Hosted by PJs in Vietnam
Last Update: Thursday, December 08, 2011

Site Mission: Provide Pararescue and Air Rescue History
 

Air Rescue Air Force Cross Recipients



Home Vietnam History VN SAR Database Post VN PJ History War On Terror Rescue Patches Download Page Bob LaPointe Bio Bob's Books Air Rescue Books Linked Sites
 


Link to list of all USAF decorations and their order of precedence

 

  The Air Force Cross is awarded to U.S. and Foreign military   personnel and civilians who have displayed extraordinary heroism in one of the following situations: while engaged in action against a U.S. enemy, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with a foreign force, or while serving with a Friendly nation engaged in armed conflict against a force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The Air Force Cross (AFC) is awarded when the heroic actions fall just short of warranting the Congressional Medal of Honor. Note: Prior to the establishment of the AFC in 1960, Air Force personnel whose actions did not meet the criteria for the Medal of Honor, could by awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). Most of these DSC awards for Air Force personnel occurred during the Korean War and a few of them are listed on this page because the DSC and the AFC are equivalent awards.
     
Congress established the Air Force Cross in 1960. A total of 179 Air Force Crosses were awarded to airmen fighting in the Vietnam War. Many of these were awarded to men assigned to Air Rescue. During the Vietnam War, the pilots flying A-1's in the Sandy role were so integrated into the King, Jolly, and Pedro SAR team that they were for all practical descriptions, part of Air Rescue. Because the Sandy pilots were a mission essential component of almost every combat rescue in the Vietnam War, their citations are also be posted on this site.  Sandy pilots are identified by an * before their name.

Since the beginning of Vietnam War in 1965, only twenty-four enlisted men were awarded this medal. Twenty of these medals were awarded during the Vietnam War. Ten of these twenty were awarded to Pararescuemen. This is an extraordinarily large number considering that no more than seventy-five Pararescuemen served at any one time in Vietnam or Thailand.

Since the end of the Vietnam War only four additional Air Force Crosses have been awarded to an enlisted airman. Two of them went to Pararescuemen and two were awarded to a Combat Controller's. PJ Timothy Wilkenson received the Air Force Cross for action in Somalia. PJ Jason Cunningham and CCT John Chapman both received an AF Cross for action in Afghanistan. They both received the medal for heroism in the same battle and they both died within a few meters of each other. In 2009, Combat Controller Zachary Rhyner received the Air Force Cross for action in Afghanistan.

Technically one might state that CCT are not assigned to Air Rescue. To this webmaster, this is a moot point because since the advent of Special Tactics Teams, the line between air rescue and special operations has blurred. PJs and CCT assigned to an STS are dual tasked for both SAR and special operations missions. For that reason, PJs in Vietnam is proud to add these heroes of the honored recipients of the Air Force Cross listed on this website.


The below list has the majority of recipients but could still missing a few. If you have the missing narratives for any of these individuals; or, if you know of any other Air Rescuemen awarded the Air Force Cross, contact me at  rlapointe@gci.net
 

The blue hyperlinks in the below table will take you to the citation of the Air Force Cross for the individual selected. Unless otherwise stated, the award was for actions in the Vietnam War.
 

