WRudolf Anderson Jr. was an American and United States Air Force major and pilot, who was the first recipient of the Air Force Cross, the U.S. military's and Air Force's second-highest award and decoration for valor. The only U.S fatality by enemy fire during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Anderson died when his unarmed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Cuba. He also served in Korea after the Korean War ended.
WCharles Graham "Chuck" Boyd is a retired four-star general of the United States Air Force. Boyd is a highly decorated combat pilot who served in Vietnam and is the only Vietnam War prisoner of war (1966–1973) to reach the four-star rank (1992). His final Air Force assignment was as deputy commander in chief, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 and has remained active in the national security realm, including as a program director of the Council on Foreign Relations and as president of Business Executives for National Security. He is a member of the guiding coalition of the Project on National Security Reform.
WGeorge Everette "Bud" Day was a United States Air Force officer, aviator, and veteran of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. He was also a prisoner of war, and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. As of 2016, he is the only person to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. He was posthumously advanced to the rank of brigadier general effective March 27, 2018, as directed by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.
WColonel Charles Barbin DeBellevue is a retired officer in the United States Air Force. In 1972, DeBellevue became one of only five Americans to achieve flying ace status during the Vietnam War, and the first as an Air Force weapon systems officer, an integral part of two-man aircrews with the emergence of air-to-air missiles as the primary weapons during aerial combat. He was credited with a total of six MiG kills, the most earned by any U.S. aviator during the Vietnam War, and is a recipient of the Air Force Cross.
WJohn Arthur Dramesi was a retired United States Air Force (USAF) Colonel who was held as a prisoner of war from 2 April 1967 to 4 March 1973 in both Hoa Lo Prison, known as "The Hanoi Hilton", and Cu Loc Prison, "The Zoo", during the Vietnam War.
WUrban Leonard Drew, known as Ben Drew, was a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces and a flying ace of World War II. He was the first and the only Allied pilot to shoot down two Luftwaffe jet-powered Me 262 aircraft in a single mission while flying a propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustang. He received the Air Force Cross for the mission in 1983.
WRichard Loy Etchberger was a senior non-commissioned officer in the United States Air Force who posthumously received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Battle of Lima Site 85 in the Vietnam War. The medal was formally presented to his three sons by President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House on September 21, 2010.
WJeffrey S. Feinstein is a retired career officer of the United States Air Force. During the Vietnam War, Feinstein was a weapon systems officer, an integral part of two-man aircrews with the emergence of air-to-air missiles as the primary weapons during aerial combat. Flying aboard F-4 Phantom IIs, Feinstein downed five enemy aircraft, thereby becoming a flying ace, the last of five U.S. aviators to become aces during that conflict.
WLawrence Nicholas "Larry" Guarino was a U.S. Air Force officer, and veteran of three wars. Shot down on his 50th combat mission, he spent more than 8 years as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War and earned the Air Force Cross.
WGerald Gustafson was a pilot after the post-war period of the United States. His most notable achievements came during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Air Force Cross.
WDuane D. Hackney, of Flint, Michigan, a United States Air Force Pararescueman, was the most decorated enlisted man in USAF history and the recipient of 28 decorations for valor in combat and more than 70 awards and decorations in all. He served in the Air Force from 1965 to 1991, retiring as a Chief Master Sergeant. A recipient of the Air Force Cross, he was the first living enlisted man to receive the medal, and at the time of its award he was its youngest recipient.
WPaul T. Johnson is a retired major general in the United States Air Force. He was commander of the 355th Fighter Wing and 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, and has served in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Northern Watch, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in May 1985. He received the Air Force Cross for rescuing a stranded U.S. Navy pilot, Lieutenant Devon Jones.
WColonel James Helms Kasler was a senior officer in the United States Air Force and the only person to be awarded the Air Force Cross three times. The Air Force Cross ranks just below the Medal of Honor as an award for extraordinary heroism in combat.
WColonel Leland Thornton "Lee" Kennedy was a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, and a highly decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. Kennedy flew the EC-121 Warning Star during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and later served two tours of duty in Vietnam.
WSergeant Larry Wayne Maysey was a United States Air Force pararescueman who was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the Air Force's second-highest decoration.
WRobin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service.
WColonel Ralph Sherman Parr, Jr. was an American double-flying ace of the Korean War. He was credited with a total of ten downed enemy aircraft. He also flew in World War II and the Vietnam War, and is the only person to have been awarded both the United States Army Distinguished Service Cross and the corresponding decoration used by the United States Air Force once it became an independent branch of service, the Air Force Cross.
WWilliam Hart Pitsenbarger was a United States Air Force Pararescueman who flew on almost 300 rescue missions during the Vietnam War to aid downed soldiers and pilots.
WMaster Sergeant (retired) Zachary Rhyner is a Combat Controller (CCT) in the United States Air Force. His hometown is Medford, Wisconsin. While still a Senior Airman, he received the Air Force Cross for his actions in the Battle of Shok Valley on 6 April 2008 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. He was the first living, and second ever, Combat Controller to receive the Air Force Cross after TSgt John A. Chapman was posthumously awarded the medal in 2002 for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar. In addition to his Air Force Cross Rhyner is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, three Purple Hearts, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal among others. His first Purple Heart he received for the Battle of Shok Valley, while the second Purple Heart was from a deployment to southern Afghanistan in 2009. He earned his third purple heart in March, 2013 when a gunshot wound shattered his right femur and severed his sciatic nerve. He has deployed six times, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also participated in humanitarian assistance operations as well and was a part of Operation Unified Response in Haiti during the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Rhyner medically retired in 2015 as a result of wounds sustained in combat that prevented mobility below the knee.
WKarl Wendell Richter was an officer in the United States Air Force and an accomplished fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. At the age of 23 he was the youngest pilot in that conflict to shoot down a MiG in air-to-air combat.
WJames Robinson "Robbie" Risner was a Brigadier General and a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force.
WBrigadier General Richard Stephen "Steve" Ritchie served as an officer in the United States Air Force and the Colorado Air National Guard, and a general officer in the Air Force Reserve. Ritchie joined Navy Commander Randy Cunningham as the only two pilots among the five American aces during the Vietnam War. Ritchie is a recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. He is also the 30th most highly decorated individual in United States military history.
WDale E. Stovall is a retired Brigadier General in the United States Air Force who figured prominently in several search and rescue operations during the Vietnam War. A member of the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron based in Thailand, on June 2, 1972, he recovered Capt. Roger Locher from deep inside North Vietnam, the deepest rescue made during the entire Vietnam War. For his efforts in rescuing Locher, Stovall was awarded the Air Force Cross, which described how "he willingly returned to this high threat area, braving intense ground fire, to recover the downed airman from deep in North Vietnam.". Stovall was also recognized with the 1973 Jabara Award for Airmanship, two Silver Star awards and two Distinguished Flying Cross awards for other combat rescues among the 12 successful rescue missions he accomplished during his tour in Southeast Asia. Stovall retired from the Air Force as a Brigadier General on June 1, 1993.
WRobert Michael "Bob" White was an American electrical engineer, test pilot, fighter pilot, and astronaut. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. As an engineer, he supervised the design and development of several modern military aircraft.