Gerald O. Young
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| Lt. Col Gerald Orren Young
United States Air Force |
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|---|---|
| May 19, 1930 – June 6, 1990 (aged 60) | |
  Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Young |
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| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Air Force |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Purple Heart Air Medal |
Gerald Orren Young (May 1930 – June 6, 1990) was a United States Air Force officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.
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[edit] Biography
Young joined the Air Force from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and by November 9, 1967 was serving as a Captain in the 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron, a helicopter unit operating out of Da Nang Air Force Base, Republic of Vietnam. On that day, Young piloted a helicopter in an attempt to rescue an Army team trapped by enemy fire in Khe Sanh. When his aircraft was shot down, he escaped the burning wreckage and, despite severe wounds, evaded capture for seventeen hours until being rescued.
Young reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before leaving the Air Force. Aged 60 at his death, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
- For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Young distinguished himself while serving as a helicopter rescue crew commander. Capt. Young was flying escort for another helicopter attempting the night rescue of an Army ground reconnaissance team in imminent danger of death or capture. Previous attempts had resulted in the loss of 2 helicopters to hostile ground fire. The endangered team was positioned on the side of a steep slope which required unusual airmanship on the part of Capt. Young to effect pickup. Heavy automatic weapons fire from the surrounding enemy severely damaged 1 rescue helicopter, but it was able to extract 3 of the team. The commander of this aircraft recommended to Capt. Young that further rescue attempts be abandoned because it was not possible to suppress the concentrated fire from enemy automatic weapons. With full knowledge of the danger involved, and the fact that supporting helicopter gunships were low on fuel and ordnance, Capt. Young hovered under intense fire until the remaining survivors were aboard. As he maneuvered the aircraft for takeoff, the enemy appeared at point-blank range and raked the aircraft with automatic weapons fire. The aircraft crashed, inverted, and burst into flames. Capt. Young escaped through a window of the burning aircraft. Disregarding serious burns, Capt. Young aided one of the wounded men and attempted to lead the hostile forces away from his position. Later, despite intense pain from his burns, he declined to accept rescue because he had observed hostile forces setting up automatic weapons positions to entrap any rescue aircraft. For more than 17 hours he evaded the enemy until rescue aircraft could be brought into the area. Through his extraordinary heroism, aggressiveness, and concern for his fellow man, Capt. Young reflected the highest credit upon himself, the U.S. Air Force, and the Armed Forces of his country.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Gerald O. Young at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2007-05-29
- Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients. Medal of Honor Citations. U.S. Army Center of Military History (October 3, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
