Heroes of the Air
Telling the stories of the brave men who flew for America and earned the nation’s supreme military award, the Medal of Honor, Heroes of the Air is a short-form documentary series produced by the World War II Veterans Committee and the Radio America network. Hosted by Gene Pell, Heroes of the Air continues the World War II Veterans Committee’s tradition of producing first-rate documentaries telling the story of America’s veterans of all generations. Heroes of the Air was made possible by the Air Force Association, an independant non-profit aerospace organization which promotes public understanding of the role aerospace power plays in the defense of our nation.
Episodes:
BAKER, ADDISON E.
* Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps, 93d Heavy Bombardment Group.
* Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 1 August 1943.
BENNETT, STEVEN L.
* Captain, U.S. Air Force. 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, Pacific Air Forces.
* Place and date: Quang Tri, Republic of Vietnam, 29 June 1972.
CARSWELL, HORACE S., JR.
* Rank and organization: Major, 308th Bombardment Group, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Over South China Sea, 26 October 1944.
CASTLE, FREDERICK W.
* Brigadier General. Assistant Commander, 4th Bomber Wing, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Germany, 24 December 1944.
CRAW, DEMAS T.
* Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date. Near Port Lyautey, French Morocco, 8 November 1942.
DAVIS, GEORGE ANDREW, JR.
* Major, U.S. Air Force, CO, 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force.
* Place and date: Near Sinuiju-Yalu River area, Korea, 10 February 1952.
DAY, GEORGE E.
* Colonel (then Major), U.S. Air Force, Forward Air Controller Pilot of an F-100 aircraft.
* Place and date: North Vietnam, 26 August 1967.
DETHLEFSEN, MERLYN HANS
* Major (then Capt.), U.S. Air Force.
* Place and date: In the air over North Vietnam, 10 March 1967.
DOOLITTLE, JAMES H.
* Brigadier General, U.S. Army. Air Corps.
* Place and date: Over Japan.
ERWIN, HENRY E.
* Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 52d Bombardment Squadron, 29th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force.
* Place and date: Koriyama, Japan, 12 April 1945.
FEMOYER, ROBERT E.
* Second Lieutenant, 711th Bombing Squadron, 447th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Over Merseburg, Germany, 2 November 1944.
FISHER, BERNARD FRANCIS
* Major, U.S. Air Force, 1st Air Commandos.
* Place and date: Bien Hoa and Pleiku, Vietnam, 10 March 1966.
FLEMING, JAMES P.
* Captain, U.S. Air Force, 20th Special Operations Squadron.
* Place and date: Near Duc Co, Republic of Vietnam, 26 November 1968.
GOTT, DONALD J.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 729th Bomber Squadron, 452d Bombardment Group.
* Place and date: Saarbrucken, Germany, 9 November 1944.
HAMILTON, PIERPONT M.
* Major, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Near Port Lyautey, French Morocco, 8 November 1942.
HOWARD, JAMES H.
* Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Over Oschersleben, Germany, 11 January 1944.
HUGHES, LLOYD H.
* Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 564th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomber Group, 9th Air Force.
* Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 1 August 1943.
JACKSON, JOE M.
* Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 311th Air Commando Squadron, Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam.
* Place and date: Kham Duc, Republic of Vietnam, 12 May 1968.
JERSTAD, JOHN L.
* Major, U.S. Army Air Corps, 9th Air Force.
* Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 1 August 1943.
JOHNSON, LEON W.
* Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps, 44th Bomber Group, 9th Air Force.
* Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 1 August 1943.
JONES, WILLIAM A., III
* Colonel, U.S. Air Force, 602d Special Operations Squadron, Nakon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.
* Place and date: Near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam, 1 September 1968.
KANE, JOHN R.
* Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps, 9th Air Force.
* Place and date: Ploetsi Raid, Rumania, 1 August 1943.
KEARBY, NEEL E.
* Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Near Wewak, New Guinea, 11 October 1943.
KINGSLEY, DAVID R.
* Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 97th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force.
* Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 23 June 1944.
KNIGHT, RAYMOND L.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: In Northern Po Valley, Italy, 2425 April 1945.
