The first U.S. observation balloon of World War I is shot down north of the village of Villers sur Marne, France. The French-built balloon is manned by members of the 2nd Balloon Co., who both escape safely after the attack by a German pilot flying an Albatros.
In the small world of Air Force weather specialists, combat weather specialists are a niche unto themselves, deploying with Army ground units to provide forecasts and, if need be, fight alongside those Soldiers. For Staff Sgt. Francisco Estrada, the hardest part of the job isn’t the possibility of ground combat,…
