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Air Commandos with the Medal of Honor
Seven of the twelve Air Force Medals of Honor awarded during the Vietnam Conflict went to special ops personnel. The criteria for award of the Medal of Honor, the highest of all U.S. military decorations, requires that the recipient must have risked his life to perform a deed above and beyond the call of duty.
Major Bernard F. Fisher, 1st Air Commando Squadron1
In early March 1966, a 450-man Special Forces camp in the A Shau Valley came under attack by a North Vietnamese force of two to four thousand. Mortar shells rained down on the camp.
The weather in the A Shau, a box canyon high in the mountains, was always bad, either raining or fogged in. An AC-47 managed to get in under the weather, though, to come to the camp's defense. The three hundred foot ceiling made the gunship an easy target. Ground fire disabled first one engine and then the other.
Responding to the MAYDAY, aircraft scrambled from Pleiku, Qui Nhon, and Nha Trang. Major Bernie Fisher, of the 1st Air Commando Squadron, was piloting an A-1E Skyraider. He and his wingman went in with orders to destroy the wreckage of the AC-47 to keep it out of enemy hands. Successful at that, they flew cover for two C-123 Providers carrying medical supplies and ordnance for the A Shau defenders. The Providers were hit hard by ground fire as they made their drops, but they managed to drop their bundles and escape from the valley. Major Fisher, low on fuel, also was forced to abandon the camp and return to base for fuel.
The next morning, the weather was a little better when Fisher was ordered back to the A Shau. The camp had just been overrun when Fisher and two other A-1s arrived on the scene. The A-1s began strafing passes over the camp. The A-1s would make a run, break left, and make another run. The North Vietnamese quickly saw the pattern and took advantage of it. The number three plane, flown by Major "Jump" Myers of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron, was hit at the end of a strafing pass. His engine quit and the aircraft caught fire. At so low an altitude, Myers had no choice; he had to ride the plane in. If the plane went into the jungle, he had little chance of surviving the crash. His only chance was the pierced steel planking (PSP) runway that served the camp. But the camp was now controlled by the North Vietnamese.
Myers pickled his bombload into the jungle and made for the PSP runway. He made a belly landing, skidding sideways nearly six hundred feet. The crippled plane hit a bank and became a large ball of flame.
Overhead, Fisher thought that Myers had died in the crash and reported it back to the command post. Just then, the smoke cleared momentarily and Myers ran out of the inferno. Fisher asked a nearby Marine helicopter for a rescue pickup and returned to the fight. When ten minutes had passed without a rescue chopper appearing, Fisher asked for an estimated time of arrival. The choppers were at least twenty minutes away. Myers was only twenty feet from capture, however.
Fisher decided to make the pickup himself. Flying through smoke and fire, he broke into the clear over the runway. In spite of the expended rocket casings and damage from mortar fire on the PSP runway, Fisher dropped his plane in. The plane skidded as he braked. The plane came to a stop in the fuel dump at the far end of the runway, hitting some of the barrels and damaging the A-1's wings and tail. Fisher turned the aircraft around and headed back up the runway toward the burning wreckage of Myers' aircraft. Myers jumped up as Fisher passed the burning A-1 and Fisher stopped his plane.
Myers ran for the A-1E, but could not get aboard because of the prop wash. Fisher throttled back and Myers clambered up the wing, falling head first into the cockpit. Without taking time to strap in, Fisher turned the plane around again and opened the throttle. Holding the plane down until the last possible moment, Fisher's A-1 raced down the runway and then leapt for the sky.
Major Bernard F. Fisher's bravery under fire as he risked his life to save a comrade from capture or death earned him an Air Force Medal of Honor. Fisher became the first recipient of the Air Force Medal of Honor in Vietnam.
Captain Hilliard A. Wilbanks, Forward Air Controller2
When enemy forces engaged a South Vietnamese Ranger Battalion on 24 February 1967, Captain Hilliard A. Wilbanks was sent to assist. Wilbanks, flying an unarmed O-1 Bird Dog, was a forward air controller (FAC). Airborne FACs directed air strikes against enemy positions by marking the positions with white phosphorus (WP or "Willy Pete") rockets.
Wilbanks, flying reconnaissance for the Rangers, discovered the enemy force concealed on two hilltops. Wilbanks radioed for close air support from helicopter gunships and warned the Rangers of the ambush that waited. The enemy, realizing they had lost the element of surprise, opened fire with mortars, machine guns, and automatic weapons. As Wilbanks marked the enemy positions with the "Willy Pete", he became the target of much of the enemy fire. Spotting several Ranger squads that were pinned down, Wilbanks opened fire from the window of the Bird Dog with his M-16. The Rangers were able to pull back as the enemy was distracted by Wilbanks and his low-flying O-1. Wilbanks made three passes, taking numerous hits as he covered the escape of the friendly forces. On the third pass, Wilbanks was critically wounded and his plane crashed. The Rangers rescued Captain Wilbanks from the aircraft, but he died while enroute to medical attention. Captain Wilbanks was awarded the Air Force Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic efforts on behalf of the South Vietnamese Rangers.
Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Jackson, 311th Air Commando Squadron3
On 12 May 1968, Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Jackson of the 311th Air Commando Squadron, commanding a C-123K Provider, diverted his aircraft to the Special Forces camp at Kham Duc after intercepting a radio call for assistance. The camp was in danger of being overrun by the North Vietnamese and the three remaining members of an Air Force Combat Control Team were certain to be killed or captured. Another C-123 went into the airstrip ahead of Jackson's. That aircraft made a safe landing, in spite of debris and the wreckage of a helicopter on the runway. Heavy enemy fire prevented the the team's escape and forced the first Provider to abandon the attempt. Jackson, circling above the camp at 9,000 feet, dropped his aircraft toward the airstrip. Without regard for his own life, Jackson made an assault landing at the Kham Duc airstrip. As he brought the aircraft to a stop, an enemy rocket landed on the runway ahead of himbut failed to explode. Under fire, the Combat Control Team boarded the C-123 and Jackson took off as mortar rounds fell around the aircraft. Automatic weapons fire rained all around the Provider, but the aircraft never took a hit. Jackson's heroic action saved the lives of the beseiged Combat Controllers.
Lieutenant Colonel William A. Jones III, 602nd Special Operations Squadron4
Lieutenant Colonel William A. Jones III led a flight of four 602nd Special Operations Squadron A-1H Skyraiders out of Nakhon Phanom Air Base on 1 September 1968. They were flying escort for two helicopters on a combat search and rescue mission for the two crewmembers of a downed F-4 Phantom jet. The jet was down inside North Vietnam and as the rescue force arrived on the scene, they discovered that the Phantom's backseater had been captured. The pilot had made contact with the rescue force using his survival radio, but his location was unclear to the rescuers. Jones, flying "Sandy 1", lead his flight down below the overcast to find the terrain below was treacherous and mountainous. The tops of some of the mountains were hidden by the clouds. Jones found it impossible to get a visual reference to the downed pilot's location. More than an hour was lost in the search when the downed pilot's wingman directed the search eight miles in the wrong direction. When contact was with the downed pilot was re-established, Jones lead his flight back toward the scene, aware that they enemy had anti-aircraft gun emplacements concentrated in the area.
Jones' A-1H was hit by a 37 millimeter shell as he approached the downed pilot's location. His aircraft shook and the cockpit filled with smoke momentarily. Jones continued on, zigzagging to avoid more of the heavy anti-aircraft fire exploding all around him. At one point, Jones was so low that enemy gunners were firing down on him from the hillsides. Jones was drawing fire so that the enemy positions would be marked for a flight of F-4s on the scene.
Jones was now low on fuel and his aircraft made a clattering sound due to the damage from enemy fire. He had pinpointed the American pilot's position, which was near the gun emplacement on the slope. He ordered the other aircraft in the area to standby and wheeled his Skyraider over to bring his guns to bear. He peppered the enemy position with 20 millimeter cannon fire and CBU-38 cluster bombs, taking hits from enemy bullets all the while.
Smoke and fire filled the cockpit as a lucky hit ignited the rocket motor in the A-1H's ejection seat. Jones jettisoned the canopy and triggered the ejection seat. When nothing happened, he tried the secondary release. Again nothing! The flames were burning him now and his wingman was telling him to "Get out! You're on fire! Bail out now!"
Unable to get out, Jones was still trying to radio the survivor's position and flying a plane that had no business in the air. The Skyraider was enveloped in flames and trailed smoke. Jones was in extreme pain, but still trying to let the rest of the rescue force know where to find the man on the ground. When his radio finally quit, he broke off and his wingman escorted him back to NKP where he made a straight in approach to the runway. The aircraft was totalled, but Jones was pulled from the cockpit, refusing treatment until he had passed on his information about the downed pilot. His information lead to a successful rescue of the F-4 pilot later that day.
For his bravery under fire, Lieutenant Colonel William A. Jones III was nominated for the Air Force Medal of Honor. Although Jones survived to return to the United States, an aircraft accident took his life before the medal could be presented by President Richard M. Nixon. Nixon presented the Air Force Medal of Honor to Jones' widow on 6 August 1970.5
1st Lieutenant James P. Fleming, 20th Special Operations Squadron6
20th Special Operations Squadron helicopter pilot 1st Lieutenant James P. Fleming, flying a UH-1F Huey was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery under enemy fire when he rescued a six-man Special Forces team in November 1968.
The team had only just been inserted by a Green Hornet flight of five Hueys, three UH-1F slicks and two UH-1P gunships, into a heavily forested area near Duc Co on 26 November when they came across a large enemy force. The team commander requested extraction. The Hueys, low on fuel and heading home turned around.
They arrived to find the team trapped with their backs to a river and surrounded by the enemy. The gunships made a pass to lay down covering fire from their miniguns. One gunship was hit by enemy machine gun fire and was forced to autorotate into a small clearing. The lead slick followed the crippled aircraft down and rescued the crew only minutes before enemy troops arrived.
