• On Saturday, F-22 pilots shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon hovering near South Carolina.

• The pilots wore the callsigns “FRANK01” and “FRANK02”, an apparent tribute to a First World War hero.

• Frank Luke Jr. was an aviator credited with shooting down 14 German balloons during the war.

When F-22 pilots shot down a hovering Chinese surveillance balloon near South Carolina on Saturday, the airmen’s call signs contained an apparent tribute to a World War I hero.

The spectators applauded the pilots recognized as ‘FRANK01’ and ‘FRANK02’ circled the Chinese spy balloon near Myrtle Beach as it flew over the Atlantic, waiting for the object to be safely removed from civilians on the ground to avoid the risk of falling debris.

Pilots use call signs instead of their names when communicating, both for security and identification purposes. The call signs “FRANK” appear to be a reference to a First World War pilot, Frank Luke, who became the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor after shooting down more than a dozen planes, including 10 spy balloons, in just eight days during the First World War.

“Military jets using the call sign ‘FRANK’ are significant,” said Marcus Weisgerber, global business editor for global security news agency Defense One. tweeted after the call signs have been identified by an air traffic control account. “Frank Luke Jr. was an American World War I fighter pilot, better known as the ‘Arizona Balloon Buster’. He is credited with shooting down 14 German surveillance balloons.

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, Luke’s combat performance was unmatched by any other pilot in the war. The brash young pilot was driven by a desire for glory, the outlet reported – and his name and reputation have survived more than 100 years after his death at the hands of German soldiers.

“I’m going to make myself known or go where most of them go,” reported Air & Space Forces Magazine, which Luke wrote to his sister while in Season 27.

Luke, a second lieutenant, was killed after attempting an unauthorized balloon hunt behind enemy lines. His reputation as a hero was so fruitful that after his death rumors circulated that he killed seven other German soldiers who approached him as he lay dying before succumbing to a fatal machine gun wound.

He was posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor for his military victories and bravery.

“He was the most daring airman and the greatest fighter pilot of the entire war,” Capt. “Eddie” V. Rickenbacker said of Luke, according to the Air Force. Rickenbacker was the leading ace while Luke was the second World War I American ace. Ace Airmen are credited with shooting down five or more planes – and Luke achieved status on two missions in two days.

Rickenbacker added, “His life is one of our Air Service’s greatest accomplishments.”

The Air Force did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

The modern balloon surveillance device shot down on Saturday – which Chinese authorities confirm originated in their country but claims to be a civilian airship used “for research purposes, mainly for meteorological purposes” – had previously been above of the continental United States for five days. beaten down.

The balloon was spotted in Alaska, over parts of Canada and rural Montana near a US nuclear base carrying 150 Minuteman ICBMs before blasting east over Missouri and eventually the South Carolina where he was shot.

A second Chinese surveillance balloon has been spotted hovering over Latin America.

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