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Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Air Force Pararescueman SSG William H. Pitsenbarger.
Medal of Honor
Episode 2970 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Air Force Pararescueman SSG William H. Pitsenbarger. Information featured in this episode comes from Wikipedia and The Air and Space Forces Magazine.
Staff Sergeant William H. Pitsenbarger had a choice. He could have stayed safe aboard the HH-43 Huskie, circling high above the jungle. Instead, he chose to descend into hell.
It was April 11, 1966. In the dense Vietnamese jungle near Cam My, soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division were pinned down by a relentless Viet Cong assault. Their wounded lay scattered, dying. Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force Pararescueman, volunteered to lower himself into the chaos.
Under a rain of gunfire, he moved from man to man, treating wounds, offering reassurance, dragging the fallen to safety. When the evacuation order came, he refused to leave. He chose to stay behind, knowing the next helicopter might not return.
With ammunition running low, he picked up a rifle and fought. He manned a wounded soldier’s M16, fired at the advancing enemy, and redistributed ammunition to his brothers in arms. Despite wounds of his own, he never stopped. A sniper’s bullet finally felled him, but his courage lived on in those he saved.
For his heroism, William H. Pitsenbarger was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His legacy endures, a testament to the selflessness of a man who chose to stay, to fight, to save. His sacrifice is etched in history, not just in medals, but in the lives he touched.
He was more than an airman. He was a guardian angel, descending from the skies, giving everything for his brothers.
The United States Navy Container Ship MV A1C William H. Pitsenbarger (T-AK-4638) was christened in his honor, but was decommissioned and returned to its original owner in 2008 with the new name Black Eagle.
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.
The 2019 film The Last Full Measure depicting Pitsenbarger’s life stars Jeremy Irvine as Pitsenbarger.
Listen to Episode 2970 and discover more about Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Air Force Pararescueman SSG William H. Pitsenbarger.
