How Luke Air Force Base Got Its Name: Frank Luke Jr., the Arizona Balloon Buster

Luke Air Force Base is named for Second Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr., a Phoenix-born World War I fighter pilot known as the "Arizona Balloon Buster." In September 1918 he was credited with 18 aerial victories in about two and a half weeks, died behind German lines at 21, and became the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor.

Ask people in the West Valley about the jets overhead and most will tell you they come from Luke. Fewer can tell you who Luke was. With Veterans Day coming up on November 11, this is a good week to tell it.

A Phoenix kid from a big family

Frank Luke Jr. was born in Phoenix on May 19, 1897, when Arizona was still a territory. He was the fifth of nine children, and his father had come to America from Germany in 1874. Growing up, Frank was known for sports, for working in copper mines, and for taking part in bare-knuckle boxing matches.

From enlistment to the front in under a year

Luke enlisted on September 25, 1917, in the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps. He trained in Texas and California, was commissioned a second lieutenant in early 1918, and arrived in France in March of that year.

In July 1918 he joined the 27th Aero Squadron, part of the 1st Pursuit Group. His close friend and wingman was Lieutenant Joseph Wehner, who flew cover for him while he went after targets.

Why they called him the Arizona Balloon Buster

In World War I, both sides used large hydrogen-filled observation balloons tethered behind the lines. They were heavily guarded by anti-aircraft guns and fighter planes, which made attacking one among the most dangerous jobs a pilot could take on.

Luke went after them anyway. Starting on September 12, 1918, he began shooting down balloons and enemy planes. By September 29 he was credited with 18 victories, 14 of them German observation balloons. That burst of success is where the "Arizona Balloon Buster" nickname came from.

It came at a cost. On September 18, 1918, Joseph Wehner was killed in a dogfight while protecting Luke.

His last flight near Murvaux, France

On September 29, 1918, Luke took off again, even though he had been grounded for the day before. He shot down balloons near Dun-sur-Meuse but was badly wounded by machine-gun fire from a hilltop. He brought his plane down in a field just west of the village of Murvaux, behind German lines. When German soldiers approached, he drew his pistol and fired rather than surrender. He died there at age 21. He rests today in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.

In 1919 the War Department awarded him the Medal of Honor, making him the first airman ever to receive it. It was presented to his father in Phoenix that May.

The statue at the Arizona State Capitol

Phoenix did not forget him. Sculptor Roger Noble Burnham created a bronze statue of Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. for the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol, and it was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1930. His family name also lives on on the Mexico border: the town of Lukeville was started by his brother, Charles Luke.

How Luke Field came to the West Valley

In 1940, with another war on the horizon, the Army looked for a place in Arizona to train fighter pilots. The City of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres of land west of town and leased it to the government. Construction started on March 29, 1941, with the Del E. Webb Construction Company doing the work, the same Del Webb who later built Sun City. At first the site was known as Litchfield Park Air Base.

The Luke name came from an interesting twist. An Army airfield at Pearl Harbor had carried Frank Luke's name, but it was transferred to the Navy in June 1941. That freed up the name, and the Arizona base's first commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ennis Whitehead, asked to use it. The new base became Luke Field.

The first class of 45 students arrived on June 6, 1941. During World War II, Luke Field was the largest fighter training base in the Army Air Corps and graduated more than 12,000 fighter pilots, earning the nickname "Home of the Fighter Pilot."

Closed, reopened and still flying

After the war, training slowed to a trickle and the base was deactivated on November 30, 1946. It reopened on February 1, 1951, now as Luke Air Force Base. Over the decades it has trained pilots in fighters from the F-84 to the F-16. The first F-35A Lightning II arrived on March 10, 2014.

Most of the base sits inside Glendale's city limits, about 15 miles west of Phoenix, with Litchfield Park just to the south. If you are looking at homes nearby, my homes for sale near Luke Air Force Base guide covers commute routes, jet noise and the military airport disclosure maps. See also my Moving to Glendale guide, Moving to Litchfield Park guide and Glendale homes for sale, plus the East Valley's own WWII story, Falcon Field in Mesa.

Questions people ask

Who is Luke Air Force Base named after?
It is named after Second Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr., a World War I fighter pilot born in Phoenix in 1897. He was credited with 18 victories in September 1918 and was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor.

Why was Frank Luke called the Arizona Balloon Buster?
Because 14 of his 18 victories were heavily defended German observation balloons.

Where is the Frank Luke statue in Phoenix?
It stands on the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol. The bronze statue by Roger Noble Burnham was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1930.

Terry Day, REALTOR®, DeLex Realty, 10115 E Bell Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.