On September 1, 1968, over North Vietnam, Lieutenant Colonel William Jones III led four A-1H Skyraiders in an attempt to rescue a downed American pilot.
Flying through intense anti-aircraft fire, his aircraft was repeatedly hit. On one pass, flames engulfed the cockpit after a round struck the extraction system behind his headrest.
Severely burned, and with his aircraft on fire, he was urged to eject.
He refused.
Instead, Lt Col Jones pulled into a climb and attempted to radio the survivor’s location. When transmissions were cut off, he made the decision to fly his crippled aircraft back to base—determined to personally deliver the critical information.
He landed safely and provided the details while on the operating table.
Because of his actions, the downed pilot was rescued later that day.
In 1970, Colonel William Jones was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
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