James Robinson Risner
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James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (b. 1925) was one of the most accomplished fighter pilots in the history of the United States Air Force. He retired as a Brigadier General in 1976.
Risner was decorated for service in the Korean War due to dramatic success in aeronautical dog fights, becoming the 20th Jet Ace of the war, credited with eight enemy aircraft destroyed.
During service in Vietnam he was shot down twice. The first time was in April 1965, and he was rescued and returned to duty. In September 1965 he was shot down and captured, beginning his experience as a POW.
His story of being imprisoned in the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War drew wide acclaim after that war's end. His autobiography, The Passing of the Night (Random House, 1973), describes seven years of torture and mistreatment by the North Vietnamese.
The autobiography was translated into Hebrew and published by the Israeli Department of Defense.
He spent more than three years in solitary confinement, still, as the officer of rank with the responsibility of maintaining order, from 1965 to 1973 he helped lead the American resistance in the North Vietnamese prison complex through the use of communication codes and improvised messaging techniques, endearing himself to fellow prisoners with his faith and optimism.
In his autobiography, Risner attributes faith in God and prayer as being instrumental to his surviving the Hanoi prison experience. In his words, "To make it, I prayed by the hour. It was automatic, almost subconscious. I did not ask God to take me out of it. I prayed he would give me strength to endure it. 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. He kept me" (The Passing Of The Night, page 170). Later in the book Risner added, "I could not have existed if I had not been able to pray. To be able to mention the names of my wife, children, friends or relatives, or one of my fellow POWs who I knew was being tortured or mistreated, brought us together. The thousands of miles, the walls of my cell, the guards, were all transcended by this dimension of communication" (Page 228).
Risner is one of only a handful of airmen to be twice decorated with the Air Force Cross (United States), a combat decoration second only to the Medal of Honor, for extraordinary heroism in action against an enemy force. His first AFC citation reads:
Lt. Col. ROBINSON RISNER distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force on 3 and 4 April 1965. On these dates Colonel Risner led two successive operations against vitally important and heavily defended targets. 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 flack suppression against defenses that would hinder delivery aircraft in the performance of their mission. On the initial attack, while exposing himself to heavy ground fire, with complete disregard for his personal safety, Colonel Risner's aircraft sustained a direct hit in the left forward bomb-bay area, filling the cockpit with smoke and fumes. He flew his badly damaged aircraft over heavily fortified hostile territory before successfully landing at a friendly airfield. On 4 April, he again led an attacking force of fighter aircraft on a restrike against the same target. Colonel Risner initiated the attack, directing his aircraft into the target in the face of heavy automatic ground fire. His aerial skill and heroic actions set an example for the others to follow. In the course of the operation, Colonel Risner's unit encountered the first MIG force committed in aerial combat against the U.S. Forces in Southeast Asia. However, he refused to be diverted from his primary mission of completing the destruction of the assigned targets. Colonel Risner's actions not only deprived the communist force of its vital supply route and much needed equipment but further served to emphasize the high degree of U.S. determination in Southeast Asia. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship and aggressiveness, Colonel Risner reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Risner's second Air Force Cross was awarded for his gallantry while held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
Additional decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Purple Heart with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Presidential Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two "V" devices, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with "V" device.
He was promoted to the grade of Brigadier General in May of 1974.[1]
H. Ross Perot helped Risner become the Executive Director of the Texans' War on Drugs, and Risner was consequently appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a United States Delegate to the fortieth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Gen. Risner remains an iconic inspiration to Airmen. A nine-foot-tall statue of Risner stands in the Air Gardens at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Since 1977, the Risner Trophy, a replica of this statue, is awarded annually to the Top Fighter Pilot at the academy.
