He volunteered to ride a hoist over 100 feet through the jungle and to the jungle floor. As the couple waited for the ceremony to begin, perhaps they could not avoid remembering young William Pitsenbarger's zest for lifea zeal that had always driven him to experience every adventure and push the envelope to the limits. Make sure that the file is a photo. Jim Locker (Sidney) and A1C James Pielman (Russia). The enemy fire reached out to tear flesh and the medic fell to the ground. On March 7th Pits' aircrew flew on a mission to rescue a wounded South Vietnamese soldier who had walked into an old minefield while fighting a fire. He was frozen with fear, unable to move. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Before his death, he helped save over 60 men in the battle. After he graduated from high school, he decided to join the U.S. Air Force, and on New Year's Eve 1962, he was on a train bound for basic training in San Antonio. William Pitsenbarger's story survived for more than three decades, making the young airman something of an Air Force legend. One cannot judge the young men who reacted to the horrible events of April 11th with fear and panic. IN THE CARE OF. Hidden by the dense jungle, the enemy was able to hide and still place effective sniper fire on the Americans. To use this feature, use a newer browser. On April 11, 1966, in thick jungle near Saigon, an infantry company on 134 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division (the "Big Red One") was . Detachment 6 consisted of five aircrews that flew three HH-43F Kaman Huskie helicopters. When the enemy launched the assault, the evacuation was called off and Airman Pitsenbarger took up arms with the besieged infantrymen. They were also dedicated to saving lives, not only during times of war but also in peace. Dead and dying were everywhere and panic was pushing his young soldiers beyond reason. Pitsenbarger, an airman 1st class at the time, originally was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1966. Of the 134 soldiers in Charlie Company at the beginning ofOperation Abilene, there were 106 casualties. But Bill (Pitsenbarger) had a triple dose of that.". Failed to report flower. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Little did he know how expensive that price was about to become. Navarro himself was wounded. Pedro 97 hovered in the area as darkness fell, then returned to Bien Hoa to wait out the night. When the others began running low on ammunition, he gathered ammunition from the dead and distributed it to those still alive. He and another pararescuer were asked to find two hunters lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters presented the award, which was accepted by William F. Pitsenbarger on his son's behalf. Slowly, O'Berne approached to gently lift the poncho. On April 11, 1966, Pitsenbarger was killed aiding and defending a unit of soldiers pinned down by an enemy assault during the Vietnam War. regarding use of images of identifiable personnel, appearance of endorsement, and related matters. The nearest clearing was 4 miles away. In addition several buildings have been named in his honor including William H. Pitsenbarger Dining Hall, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; William H. Pitsenbarger Professional Military Education Center, Beale Air Force Base, California; William H. Pitsenbarger Airman Leadership School, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Pitsenbarger Hall, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas and Pitsenbarger Fitness Center, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Quickly the attack escalated to intense mortar and machinegun fire throughout the entire area. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? After several pick-ups, one of the two rescue helicopters involved in the evacuation was struck by heavy enemy ground fire and was forced to leave the scene for an emergency landing. William "Virgil" Pitsenbarger, age 89, of Franklin, W.Va., and formerly Moyers, W.Va., passed away Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, at Pendleton Manor. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. In a ceremony held at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 8, 2000, Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten "Whit" Peters presented the Medal of Honor to the parents, William F. and Alice Pitsenbarger, of Airman 1st Class William F. Pitsenbarger. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. When the company was ordered to move a short distance, the intrepid Airman began cutting branches to improvise litters to transport the wounded. All U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current results for Pitsenbarger. Copyright 2018 by Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC GREAT NEWS! Two more rounds struck flesh, ripping into Sergeant Robinson's chest and draining what little strength remained in his broken body. He had been in combat in both World War II and Korea.". Two helicopters with pararescue personnel were sent to rescue the trapped soldiers, but the helicopter pilots could not land in the aircraft in the jungle. He was born June 17, 1933, in Moyers, WV and was the son of the late Henry M. Pitsenbarger, Sr., and Nora Alice (Smith) Pitsenbarger. Through it all, he emerged as one of the Air Force's elite Pararescuemen, more commonly known as PJs. It was nearing 7:30 in the evening as the enemy fire was beginning to taper off. Finding one wounded infantryman, injured beyond the ability to fire a rifle, Pits gave the soldier his own pistol to enable him to continue to resist. . - Coolers On Dec. 8, 2000, the Medal of Honor was presented posthumously to A1C William H. Pitsenbarger in a ceremony at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, not far from his hometown of Piqua. [3] Pitsenbarger received the Air Force Cross on June 30, 1966. Mr. Pitsenbarger graduated from Franklin High School in 1952. The choppers hovered above the desperate American forces. Realizing the two wounded men were dangerously exposed to continued enemy fire, Robinson ignored the whine of deadly missiles around him to rush into the open and drag the two wounded men to safety. [5] His unit was composed of five aircrews that flew three Kaman HH-43F Huskie helicopters. Like nothing could hurt him. Fred Navarro, a man whose life William Pitsenbarger saved -. (During the Korean War, four Air Force pilots were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor but all received the Army design for the award.). Sergeant Robinson noticed another American fall ahead of his position. Ambulatory casualties could be hoisted to the waiting choppers on "jungle penetrators". A Angelo Urso September 13, 2021 Virginia and family, I am so sorry for your loss. Haley, of Ukiah, Calif., was dirty and unkept after his unit had been in the jungles 30 miles east of Saigon for two weeks searching for the Viet Cong. When Airman Pitsenbarger got orders for service in the war zone in August 1965 he had only a little more than a year remaining in his 4-year Air Force enlistment. Heedless of the potential for disaster should the heavy prop wash of the Huskie's twin-blades detonate other mines in the field, Airman Pitsenbarger made the ascent, snatched the wounded soldier, and restored him to safety. Pits, as the Airman from Piqua, Ohio came to be called, was a happy and likable young man. Airman Pitsenbarger stayed behind, on the ground, to perform medical duties. - Diaper bags The PJ on board was one of the Pits' closest friends, Harry O'Berne. On April 11, 1966, the Joint Rescue Center dispatched two Huskies from Detachment 6 to extract a half-dozen or more Army casualties pinned down in a battle near Cam My, 35 miles (56km) east of Saigon. Try again later. (U.S. Air Force photo). For nearly a month the officer and his two medics had treated the injured while leading them to rescue. