During the Second Nicaragua Campaign, US Marines were dispatched to combat guerrilla forces in the Central American country.
In December 1927, the guerillas had established a base in the country's mountainous jungle region, on the border with Honduras. There, they ambushed a detachment of 175 Marines, killing eight men and wounding 30 more.
The Marines were forced to fall back to a village called Quilali, which the guerillas promptly surrounded. There was little hope for the Marines to fight their way out, so they instead concocted plans for an air rescue.
The trapped Marines built a makeshift airstrip by burning and leveling part of the town's main street to make it long enough to land and take off.
1st Lt. Christian Schilt used his observation plane and retrofitted it with landing gear from a DeHavilland DH-4, an old combat plane used in World War I, to accommodate expected hard landings.
Between Jan. 6-8, 1928, Schilt used the plane to evacuate the wounded from their precarious position and bring aid to the other men, who were in desperate need of it.
Schilt flew his plane 10 times into the besieged village, hauling in 1,400 pounds of medical supplies and evacuating more than a dozen wounded Marines. He was also able to transport a relief commanding officer to take charge of the beleaguered men on the ground.
Schilt's modified plane had no brakes, so the Marines on the ground had to help him stop by grabbing its wings when it touched down. He faced hostile fire from the enemy with every landing and takeoff. Clouds, mountains and air currents added to the difficulty of the mission.
Once the ground troops were resupplied and the wounded had been taken to safety, the Marines at Quilali were able to fight their way free of the village and rejoin the main governmental force — a feat that was made possible by Schilt's bravery.
For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
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