World War I cast a long shadow over the 20th century, launching America onto the world stage for the first time. One Georgia native, Frank O’Driscoll “Monk” Hunter, played an important role in that conflict and the larger one to come. Hunter was Georgia’s only World War I flying ace, shooting down nine German planes as part of Eddie Rickenbacker’s 94th Aero Squadron and the 103rd Aero Squadron, known previously as the Lafayette Escadrille. The flag from Hunter’s staff car he used as head of the Eighth Air Force Fighter Command in England during World War II is shown here. He later took command of the First Air Force. Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah honors the native son for his service in two world wars and his skill and heroism as an aviator. His own rise mirrored that of his country as a world power.