Years of service 1918–1926 Name Eugene Barksdale | Rank First lieutenant | |
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Born November 5, 1896
Goshen Springs, Mississippi ( 1896-11-05 ) Allegiance United States of America Died August 11, 1926, Dayton, Ohio, United States Education Mississippi State University Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States Service/branch United States Army Air Service Battles and wars Western Front, World War I | ||
Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (November 5, 1896 – August 11, 1926) was a noted aviator and was a First Lieutenant in the Air Corps for the United States Army. Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City/Shreveport, Louisiana was dedicated to Lt. Barksdale on February 2, 1933.
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Childhood
Born November 5, 1896, in Goshen Springs, Mississippi. Barksdale had one brother and five sisters. Barksdale attended Mississippi State College for three years before leaving to enter officers training camp at Fort Logan H. Roots in Little Rock, Arkansas. He volunteered for the aviation section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a Private First Class.
Life and career
Barksdale volunteered for the aviation section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a Private First Class. He received flight training with the Royal Flying Corps and was assigned to the 41st Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, in 1918. He later became a founding member of the U.S. Army's 25th Aero Squadron. In 1919, Barksdale was assigned to Mitchel Field, NY, where he married Lura Lee Dunn in 1921. On 8 March 1924 then Lt Barksdale and his navigator, Lt Bradley Jones, flew a DH-4B, powered by a 400-horsepower Liberty engine from McCook Field, OH to Mitchel Field using instruments only.
Death
Barksdale died August 11, 1926 over McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio while testing a Douglas O-2 observation airplane for spin characteristics. He did not recover from a flat spin while parachuting out of the plane, and his parachute was caught in the wing's brace wires, causing Barksdale to fall to his death. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.