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Name: James Andrew Healy
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
Croix de Guerre [France]
Country: United States
Rank: Lieutenant
Services: United States Air Service
Unit: 147th Aero (Ratting Terrier)
Victories: 5
Born: 20 March 1895
Place of Birth: Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA
Died: 08 May 1983
Place of Death: Fort Worth, Texas, USA
 
 
The son of Colonel Daniel Healy, one of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders who was killed at San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American war, and Mrs. Mary A. Healy of Jersey City, New Jersey, James Andrew Healy joined the United States Army Signal Corps in July 1917 and was trained in Canada by the Royal Flying Corps. After flight training, he was assigned to the 147th Aero Squadron in 1918. Flying the SPAD XIII he scored five confirmed victories and became the fourth highest scoring ace in his squadron. Post-war Healy remained in the air corps and was technical advisor on William Wellman's movie, Wings. Healy retired on a disability with the rank of Major in 1936. He returned to service in World War II and was promoted to Colonel.
 
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to James Andrew Healy, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Grand Pre, France, October 30, 1918. Becoming separated from his patrol, lieutenant Healy, flying at an altitude of 600 meters, discovered an enemy plane (type Halberstadt) hiding in the sun 200 meters above him, which he attacked and sent to the ground in a spiral dive. He then engaged two other machines (type Fokker) which had been attempting to attack him. He succeeded in outmaneuvering them, and finally shot down one of the Fokkers. He returned without a drop of gasoline in his tank.
General Orders No. 37, W.D., 1919
 
French Croix de Guerre
A very brave and remarkably clever pilot. On 24 July 1918, with four planes, he attacked eight enemy planes and after a hard fight, brought down one of his adversaries.
Croix de Guerre citation
 
Victories
Date Time Unit Aircraft Opponent Location
1 24 Jul 1918 1735 147th   Fokker D.VII 1 Bois de Fère
2 24 Jul 1918 1735 147th   Fokker D.VII 1 Bois de Fère
3 25 Jul 1918 147th   Fokker D.VII 2 Bois de Fère
4 30 Oct 1918 1100 147th   Halberstadt C Grand Pre
5 30 Oct 1918 1115 147th   Fokker D.VII Grand Pre
1 Shared with Lt T J Abernathy, Lt A H Jones, Lt Ralph O'Neill, Lt C P Porter
2 Shared with Lt J C Raible
 
Books
American Aces of World War 1
by Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey (Illustrator) / Paperback / Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2001)
Over the Front
by Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey / Hardcover / Grub Street the Basement (May 1992)
 
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