[29][n 9], "We were lucky to have Risner. Risner noted to a biographer that his tour under these conditions amounted to as much flying as he desired but a distinct lack of discipline on the ground. The 67th TFS ended its first deployment to Korat on April 26 but returned from Okinawa on August 16 for a second tour of combat duty over North Vietnam. Risner, Robinson. Postwar peace and return to civilian life brought mundane employment for Robinson Risner as an auto mechanic, a service station manager and a short stint running a service garage. Major support provided through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. However, he refused to be diverted from his primary mission of completing the destruction of the assigned targets. program[21] and raised quarter horses, and later in San Antonio. Encyclopedia of Arkansas Rob was born about 1948 and died January 25, 1975 in Oklahoma City, victim of a chronic lung condition. & Latino Voices STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events. The award is presented annually to the outstanding graduate of the USAF Weapons School. He next served on the joint staff of Commander-in-Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC) in Hawaii. When the squadron was relocated to Howard Field in the Panama Canal Zone in January 1945 to transition to P-38 Lightning fighters, its pilots were soon banned from the Officers Club for rowdiness and vandalism.[4]. "[2], Risner in 1973 after being released as a POW by the North Vietnamese. Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War, California State University, San Bernardino, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Names and Citations of Recipients of the Air Force Cross, Shaw fighter pilot named best in the Air Force, "Eagle Biography Robinson 'Robbie' Risner", Logan Memorial at Korean War casualty Database, "Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale: Vietnam War Hero and Indomitable Spirit at the Hanoi Hilton". U.S. Air Force Academy receives $3.5 million gift for Character and Leadership Development, The Brigadier General James Robinson Risner Squadron, Risner, James Robinson "Robbie" RIP 10/22/2013, Retired AF general was senior ranking POW at Hanoi Hilton, USAF photo of Risner during Operation Homecoming, "Eagle Biography: Robinson 'Robbie' Risner", Air University Gathering of Eagles, Dedication of the Risner statue at the Air Force Academy on November 16, 2001, Photograph of Risner statue and its sculptor, Lawrence Ludtke, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Robinson_Risner&oldid=1129520797, Central High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) alumni, Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United States), Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States), United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II, United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War, Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States), United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Risner in 1973 after being released as a POW by the North Vietnamese, Risner's call sign this date was "John Red Lead". Risner's squadron led the first Rolling Thunder strike, bombing an ammunition dump approximately ten miles north of the Demilitarized Zone between the two Vietnams. James Robinson "Robbie" Risner was born in 1925 in Arkansas, to a sharecropping family struggling to make ends meet. In the course of the operation, Colonel Risner's unit encountered the first MIG force committed in aerial combat against the U.S. Risner retired as a brigadier general in 1976. During the Vietnam War, Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force, awarded the first for valor in aerial combat and the second for gallantry as a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese for more than seven years. Gen. James Robinson "Robbie" Risner was part of that legendary . Risner is the first living recipient of the Air Force's highest award, the Air Force Cross, which he received twice. They remained married until the end of his life, with the two younger of his four surviving sons choosing to live with him and Risner adopting her three youngest children. . Some prisoners reconstructed an abbreviated version of the Bible from memory. View military histories of over 2 million, If you are a veteran, reconnect with people. (Capt. [10] Risner became an ace in the Korean War and commanded a squadron of F-105 Thunderchiefs in the first missions of Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. [25], - 1st U.S. pilot held as a Prisoner of War in Southeast Asia[26] He flew nearly every weekend, and on one occasion, became lost in the fringes of a hurricane on a flight to Brownsville, Texas. awards the Air Force Cross to Brigadier General Robinson Risner for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 31 October 1965 to 15 . I did not ask God to take me out of it. Other awards include the Bronze Star with V device and Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Command Medal, and Purple Heart with three Oak Leaf Clusters. Read our Privacy Policy. All, however, held him in awe. [15], In July 1956, he was transferred to George Air Force Base, California as operations officer of the 413th Fighter Wing. His story of being imprisoned drew wide acclaim after that war's end. Risner was able to re-establish contact and guide the powerless plane out over the sea until fluids threatened to stall his own engine. . Robinson Risner, Self: Return with Honor. [28][31], Risner spent more than three years in solitary confinement. [16], In July 1956, he was transferred to George Air Force Base, California as operations officer of the 413th Fighter Wing. He was the first living recipient of the medal.