Richard Wilson Steele

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Richard Wilson Steele, Second Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Bois-de-Barricourt, France, October 23, 1918. While on a bombing raid back of the German lines Lieutenant Steele, accompanied by his pilot, was attacked by six German pursuit planes. They were forced to leave the formation in which they were traveling owing to engine trouble; the enemy began riddling their plane with machine-gun fire. Lieutenant Steele fought them on all sides and is credited by members of the 11th Aero Squadron, who were flying over him several thousand feet, with having brought down one of his opponents. He was wounded twice in the leg and twice in the arm, and continued fighting although each time he was hit he was knocked down into the observer’s cockpit. At last, however, only his tail gun was in working condition, the other two having been disabled by bullets, and Lieutenant Steele sank unconscious into the cockpit.