US Air Force Gen Charles Boyd: Air Force Cross Recipient Vietnam War & POW

On April 22, 1966, Captain Charles Boyd volunteered for a dangerous mission over North Vietnam, his 105th combat flight. Flying an F-105 Thunderchief into one of the most heavily defended areas in the world, he evaded two missiles on his first pass and made a second attack run before being shot down. Captured after ejecting, he spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war, enduring torture, starvation, and isolation, but never breaking under pressure.

For his courage during the mission and unwavering resistance as a POW, Charles Boyd was awarded the Air Force Cross. He later rose to the rank of four-star General, the only Vietnam POW to do so.

Air Force Cross Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain Charles Graham Boyd, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as a combat strike pilot of an F-105D Thunderchief of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, in action approximately 35 miles northwest of Hanoi, North Vietnam, on 22 April 1966. On that date, Captain Boyd volunteered to participate in a flight with the mission of destroying Surface to Air Missile (SAM) Sites posing a threat to flights striking a bridge in the Phu Tho area. While attacking a hostile SAM site, Captain Boyd saw two missiles streak toward his aircraft. His superb airmanship and instant reaction enabled him to evade the missiles, which burst very near his aircraft. Without hesitation, Captain Boyd continued the attack on the hostile missile site. As he made a second pass through the intense flak which filled the sky around him, Captain Boyd's aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire and he was forced to eject himself in a heavily populated, hostile area. The selfless act of making repeated attacks through intense ground fire after barely avoiding two missiles was far beyond the normal call of duty. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Captain Boyd reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

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Photos Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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