An Outstanding American DSC Group to Captain Jr. (III); First Pursuit Group 95th Aero Squadron

Distinguished Service Cross (bronze, numbered "5911" on the edge, 46 mm x 51.8 mm, original ribbon with brooch pinback); World War I Victory Medal, 5 Clasps - DEFENSIVE SECTOR, MEUSE-ARGONNE, ST. MIHIEL, AISNE-MARNE, CHAMPAGNE-MARNE (bronze, 36.3 mm, original ribbon with brooch pinback); France: Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight (Third Republic) (silver gilt with green and white enamels, cornucopia hallmarked on the tip, 40.3 mm x 55 mm inclusive of its wreath suspension, original ribbon with dual prong pinback); and France: Croix de Guerre (War Cross) with Bronze Palm 1914-1918 (bronze, "1914-1918" reverse, 37.5 mm, bronze palm on an original ribbon with dual prong pinback). Extremely fine. Accompanied by an Army Officer's Service Cap Badge (AKA Cap Device, bronze, unmarked, 51 mm x 55 mm, two points intact but the screwpost has broken off); Captain Rank Insignia Pair (silver, 23.3 mm x 27 mm each, horizontal pinbacks); United States Army Collar Insignia Pair (bronze, one is maker marked "B.B & B" (Bailey, Banks & Biddle, Philadelphia) and marked "BRONZE" on the reverse, the other is unmarked, 14.5 mm x 29.5 mm each, horizontal pinbacks); and Prop and Wings Insignia Pair (two-piece construction, one is maker marked "B.B & B" (Bailey, Banks & Biddle, Philadelphia) and marked "BRONZE" on the reverse, the other is unmarked, 23.3 mm x 40 mm each, horizontal pinbacks); along with his Commission Document to the rank of First Lieutenant in the Aviation Section of the Signal Officers' Reserve Corps of the United States Army (dated September 19, 1917); Commission Document to the rank of Captain (dated October 15, 1918); Record of Service; Discharge Certificates; Armed Forces of the United States Service Certificate; Headquarters, First Pursuit Wing, Air Service Permanent Pass (dated November 1, 1918); Signal Corps, United States Army Telegram (dated February 7, 1919); French Presidential Decree for the Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight of December 18, 1918 and Croix de Guerre with Palm (No. 12.059 "D", dated November 30, 1918, inscribed "Pilote de chasse de premier ordre. Au cours de nombreux combats, livrès pendant les opèrations Marne-Aisne, a montrè les plus belles qualités de courage et d'abnégation. Vivant exemple pour son escadrille. A abbattu 2 ennemis en flammes." (Premier fighter pilot. In many battles, delivered during operations Marne-Aisne, showed the best qualities of courage and self-sacrifice. Living example for his squadron. Shot down 2 enemies in flames.)); Shriner's Membership Certificate (dated November 26, 1930 at Nashville, number 847948); a Western Union Telegram (dated December 25, 1955); forty-three photographs (most taken during the war, the other are family pictures); four letters from the War Department (dated 1919, 1920, 1925 and 1941); messages from Headquarters, 636th Aero Squadron; along with numerous period newspaper articles from various newspapers and letters.

