Sgt. Fred Graveline was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1919. He received his commendation for a series of 15 dangerous missions as a volunteer gunner in the 20th Aero Squadron of the 1st Day Bombardment Group. In doing so, he flew more combat sorties than any other enlisted man in World War I and shot down two German aircraft as well. Sgt. Graveline shot down the first of his two enemy planes on Oct. 10, 1918, while flying as an observer/gunner in a De Havilland DH-4. A flight of 13 DH-4s left for a bombing strike against the German positions near Villers-Devant-Dunn. Shortly before reaching the target, the Americans were intercepted by seven Fokker D-VIIs. In a furious air battle, one German plane was shot down and confirmed. The aerial "scoring" system in place at the time awarded credit to the crews of two DH-4s involved in the victory, thus four men are credited with shooting down one plane. He scored his second victory under similar circumstances on Nov. 5, 1918, just six days before the armistice ending WWI went into effect. A formation of 10 DH-4s took off at about 8:15 a.m. Sgt. Graveline and his pilot, Lt. John M. Baker, successfully bombed their target at Mouzon but were soon after attacked by a formation of approximately 18 German aircraft -- primarily Fokker D-VIIs. Sgt. Graveline scored his victory after firing at the leader of a two-aircraft element attacking his plane. At less than 75 yards, Sgt. Graveline fired his flexible machine gun and observed the German element leader's plane as it burst into flame. Sergeant First Class Fred C. Graveline's Distinguished Service Cross citation read in part: "Volunteering to act as observer and aerial gunner because of the shortage of officer observers, he started on 17 bombing missions, successfully reaching his objective on 14 of these expeditions, shooting down two enemy aircraft. On two occasions while flying in the rear of his formation, he drove off superior numbers of German machines." http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1429
Graveline served as an observer and aerial gunner from 30 September to 5 November 1918 on 15 missions in the back seat of a DH-4. In one 35-minute battle in which Graveline remarked he “aged 10 years ” he helped drive off nearly two dozen German planes - shooting down two !
