United States: Identification Tag (aluminum, stamped "JOHN B LEE III / 2ND. LT / OBS-24 / AERO SQ. / USAS" on the obverse and "1008183" on the reverse, 35 mm, tied in place to a brown shoelace); Second Lieutenant Rank Insignia Pair (bronze gilt, pinback, 8.7 mm x 26.8 mm each); Army Air Service Officer Collar Insignia Pair (two-piece construction, silvered bronze wings mounted to a bronze crossed flags base, pinback, 27.5 mm x 31 mm each); and United States "U.S." Collar Insignia Pair (bronze, pinback, 14.5 mm x 28.5 mm and 14.8 mm x 29 mm). Accompanied by eleven pages with copies of his Service Records. Near extremely fine.
Footnote: John Burnett Lee III was born on April 15, 1895, his parents also having one other son and a daughter. He contracted pneumonia in 1908, which lasted for two months, later fighting a bout of scarlet fever. He also had his adenoids successfully removed in 1910. Lee completed high school and had one year of college education. He was married and was a resident of Newark, New Jersey, working as an Automobile Salesman with the Fulton Garage Corporation in Newark, when the United States declared its entry into the First World War. Lee enlisted with F Battery, 112th Field Artillery on June 15, 1917, where he would do basic training for the next ten weeks, until August 23, 1917. He was transferred to Fort Myer Training Camp in Arlington, Virginia, where he would complete his training, as part of the American Expeditionary Force, from August 27, 1917 to November 27, 1917. Upon arrival for overseas service in the French theatre, he began serving with the 60th Field Artillery Brigade, but was soon transferred to B Battery, 129th Field Artillery, on January 22, 1918. As Pilots and Observers were in demand, Second Lieutenant Lee, 3rd Division, 129th Field Artillery was selected and ordered for aviation duty, announced as "being on duty and requiring him to participate regularly and frequently in aerial flights" as of May 27, 1918. After being picked for aviation duty, he began attending Observers School, scoring well on his tests, in Wireless, Artillery Observation (Theory and Practice), Artillery, Infantry Liaison (Theory and Practice), Organization of Infantry, Taking of Photos, Interpretation of Photos, Photo Work, Topography & Sketching, Organization of French Large Units and French Aviation, Intelligence Liaison Service, Lewis Gunnery (Exam and Range Work), subsequently graduating on June 29, 1918. Now an Observer, he followed his graduation from Observers School by attending a twenty day internship at the Air Shooting School at Tours, France, from July 1 to 20, 1918, where his shooting was rated as "mediocre". Second Lieutenant John B. Lee III, 24th Aero Squadron was in one of the three Salmon planes performing a hazardous mission in the direction of Sedan and Mezieres, France, on November 3, 1918, his exploits that day earning him the Distinguished Service Cross. His citation reads as follows: "The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Second Lieutenant (Air Service) John B. Lee, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 24th Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Mezieres, France, 3 November 1918. Lieutenant Lee exhibited extreme courage in the course of a long and dangerous photographic and visual reconnaissance in the region of Mezieres with two other planes of the 24th Aero Squadron. Their formation was broken by the attack of ten enemy pursuit planes; five enemy planes attacked Lieutenant Lee and his pilot. With remarkable coolness Lieutenant Lee succeeded in shooting down two of the planes. They then had a clear passage to their own lines, but turned back into Germany to assist a friendly plane with several hostile aircraft attacking it. They succeeded in shooting down one more of the enemy. Lieutenant Lee and pilot returned to our lines with information and photographs of great military value." Upon the ceasing of hostilities, Second Lieutenant John Burnett Lee III returned to the United States, where he was discharged from service at the Air Service Depot in Garden City, Long Island, New York, on February 5, 1919. Upon discharge, he asked for the assistance of the government in securing employment.