The number two slick, low on fuel was forced to withdraw, leaving only the third slick and the other gunship on the scene. The Special Forces team was ordered to move 20 yards down the river bank to a small clearing. The gunship positioned itself between the enemy and the slick flown by Lieutenant Fleming. Fleming attempted to get into the clearing, holding his nose over the river bank and his tail over the river.
Enemy fire had pinned the team down, keeping them from reaching the chopper. Fleming backed the chopper out as his door gunners kept the enemy at bay. Once in the clear, he nosed the Huey over and climbed out of there, circling to make another attempt. In spite of facing the heaviest enemy fire he had ever seen and being dangerously low on fuel, Fleming brought his aircraft back around and headed for the river bank clearing, skimming the water. He hoped that the river banks would provide some measure of safety from the enemy fire that was concentrating on the clearing.
The Special Forces team had set up a series of Claymore mines around their position to cover their escape. As they raced for the chopper, the enemy forces tripped the Claymores, setting off a series of blasts. The Huey hugged the river's edge, again with the front of the skids on the shore and the tail boom extended out over the river. The team was helped aboard by the door gunner and Fleming backed the chopper out over the river once more. This time, as the UH-1 climbed away from the river, gunfire shattered the windshield, but missed Fleming, his crew, and the team. Lieutenant Fleming landed his shot up Huey safely at a friendly base a short time later.
Airman First Class John L. Levitow, 4th Special Operations Squadron7
In February 1969, Airman First Class John L. Levitow, loadmaster aboard an AC-47 Spooky, suffered more than 40 wounds in the back and legs when his aircraft was hit by mortar fire while on a mission over Long Binh, South Vietnam. His aircraft was on patrol over Tan Son Nhut when the call for help came in from the Army post at Long Binh. The AC-47 diverted to the scene to assist. Knocking out two mortar positions with its miniguns, the aircraft maneuvered to attack another mortar position a short distance away. As the pilot turned to the new target, a mortar round struck the gunship's right wing, shaking the aircraft and peppering its fuselage with shell fragments. Levitow and another crewman had been standing in the open cargo, dropping flares to illuminate targets below. An activated magnesium flare fell into a pile of spilled ammunition, threatening to destroy the aircraft. Ignoring his pain and loss of blood, Levitow threw himself on the flare. He dragged it to the open cargo door and shoved it out only an instant before it exploded. A1C Levitow's heroic actions earned the Air Force Medal of Honor. Levitow was the only Air Force enlisted man to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam Conflict.
Captain Steven L. Bennett, Forward Air Controller8
Captain Steven L. Bennett was directing naval gunfire and air strikes on enemy positions near Quang Tri City when called to assist an outnumbered South Vietnamese force. Captain Bennett and his Marine observer had been on station in their OV-10 Bronco for about three hours when the call for assistance came in. Unfortunately all friendly strike aircraft had departed the area and gunfire from the naval vessels off shore would have decimated the enemy and friendly troops as well.
Bennett's OV-10 was lightly armed with four M-60 machine guns firing only 7.62 millimeter ammunition. The enemy forces were regular North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops and probably equipped with heat seeking SAM- 7 missiles. Despite the threat, Bennet decided to strafe the enemy troops. He made a pass and scattered the North Vietnamese. He repeated the straffing run again and again and again, scattering the enemy and forcing them to fall back. On his fifth pass, the enemy fired a missile which struck the left engine and nacelle. The left main gear dropped into the down position and the canopy was riddled by fragments from the missile explosion.
Captain Bennett turn southward to find a place to land. His wingman urged him to eject as the fire in the engine spread, but his observer's parachute had been destroyed by the missile fragments. Benett decided to try to ditch at sea in the Gulf of Tonkin. He knew that no pilot had ever survived a ditching in the Bronco. The cockpit usually broke up on impact. Still, it was the only chance his backseater had.
He brought the plane down, only feet above the water. As he flared to land, the left landing gear dug into the water, sending the plane into a left spin and flipping it over on its back. The Marine observer managed to escape, but Bennett was trapped in the wreckage which sank with him aboard. It was the next day before his body was recovered.
For sacrificing his life to save another, Captain Steven L. Bennett was awarded the Air Force Medal of Honor posthumously on 8 August 1974.
________________________________________ ENDNOTES1 Robert F. Dorr, The Illustrated History of The Vietnam War: Skyraider, New York: Bantam Books. Pages 97 - 102. Hereafter cited as Skyraider.
2 Carl Berger, Ed., The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia, 1961 - 1973: An Illustrated Account, Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1984. Page 356. Hereafter cited as An Illustrated Account.
3 Ray L. Bowers, The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: Tactical Airlift, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1983. Page 346.
4 Skyraider, pages 130 - 135.
5 An Illustrated Account, page 361.
6 An Illustrated Account, page 362.
7 An Illustrated Account, page 363.
8 An Illustrated Account, page 364.
©Copyright 1995 Dale K. Robinson, Crestview, Florida