Captain Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., an airman in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry between May 20 and 21, 1927 from New York City, NY, to Paris, France, Atlantic Ocean, USA to France — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1920 - 1940 period. Lindbergh was 25 years old.
The medal was presented on March 21, 1928 — on the White House lawn by President Calvin Coolidge at Washington, DC. He later rose to the rank of Brigadier General.
Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. His Medal of Honor is credited to Little Falls, Morrison County, Minnesota. Lindbergh died on August 25, 1974 in Maui, Hawaii, at the age of 72. He is buried at Kipahulu Church Cemetery in Maui, Hawaii.
Official Medal of Honor citation
For displaying heroic courage and skill as a navigator, at the risk of his life, by his nonstop flight in his airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, from New York City to Paris, France, 20-21 May 1927, by which Capt. Lindbergh not only achieved the greatest individual triumph of any American citizen but demonstrated that travel across the ocean by aircraft was possible.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
How he died
- Manner of death: natural causes
- Cause of death: Hodgkin lymphoma
- Age at death: 72
- Resting place: Kipahulu Church Cemetery
Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.
Other decorations and honors
Besides the Medal of Honor, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. received:
Source: Wikidata. Gold chips link to our guide to that decoration.
Life beyond the battlefield
- Occupations: engineer, inventor, peace activist, autobiographer, diarist, fighter pilot
- Education: Sidwell Friends School, Redondo Union High School, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Source: Wikidata.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Minnesota →
Timeline
- February 4, 1902Born in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
- May 20 - 21, 1927Act of valor — from New York City, NY, to Paris, France, Atlantic Ocean, USA to FranceAge 25.
- March 21, 1928Medal of Honor presentedOn the White House lawn by President Calvin Coolidge at Washington, DC
- August 25, 1974Died in Maui, HawaiiAge 72.
- Resting placeKipahulu Church CemeteryMaui, Hawaii
Biography
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles (5,800 km), flying alone for over 33 hours. His aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, was built to compete for the $25,000 Orteig Prize for the first flight between the two cities. Although not the first transatlantic flight, it was the first solo crossing of the Atlantic and the longest at the time by nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km), setting a new flight distance world record.
From the Wikipedia article “Charles Lindbergh”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Named in his honor
- Allée Charles-Lindbergh — avenue
- Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History — chair
- Federal Kidnapping Act — Act of Congress in the United States
- Impasse Charles Lindbergh — dead end street
- Lindbergh — lunar crater
- Lindbergh — propeller moon
- Lindbergh (The Eagle of the U.S.A.) — musical work/composition
- Lindbergh Boom — boom
- Lindbergh Park — park
- Lindbergh operation — surgical operation
- Lindberghstraat — street
- Lindberghstraße — street, road
- San Diego International Airport — commercial traffic aerodrome, airport
- Terminal 1–Lindbergh — airport terminal
- avenue Charles Lindbergh — avenue
- lindy hop — type of dance, social dance