LAWLEY, WILLIAM R., JR.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 364th Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Europe, 20 February 1944.
LEVITOW, JOHN L.
* Sergeant, U.S. Air Force, 3d Special Operations Squadron.
* Place and date: Long Binh Army post, Republic of Vietnam, 24 February 1969.
LINDSEY, DARRELL R.
* Captain, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: L’Isle Adam railroad bridge over the Seine in occupied France, 9 August 1944.
LORING, CHARLES J., JR.
* Major, U.S. Air Force, 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing.
* Place and date: Near Sniper Ridge, North Korea, 22 November 1952.
MATHIES, ARCHIBALD
* Sergeant, U .S. Army Air Corps, 510th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Europe, 20 February 1944.
MATHIS, JACK W.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 359th Bomber Squadron, 303d Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Vegesack, Germany, 18 March 1943.
McGUlRE, THOMAS B., JR.
* Major, U.S. Army Air Corps, 13th Air Force.
* Place and date: Over Luzon, Philippine Islands, 2526
METZGER, WILLIAM E., JR.
* Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 729th Bomber Squadron 452d Bombardment Group.
* Place and date: Saarbrucken, Germany, 9 November 1944.
MICHAEL, EDWARD S.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 364th Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Germany, 11 April 1944.
MITCHELL, WILLIAM
AN ACT Authorizing the President of the United States to award posthumously in the name of Congress a Medal of Honor to William Mitchell.
MORGAN, JOHN C.
* Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 326th Bomber Squadron, 92d Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Europe, 28 July 1943.
PEASE, HARL, JR.
* Captain, U.S. Army Air Corps, Heavy Bombardment Squadron.
* Place and date: Near Rabaul, New Britain, 6-7 August 1942.
PUCKET, DONALD D.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 98th , Bombardment Group.
* Place and date: Ploesti Raid, Rumania, 9 July 1944.
RICKENBACKER, EDWARD V.
* First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 94th Aero Squadron, Air Service.
* Place and date: Near Billy, France, 25 September 1918.
SARNOSKI, JOSEPH R.
* Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 43rd Bomber Group
* Place and date: Over Buka Area, Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943.
SEBILLE, LOUIS J.
* Major, U.S. Air Force, 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, 5th Air Force.
* Place and date: Near Hanchang, Korea, 5 August 1950.
SIJAN, LANCE P.
* Captain, U.S. Air Force, 4th Allied POW Wing, Pilot of an F-4C aircraft.
* Place and date: North Vietnam, 9 November 1967.
SHOMO, WILLIAM A.
* Major, U.S. Army Air Corps, 82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.
* Place and date: Over Luzon, Philippine Islands, 11 January 1 945.
SMITH, MAYNARD H.
* Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 423d Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Europe, 1 May 1943.
THORSNESS, LEO K.
* Lieutenant Colonel (then Maj.), U.S. Air Force, 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
* Place and date: Over North Vietnam, 19 April 1967.
TRUEMPER, WALTER E.
* Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps. 510th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Europe, 20 February 1944.
VANCE, LEON R., Jr
* Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Corps, 489th Bomber Group.
* Place and date: Over Wimereaux. France, 5 June 1944.
VOSLER, FORREST T.
* Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Corps. 358th Bomber Squadron, 303d Bomber Group.
* Place and date. Over Bremen, Germany, 20 December 1943.
WALMSLEY, JOHN S., JR.
* Captain, U.S. Air Force, 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3d Bomb Group.
* Place and date: Near Yangdok, Korea, 14 September 1951.
WILBANKS, HILLIARD A.
* Captain, U.S. Air Force, 21st. Tactical Air Support Squadron, Nha Trang AFB, RVN.
* Place and date: Near Dalat, Republic of Vietnam, 24 February 1967.
WILKINS, RAYMOND H.
* Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Near Rabaul, New Britain, 2 November 1943.
YOUNG, GERALD O.
* Captain, U.S. Air Force, 37th ARS Da Nang AFB, Republic of Vietnam.
* Place and date: Khesanh, 9 November 1967.
ZEAMER, JAY JR.
* Major, U.S. Army Air Corps.
* Place and date: Over Buka area, Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943.