John V. Allison - Jolly Pilot - 21 November 1970
Donald R. Backlund - Jolly Pilot - 15 May 1975
Arthur N. Black - PJ - 20 September 1965
Richard C. Brims, Jolly Pilot - 15 May 1975  
Warner A Britton - Jolly Pilot - 21 November 1970
Ralph W. Brower - Jolly Pilot - 9 November 1967
*Thomas A. Campbell - Sandy Pilot - 2 June 1968
Jesse W. Campbell - Provider Pilot - 12 May 1968
William R. Carter - Pilot - 6 & 7 March 1971
John Chapman - CCT - 4 March 2002
Eugene L. Clay - Jolly FE - 9 November 1967
Philip J. Conran - Jolly Pilot - 6 October 1969
Jason D. Cunningham - PJ - 4 March 2002 - Afghanistan
Thomas J. Curtis - Pedro Pilot - 21 September 1965
Thomas E. Dayton - Sandy Pilot - 5-7 December 1969
*Dean E. DeTar - Pilot - 21 March 1970
Frederic M. Donohue - Jolly Pilot - 21 November 1970
Dale L. Eppinger - Pilot - 21 April 1969
Gregory A. Etzel - Jolly Pilot - 2 & 3 July 1967
John A Firse - Jolly Pilot - 11 June 1967
Michael E. Fish - PJ - 18 & 19 February 1969
Joe B. Green - Jolly Pilot - 30 March 1968
Jerry M. Griggs - Jolly Pilot - 30 March 1968
Robert Gutierrez - CCT - 5 Oct 2009
Duane D. Hackney - PJ - 6 February 1967
*James C. Harding - Sandy Pilot - 10 thru 13 April 1972
John S. Hamilton - Pilot - 19 April 1967
John D. Harston, FE - 15 May 1975   
*Ralph S. Hoggatt - Sandy Pilot - 11 November 1967
Herbert D. Kalen - Jolly Pilot - 21 November 1970
Leland T. Kennedy - Jolly Pilot - 5 October 1966
Leland T. Kennedy - Jolly Pilot - 20 October 1966   Read Misson Report
Charles D. King - PJ - 25 December 1968
Bernard F. Lukasik - Trojan Pilot - 18 February 1964
Duane D. Martin - Pedro Pilot - 20 September 1965
Larry W. Maysey - PJ - 9 November 1967
Philip V. Maywald - Birddog Pilot - 21 May 68
 Charles D. McGrath - PJ - 27 June 1972
John B. McTasney - Jolly Pilot - 8 November 1967
*Richard L. Mehr - Sandy Pilot - 2 & 3 July 1967
John J. Najarian - Albatross Pilot - 11 June 1951 Korean War
Thomas A. Newman - PJ - 30 May 1968
Don P. Olsen - Jolly Pilot - 5 October 1968
Oliver E. O'Mara - Jolly Pilot - 5 October 1966
Bennie D. Orrell - Jolly Pilot - 13 April 1972
Robert B. Parker - Pilot - 28 November 1950 Korean War
William H. Pitsenbarger - PJ - 11 April 1966
Donald S. Price - Albatross Navigator - 14 March 1966
Rowland W. Jolly Purser - Pilot - 15 May 1975
Dennis M. Richardson - FE - 14 March 1968     News Article and Video 
William A. Robinson - Pedro HM - 20 September 1965
Zachary Rhyner - Combat Controller - 6 April 2008 - Afghanistan    News Article
Leroy C. Schaneberg - Jolly Pilot - 30 June 1970
Travis H. Scott - Jolly Pilot - 15 April 1970
Donald G. Smith - PJ - 24 October 1969
Ronald E. Smith - Sandy Pilot - 1 & 2 June 1972
Dale E. Stovall - Jolly Pilot - 27 June 1972
Joel E. Talley - PJ - 2 July 1968
Robert F. Wilke - Sandy Pilot - 16 & 17 January 1968
Desmond R. Wilkerson - Medic - 28 November 1950 Korean War
Timothy A. Wilkinson - PJ - 3 October 1993 - Somalia
Travis Wofford - Jolly Pilot - 15 April 1970
Patrick H. Wood - Jolly Pilot - 6 February 1967
LeRoy Wright - Jolly FE - 21 November 1970
Glen P. York - Jolly Pilot - 18 July 1967
Adrian Youngblood  - Jolly Pilot - 20 October 1966  (Award narrative not available)  Read Misson Report


 



 

Home ] Medal of Honor ] [ AF Cross ] Silver Star ] DFC ] Bronze Star ] Airman Medal ] USAF Medal Chart ]

[ What's New ][Home] [Vietnam History] [VN SAR Database] [Post VN PJ History] [War On Terror] [Rescue Patches] [Download Page] [Bob LaPointe Bio] [Bob's Books] [Air Rescue Books] [Linked Sites]

[BACK TO PJs IN VIETNAM HOME]

Email webmaster at rlapointe@gci.net © Copyright 1999 Robert L. LaPointe. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form or medium, without the expressed written permission of Robert L. LaPointe is Prohibited