: Corporal Eugene Jacques Bullard (1894 - 1961)
context_page_description: Eugene Jacques Bullard, born Eugene James Bullard, was the first African-American military pilot. Bullard, who flew for France, was unquestionably one of the few black combat pilots during World War I, along with William Robinson Clarke, a Jamaican who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Domenico Mondelli from Italy and Ahmet Ali Çelikten of the Ottoman Empire.
context_section_description: Bullard received 15 decorations from the government of France. In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to be one of the three men chosen to rekindle the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. In 1959, he was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle, who called Bullard a "véritable héros français" ("true French hero"). He also was awarded the Médaille militaire, another high military distinction.
  In 1989 he was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. On August 23, 1994 – 33 years after his death, and 77 years to the day after the physical that should have allowed him to fly for his own country — Bullard was posthumously commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
  In October 9, 2019, the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia erected a statue in Bullard's honor.
  There is a sign in Columbus, Georgia, near the site of the house were he grew up, which describes his early life.
  1st row :
  Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor)
  Médaille militaire (Military Medal)
  2nd row :
  Croix de guerre 1914–1918 avec etoile de bronze (War Cross with bronze star)
  Croix du combattant volontaire 1914–1918 (Volunteer Combatant Cross)
  Croix du combatant (Combatant's Cross)
  Médaille des blessés militaires (Medal for Military Wounded)
  3rd row :
  Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1914–1918  (World War Service Medal)
  Médaille interalliée 1914–1918, dite de la Victoire (Interallied Victory Medal)
  Médaille engagé volontaire (Voluntary Enlistment Medal)
  Médaille commémorative de la bataille de Verdun (Battle of Verdun Medal)
  4th row :
  Médaille commémorative de la bataille de la Somme (Battle of the Somme Medal)
  Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945 (World War II Service Medal)
  Médaille commémorative des services volontaires de la France libre (Voluntary Service to Free France)
  Médaille des volontaires américains avec l'Armée Française (American Volunteer with French Army Medal)
  Note – Bullard was posthumously eligible for the World War I Victory Medal (United States) as he was posthumously commissioned an officer in the United States Army with a date of rank which fell during the eligibility period of the medal.
caption: Plaque of Bullard at the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame
exif: {"Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D5300", "Image Software": "GraphicConverter 10 (10.4.1)", "Image DateTime": "2020:06:20 12:14:00", "Image ExifOffset": "12788", "Thumbnail ImageWidth": "175", "Thumbnail ImageLength": "200", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "184", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "12538", "EXIF ExposureTime": "2", "EXIF FNumber": "11", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2020:06:20 12:14:00", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2020:06:20 12:14:00", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "20914/5137", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "35", "EXIF SubSecTime": "", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CVAPattern": "[2, 0, 2, 0, 0, 1, 1, 2]", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Custom", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "52", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}