Thought you all might enjoy seeing this, the identification card of American flier William Harrison Saunders of Sumter, South Carolina.
Saunders was a colorful character and gifted young officer, who flew primarily as a gunner/observer with the 12th Aero Squadron, in A.R.'s and Salmsons. A West Point graduate and field artillery officer, he was perhaps the American flyer most responsible for the training of gunner/observers, having served as a liaison with the French and gone through their training school. ("A charming comrade for us", his French squadron commander called him, also commending his marksmanship.) Before the war was over he had been personally commended by General Pershing for his bravery, particularly on the day when he took three machines into action - two of which never flew again. His papers at the Sumter Historical Society are a treasure trove, including marksmanship instruction for aerial gunnery, procedures for reconnaissance missions, a photo of Charles Nungesser, and a postcard to a South Carolina friend in which he makes the bawdy boast, "Thanks to the women of France, I haven't taken a cold shower in six months".
Saunders was sent home early to become an aerial artillery spotting instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and he missed the Fall offensive of 1918. Less than a year later, he died in a flying accident. A delegation of Confederate veterans brought condolences to his mother and praised the way he had carried forward the legacy of his uncle, Confederate General Richard "Fighting ****" Anderson.
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