Footnote: Edward "Eddie" L. Buford, Jr. (III) was born on February 19, 1891 in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Edward Buford, Sr. (II) and Lizinka Elliston Buford, a prominent Nashville family. His father had been a Private, having joined the Confederacy at the age of 19 and was with them, until General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the remnant of the Confederate Army at Salisbury, North Carolina in May 1865. Edward Jr. was educated in Nashville schools, one of which was Bowen School. He attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville from 1909 to 1911 and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Two separate sources disagree as to whether he graduated or not from the institution: the one that says that he did graduate with honors, the other claims that he did not graduate. He later went to New York, where he was employed as a Bond Salesman, but returned to Nashville. The United States entered the First World War in early April 1917, with Buford volunteering for service soon after, enlisting at Memphis, Tennessee on May 4, 1917. He was trained as a Cadet Aviator at Camp Rantoul in Illinois, effective May 18, 1917, and was a Sergeant in the Aviation Section, Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps, United States Army, when he was officially discharged on October 2, 1917, in order to accept a commission as a First Lieutenant in the Aviation Section of the Signal Officers' Reserve Corps of the United States Army, effective September 19, 1917, his character noted as "Excellent". Buford was among the eighteen men composing the first purely American Air Squadron to be sent to France with General Pershing's American Expeditionary Forces. He arrived in France on October 15, 1917 and received additional training at the Issoudun Aerodrome, which was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun, Centre, France. They were in operation during the First World War, as part of the Third Air Instructional Center, American Expeditionary Forces, for training United States airmen prior to being sent into combat on the Western Front. By the summer of 1918, Issoudun had become the world's largest flying training center. It was comprised at that time of ten training fields, 1,000 officers and 5,100 enlisted men. Its facilities included over 1,000 training planes, 91 hangars, 150 permanent barracks and had a mess hall, supply buildings and classrooms. Buford completed his pilot training at Issoudun on February 13, 1918 and one week later, began patrol duties on the 19th. First Lieutenant Buford was assigned to the pioneer First Pursuit Group, 95th "Kicking Mule" Aero Squadron, serving in the Toul Sector, for the Chateau Thierry drive. Major Davenport Johnson, Commanding Officer of the 95th Aero Squadron, suggested an army mule as the squadron's insignia, as it was the symbol of West Point, which he was a graduate from. The men of the squadron approved his suggestion and a kicking mule on a blue oval background was chosen as its insignia. Pilots EdwardBuford and Harold Buckley took it upon themselves to obtain a squadron mascot, purchasing a donkey from a local Frenchman. The new squadron mascot was promptly named "Jake" and was quite feisty, like the pilots of the 95th, the mascot present at many of the squadrons festivities. As a rule, Buford's general instructions with his new squadron were to fly low and machine gun the infantry and artillery. He participated in the offensive campaigns of Meuse-Argonne, Mihiel and Aisne-Marne, in addition to the almost daily formations and battles over the lines, and participated in the defensive campaign of Champagne-Marne. First Lieutenant Buford was credited with two aerial victories during the war, the first "kill" taking place on May 22, 1918. He was piloting a Nieuport 28, a French biplane, over St. Mihiel. While patrolling, he encountered two German pursuit planes, which tried to lead him into the fire from the other. He looked overhead and saw two Germans coming down on him, which forced him to dive. When he came up, he had one of the enemy planes in front of him. He began firing with his machine gun, causing his adversary to disappear in a nosedive. Although he was sure he hit the German, it was not until the 25th that the victory was confirmed. A few minutes later, he managed to get behind two of the remaining three machines and opened fire, but his machine gun jammed. As he was unable to use his weapon, he started a series of skillful dives and turns, successfully shaking off the three enemy planes. He would go on the record his second "kill" five days later, on May 27th, also piloting a Nieuport 28. Unofficially, Buford had five other downed planes to his credit during the war, however, they were so far behind the lines that no official record could be obtained. Buford is also documented as having flown with the legendary "Ace", Captain Eddie Richenbacker and was "one of his right hand men". Buford later related a story, telling of one incident that could have come right out of a Hollywood script. He and his fellow officers had been taking tea with some French girls at the aerodrome when someone suggested they go up on a hunt for the enemy. The boys took to the skies, with Buford bagging a German plane, which was documented as one of his official "kills". Members of his squadron were asked by a reporter from Stars and Stripes if they had been shot at. Two men replied: "Oh, sure, rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, all turned loose on us. Zip, zip, the rifle balls would whiz past. We lost many a man and many a machine, of course" and "I've had my plane riddled with shrapnel and rifle balls, but never got a scratch", one of the interviewees may have been Buford. Back home in Nashville, his exploits as a flier had become legend, as he was given the nickname of "Nashville's First Hero of the Air". As reports came in regarding his combat exploits, his father, Edward Buford Sr. stated that he was very proud of his son: "To say that I am proud of the achievement and bravery of my son would be putting it in the mildest terms. Of course, he may have to give his life for his country, but there is not a drop of unpatriotic blood that courses through my veins, and if he has to go ultimately. I know that he will leave a record of honor and patriotism behind. But there are plenty of sons in old Tennessee built of the same stuff that Edward is, and you will hear of them before