The first member of the U.S. Air Service to lose his life on a combat mission was Capt. Phelps Collins of Alpena, Mich. Capt. Collins, a pilot in the 103rd Aero Squadron was on a combat patrol on March 12, 1918, to intercept enemy airplanes in the area of Paris when, for some unknown reason, his SPAD VII plane crashed to earth in a high-speed dive from high altitude http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=706 12 Mar 1918 103rd - Captain Phelps Collins killed in action near Rheims, France. http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/us_1st_pursuit.html