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Somehow, through sheer force of determination, he continued forwardfalling only after reaching an effective range and throwing the two grenades to destroy the enemy position. It is next to the Piqua Veterans Memorial. The round was a tracer, igniting the trousers of his jungle fatigues. OperationAbilenebegan on April 10, 1966Easter Sunday. As he moved among the bodies that littered the jungle floor, an Army captain approached and asked if he was a medic. Pitsenbarger received orders to go to Okinawa, but requested his orders be changed to go to Vietnam. In 2005, the State of Ohio designated State Route 48 as the "U.S.A.F. I couldnt believe that anybody was brave enough or crazy enough to come down on the ground with all the firing going on Even though there was 700 guns firing at the same time, it was to him like nothing was going on. Like nothing could hurt him. The government of South Vietnam awarded him Vietnam's Medal of Military Merit and the Gallantry Cross with Bronze Palm. While there, it was the Air Force recruiter who captured the young man's attention. Captain Harold Salem piloted the back-up aircraft, "Pedro 73". In this first part of the fight that lasted from 45 minutes to an hour, we took quite a few casualties. Even as a lad he had flirted with danger, taking his childhood games like "follow the leader" to the ledges of the highest buildings or the limbs of the tallest trees. The full force of the aggressors turned their firepower on the advancing American. Results 1-20 of 39 View Record Name Birth Date Publication Date Death Place; View Record. They found the hunters and began to cut a trail down the mountain. Time and again these brave medics had been inserted to save lives. I thought you might like to see a memorial for William Franklin Pitsenbarger I found on Findagrave.com. Bailey Zechar Funeral Home . Time and again he has faced enemy fire, stared death in the face and calmly set himself to the tasks of a Pararescue medic. He was also a very large target. When he was 17, he wanted to drop out of schoolPiqua Central High Schoolto become a Green Beret. Pitsenbarger was in his element in Vietnam. While the three initial recovered casualties were unloaded, Pits and Pedro 97's PJ Sergeant David Milsten discussed "going in" on the choppers' return. Instead of climbing into the litter basket so he could leave with the helicopter, Pitsenbarger elected to remain with the Army troops under enemy attack and he gave a "wave-off" to the helicopter which flew away to safety. He courageously resisted the enemy, braving intense gunfire to gather and distribute vital ammunition to American defenders. Arriving with the Army's CH47 helicopters on Tuesday morning was the only operable Huskie from Detachment 6. The Air Force Huskies could hover over the last layers of the jungle foliage and winch a wire-mesh Stokes Litterto those on the ground. Usually when a PJ "went in", he rode the penetrator down to either load a casualty in the stokes litter or aid two casualties in riding the penetrator. Calming their uneasiness and fighting to overcome the emotions that struggled for release, the brave couple found themselves being introduced to the US Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. McConnell. It was the Air Force Cross, our Nation's second-highest award for military valor by a member of the United States Air Force. He was hit seven times before he was finally killed," he said. [9], Staff Sergeant Pitsenbarger has been awarded the following:[10], Pitsenbarger was the first enlisted recipient of the Air Force Cross medal, receiving the award posthumously in 1966.[5]. Olly Richards NME. More than 30 years later, Pentagon investigator Scott Huffman probes a Medal of Honor request for Pits made by his family and his friends . When its engine began to lose power, the pilot realized he had to get the helicopter away from the area as soon as possible. According to members of his squadron, Bill enjoyed participating in flights to treat patients at a leper colony in Viet Cong controlled territory. Once he was lowered from a helicopter to rescue a South Vietnamese soldier in a burning mine field. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Part of Pitsenbarger uniform is on display in the Southeast Asia Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. Their sonthat's what this was all about. 1 OBITUARY INDEX PROJECT Entry citation Last name, first name I . The Last Full Measure is about real-life Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger who tragically died at the age of 21 during a rescue mission in 1966 after saving countless lives during the war. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Reports say that watching soldiers were stunned when they saw Pitsenbarger being lowered to the ground. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Bailey Zechar Funeral Home. This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. "All of us PJs had a strong desire to save lives," said Chief Master Sergeant Dave Milsten, the ranking Pararescueman in Detachment 6, "that's what we lived for. Alice C Pitsenbarger : Abt 1913: 7 Jan 2000: Redfield IA: View Record. Adamantly Irene and her husband had refused to give their 17-year old permission to join the Army, requiring him to remain in school one more year to graduate. FREEAdmission & Parking, Sometimes, awards and decorations are presented posthumously. In the quiet dignity of the halls of the Pentagon, the senior Pitsenbarger remembered how proud he had been of his son. trademark, including the use of official emblems, insignia, names and slogans), warnings https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27881350/william-franklin-pitsenbarger. melanie ward oregon accident, 1 bedroom apartments all bills paid waco, tx, manchester recreation swim lessons, ( s ) again asked to find two hunters lost in the battle three decades, making the young who. 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