this war is over. I hope that Ed will continue his good work." For his efforts in having routed five German planes single-handed in the Toul Sector on May 22, 1918, First Lieutenant (Pilot) Edward L. Buford, 95th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during the First World War by General Orders of the War Department, General Orders No. 129 (1918), effective May 22, 1918: "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 First Lieutenant (Air Service) Edward Buford, Jr., United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 95th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., on 22 May 1918, while on barrage patrol against German photographic machines in the region of Commercy-St. Mihiel, France. First Lieutenant Buford engaged in combat, alone, five German biplane machines, attacking one or more of them in three separate combats in 25 minutes. One of the machines he shot down and the others he drove off, thus fulfilling his mission against heavy odds." He was decorated by Brigadier General William Mitchell at the "little Chateau of Haute Feuille", the Brigadier would later recommend him "in connection with any aeronautical matters with which he may participate" after the war. The Order of the Legion of Honour was conferred by the President of the French Republic on December 17, 1918 in Paris, France, for general work in the Chateau Thierry area. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre (War Cross) for shooting down those enemy planes in May 1918. He proudly wore two gold chevrons on his left sleeve, for the wounds that he had received. An article in the sesquicentennial edition of the Nashville Banner of June 22, 1930, featured a reprinted article from a period First World War edition of the newspaper, praising Buford's efforts: "For his outstanding service in action, Captain Buford wears the Cross of the Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Decoration of Kings of the Legion of Honor, and holds rank with the 'Aces' of the comparatively new air forces that America threw into the victorious drives that brought the war to a close. Captain Buford fighting in the air was in the midst of the great drives, and with the crack air forces of the German Army, part of the time against the famous 'Air Circus' of the 'Red Knight of Germany', Baron von Richthofen." Buford later recalled that "The Germans called us children and called us fools. The American aviator made good at the game. He struck a happy medium between the French and the British air man. He wasn't quite as conservative as the Frenchman nor as daring as the British". In a published poem entitled "Tennessee's Citation", the citizenry of Nashville were treated to the following praise: "To Captain Edward Buford / In a high place and a swift plane / On the limitless lanes of night / In a low plane and a slow plane / Flaunting death in the broad daylight / You were Tennessee's soldier ready to fight / Anywhere this side of the blue / With a heart that was gold and a soul that was bold / And with hands and eyes that were true." Buford also flew with former American President Theodore Roosevelt's younger son, Quentin Roosevelt (born November 19, 1897). Family and friends agreed that Quentin had many of his father's positive qualities and few of the negative ones. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service where he became a pursuit pilot during the war. He was extremely popular with his fellow pilots, known to his fellow fliers as "Q", and was known for being daring, however, Roosevelt was killed in aerial combat near Chateau Thierry, France on Bastille Day, July 14, 1918. First Lieutenant Buford was the leader of the formation that day and was witness to his death. He recalled that Roosevelt "was one of the finest and most courageous boys I ever knew" and went on to describe the events of that fateful day: "The fight developed into a general free-for-all. I tried to keep an eye on all our fellows, but we were hopelessly separated, and outnumbered nearly two to one. About half a mile away I saw one of our planes with three Boches (Germans) on him, and he seemed to be having a pretty hard time with them, so I shook the two I was maneuvering with and tried to get over him, but before I could reach them, their machines turned over on its back and plunged down out of control. Of course at the time of the fight, I did not know who the pilot was I had seen go down, but as Quentin did not come back, it must have been he. He certainly died fighting, for any one of us could have gotten away as soon as the scrap started, with the clouds as they were that morning". Buford himself was also forced to land after the air battle. Late in the war, Buford returned to the First Pursuit Squadron as its Commander and was promoted to Captain on October 15, 1918, "in recognition of his exceptional executive and tactical knowledge". Before he left France for return to the United States, he spent five weeks in a Red Cross hospital in Paris, where he battled both pneumonia and the infamous 1918 flu (AKA influenza pandemic). Buford was discharged from service upon demobilization on March 11, 1919 and returned to a hero's welcome in Nashville on March 17th, but it gave no hint of the tragedy to come. After spending five weeks in a Red Cross hospital in Paris, where he battled both pneumonia and the infamous 1918 flu (AKA the influenza pandemic), the worst seemed to be behind him. However, three days after his arrival, his mother became ill, dying one week later of pneumonia. Lizinka Elliston Buford may well have picked up the flu when she met her son's train at a crowded Union Station. In the early part of his business life, he was devoted to Buford Brothers Wholesale Hardware, the widely known hardware house founded by his father. He was also member of the nearby Belle Meade Country Club. After his father's death in 1928, he lost interest in the company his father had founded in 1889. He soon moved to Florida, where he married Clara Payne in Escambia County in the Florida panhandle in 1928. There is some evidence that it was his second marriage, as his first wife was apparently named Margaret. In the 1930s, Buford moved to Tampa, Florida, where he entered the automobile accessories business, retiring in 1952. He died in Tampa on May 9, 1962, at the age of 71, survived by his widow, Clara and one daughter. The funeral was held on the 12th, followed by his burial in Myrtle Hill Memorial Park in Tampa. (C:95)