Walk past the Bob Hope exhibit and through the connecting link. Turn left and go to the Combat Search and Rescue exhibit in the Southeast Asia War Gallery.
Pararescueman William H. Pitsenbarger, who was born in Piqua wanted to quit high school to join the U.S. Army Special Forces’ Green Berets. His parents convinced him to stay in school, and after graduating in 1962, Pitsenbarger joined the Air Force.
Arriving in Vietnam in August 1965, Pitsenbarger completed more than 250 missions, including one in which he hung from an HH-43’s cable to rescue a wounded South Vietnamese soldier from a burning minefield. This action earned him the Airman’s Medal and the Republic of Vietnam’s Medal of Military Merit and Gallantry Cross with Bronze Palm.
William H. Pitsenbarger was only 21 years old when he was killed in action. But in his short life and heroic Air Force career, Pitsenbarger was an example of dedication, compassion and tenacity for all those with whom he served. In his work, and especially on his final mission, Airman 1st Class Pitsenbarger embodied the pararescueman’s motto: “That Others May Live.”
For coordinating the successful rescues, caring for the wounded and sacrificing his life while aggressively defending his comrades, Pitsenbarger earned the Air Force Cross on June 30, 1966. After review, the original award was upgraded, and on December 8, 2000, the Medal of Honor was presented to his family in a ceremony here at the museum. Pitsenbarger is the 59th Medal of Honor recipient, and sixth enlisted recipient, from the Air Force and its predecessor organizations.
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