May 15, 1917: Carl A. Spatz Promoted to Captain with Praise for Daringness

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

May 15, 1917: Carl A. Spatz has been promoted to Captain because of his splendid service under General John Pershing in the army’s punitive expedition against Pancho Villa into Mexico for having killed 17 Americans.

While working with Pershing, Spatz was said to have made a pest of himself, trying to get the General to go for an airplane ride. Pershing finally shut Spatz up, “Young man, when I want to fly, I’ll order you to take me up.”

In recommending Spatz for the promotion, Pershing called the Boyertown native “the most daring aviator in the service.”

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