Airman Killed in Laos to Get Medal of Honor
Bill Smith, Editor: As retired Air Force who served during the Vietnam War as both enlisted and as an officer, I just had to share this public interest story. Many good men lost their lives serving our country in Laos and other "undisclosed" places. The truth of their service has been denied, hidden with false reports or classified because the leadership in Washington, D.C did not want it known that American military were serving in various foreign locations. This Medal of Honor for CMSgt Richard Etchberger is long overdue. I was a young airman when Etchberger died but I recall several senior grade sergeants who kept me in line, trained and prepared me and then pushed me on to a successful Air Force career. This award also recognizes many others who faithfully served in "undisclosed" locations!
Airman Killed in Laos to Get Medal of Honor
Reported by Military.com: Richard Etchberger died in Laos in 1968, saving fellow Americans at a top-secret radar station overrun by North Vietnamese commandos.
Etchberger, who grew up north of Reading, Pa., was nominated that year for the Medal of Honor. But there was a problem: The United States was not supposed to have troops in Laos. President Lyndon B. Johnson declined to award the medal.
On July 7 of this year, Etchberger's son, Cory, received a phone call. "Will you please hold for the president?" a woman asked. President Obama then told Cory Etchberger that his father would finally receive the Medal of Honor. "It's been a long time coming," Obama told Etchberger, 51, of Schwenksville, Montgomery County. Cory Etchberger, who recounted the conversation with Obama, was 9 when his father died at Lima Site 85, which directed bombing missions into North Vietnam and Laos.
Richard Etchberger, a chief master sergeant in the Air Force, was selected to work at the radar station and was converted into a civilian employee of Lockheed so his presence in Laos would not technically violate that country's neutrality. The radar station directed 507 strike missions against North Vietnamese targets from November 1967 until March 11, 1968, when enemy soldiers engaged the facility in a fierce battle, according to the Air Force.
Under withering fire, Etchberger loaded wounded comrades into slings to be raised into a rescue helicopter before coming aboard himself. He was mortally wounded by an armor-piercing bullet that had ripped through the chopper. He was 27.
Etchberger was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross in a secret Pentagon ceremony. His family, except for his parents, who were sworn to secrecy, was not told what really happened. The mission was declassified years later, but Etchberger was not eligible for the Medal of Honor because of a time limit. In 2008, Congress approved a waiver.
His family will attend a White House medal ceremony on Sept. 21.
Tags: Medal of Honor, Airman, CMSgt, USAF, Air Force, Vietnam War, Richard Etchberger, Laos, hero To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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| Richard Etchberger, CMSgt, USAF |
Reported by Military.com: Richard Etchberger died in Laos in 1968, saving fellow Americans at a top-secret radar station overrun by North Vietnamese commandos.
Etchberger, who grew up north of Reading, Pa., was nominated that year for the Medal of Honor. But there was a problem: The United States was not supposed to have troops in Laos. President Lyndon B. Johnson declined to award the medal.
On July 7 of this year, Etchberger's son, Cory, received a phone call. "Will you please hold for the president?" a woman asked. President Obama then told Cory Etchberger that his father would finally receive the Medal of Honor. "It's been a long time coming," Obama told Etchberger, 51, of Schwenksville, Montgomery County. Cory Etchberger, who recounted the conversation with Obama, was 9 when his father died at Lima Site 85, which directed bombing missions into North Vietnam and Laos.
Richard Etchberger, a chief master sergeant in the Air Force, was selected to work at the radar station and was converted into a civilian employee of Lockheed so his presence in Laos would not technically violate that country's neutrality. The radar station directed 507 strike missions against North Vietnamese targets from November 1967 until March 11, 1968, when enemy soldiers engaged the facility in a fierce battle, according to the Air Force.
Under withering fire, Etchberger loaded wounded comrades into slings to be raised into a rescue helicopter before coming aboard himself. He was mortally wounded by an armor-piercing bullet that had ripped through the chopper. He was 27.
Etchberger was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross in a secret Pentagon ceremony. His family, except for his parents, who were sworn to secrecy, was not told what really happened. The mission was declassified years later, but Etchberger was not eligible for the Medal of Honor because of a time limit. In 2008, Congress approved a waiver.
His family will attend a White House medal ceremony on Sept. 21.
Tags: Medal of Honor, Airman, CMSgt, USAF, Air Force, Vietnam War, Richard Etchberger, Laos, hero To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 10:35 PM - Post Link
1 Comments:
It's never too late to honor our fallen.
Welcome home, Chief Master Sergeant Etchberger.
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