[1]. and his oldest son, Robbie Jr., died two years after his return of a congenital heart defect. SURVEY . It would take another war, and an extraordinary set of circumstances for that to occur. Risner was recalled to active duty in February 1951 while assigned to the 185th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the OKANG at Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Robbie Risner was born on January 16, 1925, in Mammoth Spring, the son of sharecroppers Grover W. Risner and Lora Grace Robinson Risner. Portrait of General James Robinson Risner. The President of the United States, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Robinson Risner, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force on 3 and 4 April 1965. [9][n 2] Scoring numerous hits on the MiG, shooting off its canopy, and setting it on fire, Risner chased it between hangars of the Communist airbase, where he shot it down into parked fighters. The use of Bullpups against the bridge had been completely ineffectual, resulting in the scheduling of a second mission the next day with 48 F-105s attacking the bridge without destroying it. [1][n 11], The USAF Weapons School Robbie Risner Award, created September 24, 1976, was donated by H. Ross Perot as a tribute to Risner and all Vietnam era Prisoners of War, and is administered by the Tactical Air Command (now by Air Combat Command). He was captured by North Vietnamese while still trying to extricate himself from his parachute. His autobiography, The Passing of the Night: My Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese, describes seven years of torture and mistreatment by the North Vietnamese. The two had met, apparently at McCarthy's request,[30] when McCarthy visited Hanoi in April 1968. The Passing of the Night. Because of the Time cover story, he would become one of the highest-profile U.S. prisoners of the Vietnam War. In his words he describes how he survived a torture session in July 1967, handcuffed and in stocks after destroying two pictures of his family to prevent them from being used as propaganda by an East German film crew: To make it, I prayed by the hour. Risner is a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. Subsequently, he served as commander of the 34th Fighter-Day Squadron, also at George Air Force Base. Jet fuel and hydraulic fluid spewed out from the wounded Sabre. . He was on his 55th combat mission at the time. . 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 16 of those carried AGM-12 Bullpup missiles, while another 30 carried eight 750-pound bombs each, half of which were designated for the railroad and highway bridge. Required fields are marked *. In 1946, Risner was involved in an off-duty motorcycle accident. Robinson Risner Dies at 88; Leader of Hanoi Hilton Prisoners. Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2013. [37] After publication of the book, McCarthy strenuously attacked both Risner (deeming him "unlikeable" and alleging that he had "become a Vietnamese toady") and Risner's credibility in a review. Performing in the role of air coordinator, Colonel Risner arrived over the target area before the main strike force, evaluated the effectiveness of each strike, redirected subsequent strikes, and provided flak suppression against defenses that would hinder delivery aircraft in the performance of their mission. Forces in Southeast Asia. In his book, Risner attributes faith in God and prayer as being instrumental to his surviving the Hanoi prison experience. The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese, Code of Conduct for American Fighting Men. Employed at low altitudes, the "hunters" located the missiles and attacked their radar control vans with canisters of napalm, both to knock out the SAM's missile guidance and to mark the target for the "killers", which followed up the initial attack using 750-pound bombs to destroy the site. During their defense of the bombers, Risner's flight overflew the MiG base at Antung Airfield, China. His second wife, Dorothy Risner, was the widow of an American soldier who died in the war. [16], During his tour of duty at George Air Force Base, Risner was selected to fly the Charles A. Lindbergh Commemoration Flight from New York to Paris. Morrocco, John, and Manning, Robert (1984). [3], Risner had a religious upbringing as a member of the 1st Assembly of God Church. On 1 August 1975, he became Vice Commander of the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and retired from the Air Force on 1 August 1976.[16]. Risner received two Silver Stars for his heroics and was one of only four airmen in history to receive more than one Air Force Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor for wartime heroism. answer explanation . Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Risner and Shaw became engaged on a ship and were discharged and married the next month. Through his extraordinary heroism and willpower, in the face of the enemy, Lieutenant Colonel Risner reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. He was the fifth of seven children. Sometimes in history, a man emerges whom no one saw coming, one who rises to the awful challenge of crisis leadership when others are faltering and provides exactly the right strength of character, calming influence, and credible guidance out of the morass. [25] While held prisoner in Hoa Loa, Risner served first as Senior Ranking Officer and later as Vice Commander of the provisional 4th Allied Prisoner of War Wing. Forces in Southeast Asia. When it would get so bad that I did not think I could stand it, I would ask God to ease it and somehow I would make it. The force had clear conditions but encountered a severe glare in the target area that made the bridge difficult to acquire for attacks with the Bullpups. Robbie Risner was born on January 16, 1925, in Mammoth Spring, the son of sharecroppers Grover W. Risner and Lora Grace Robinson Risner. The first time you log in to our catalog you will need to create an account. Amid heavy flak from antiaircraft fire, Risner maneuvered his jet behind Logans and, at a speed of more than 200 mph, placed the nose of his plane in the tailpipe of the damaged plane. James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (born January 16, 1925)[1] was a general officer and professional fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His wingman Capt. [15] On February 18, 1965, as part of an escalation in air attacks directed by President Lyndon B. Johnson that resulted in the commencement of Operation Rolling Thunder, the 67th TFS began a tour of temporary at Korat RTAFB, Thailand, under the control of the 2nd Air Division. He received the Air Force Cross for his actions with the Sixty-Seventh Tactical Fighter Squadron on April 34, 1965, and was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to his Korean War Silver Star for operations against the North Vietnamese between September 9 and 12, 1965. [n 12] The Risner Award is a six and one-half foot trophy consisting of a sculpture of Risner in flight suit and helmet on a marble base, weighing approximately four tons. During the Vietnam War, Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force, awarded the first for valor in aerial combat and the second for gallantry as a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese for more than seven years. James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (born January 16, 1925) [1] was a general officer and professional fighter pilot in the United States Air Force . He kept me. [3] By the time Risner entered high school, his father was self-employed, selling used cars. Obituary from the. Subsequent to that said he received his first Air Force Cross in April 1965 for leading air strikes against a strategicbridge in North Vietnam. [38] Risner made no rebuttal at the time, but when interviewed by Frances Kiernan decades later, Risner described the review as "character assassination", a criticism of McCarthy's treatment supported by several of her liberal peers including Kiernan. Only one Bullpup could be guided at a time, and on his second pass, Risner's aircraft took a hit just as the missile struck the bridge. Guards stormed into the cellblock and hauled Risner and two other organizers to certain torture. Risner noted to a biographer that his tour under these conditions amounted to as much flying as he desired but a distinct lack of discipline on the ground. "[47], Perot helped Risner to later become the Executive Director of the Texans' War on Drugs, and Risner was subsequently appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a United States Delegate to the fortieth session of the United Nations General Assembly. He was a close friend of the billionaire businessman and onetime presidential candidate H. Ross Perot, who commissioned a statue of Robinson Risner, which was installed at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, on November 16, 2001. [n 8] Risner's aircraft was at very low altitude flying at approximately 600 miles per hour (970km/h),[27] approaching a site that was likely a decoy luring aircraft into a concentration of AAA. 51-2824, nicknamed Ohio Mike and bearing a large cartoon rendition of Bugs Bunny as nose art, in which he achieved most of his aerial victories. On the afternoon of April 3, the strike package of Rolling Thunder Mission 9 Alpha consisted of 79 aircraft, including 46 F-105s. [10] Robinson deliberately concealed the injury, which would have grounded him, until able to convince a flight surgeon that the injury had healed. [8], His first two months of combat saw little contact with MiGs, and although a flight leader, he took a three-day leave to Japan in early August. In 1965 the facilities at Korat RTAFB were still primitive and the Air Force living area was referred to as "Camp Nasty.". On 10 March 2018, Risner was named the Class Exemplar for the United States Air Force Academy's Class of 2021. James Robinson Risner 'Robbie' Engagements: Korean War (1950 - 1953) Vietnam War (1960 - 1973) Biography: James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (January 16, 1925 - October 22, 2013) was a general officer and professional fighter pilot in the United States Air Force.. Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to . Risner flew 108 missions in Korea and was credited with the destruction of eight MiG-15s, his final victory occurring January 21, 1953. [18], On March 22, 1965, flying F-105D 624233, Risner was hit by ground fire while leading two flights of F-105s attacking a radar site near Vinh Son. In July 1973 USAF assigned him to the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he became combat ready in the F-4 Phantom II. Risner, James Robinson . Forced to land on a dry lakebed, he found that he was in Mexico and encountered bandits, but successfully flew his Mustang to Brownsville after the storm had passed. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. Baird, W. David, and Goble, Danney (1994). 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