Leon Vance

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Lt. Col Leon Robert Vance, Jr. Army Air Corps
August 11, 1916(1916-08-11) – July 26, 1944 (aged 27)
Lt. Col Leon Vance, Medal of Honor recipient
Nickname	"Bob", "Philo"
Place of birth	Enid, Oklahoma
Place of death	Atlantic Ocean
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army Air Corps
Years of service	1939-1944
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	489th Bombardment Group
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Leon Robert Vance, Jr. (August 11, 1916–July 26, 1944 ) was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

1 Education and Background
2 Marriage and Family
3 Military service
4 Medal of Honor citation
5 In memory
6 See also
7 References

[edit] Education and Background

Leon Robert Vance, Jr. was born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma. His father was the local middle school principal and also flight instructor while his uncle was a decorated World War I flyer who lost his life during the war in France. It was through them that Vance had the desire to join the Army Air Corps.

He was considered an above average student and a great athlete. Vance attended Oklahoma University for two years, but always had an interest in flying. After his sophomore year, Vance transferred to the United States Military Academy from where he graduated in 1939.

[edit] Marriage and Family

While spending time at Mitchell Air Base, Vance met Georgett Drury. They subsequently married upon his graduation from West Point and had one daughter named Sharon. Vance would later name his B-24 Liberator after his daughter.

[edit] Military service

For bravery and actions on the day before D Day, June 5, 1944 over Wimereux, France, as detailed in his citation, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Very badly wounded with a foot nearly severed, he saved his crew by keeping his disabled bomber, hit by antiaircraft fire, in the sky over France long enough to reach the English Channel and ditched the aircraft into the Channel. Although Vance did survive the action, he would not live to see his awarding of the Medal of Honor. The plane he was riding for his journey back to stateside was lost due to fog and presumed to have crashed over the Atlantic, somewhere between Iceland and Newfoundland. His body was never found. His Medal of Honor was the last to be awarded in the European Theater of Operations prior to the D-Day landings.

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

Vance, Leon Rank and organization:Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Corps, 489th Bomber Group Place and date:Over Wimereaux. France, 5 June 1944 Entered service at:Garden City, New York Born:11 August 1916, Enid, Oklahoma Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 5 June 1944, when he led a Heavy Bombardment Group, in an attack against defended enemy coastal positions in the vicinity of Wimereaux, France. Approaching the target, his aircraft was hit repeatedly by antiaircraft fire which seriously crippled the ship, killed the pilot, and wounded several members of the crew, including Lt. Col. Vance, whose right foot was practically severed. In spite of his injury, and with 3 engines lost to the flak, he led his formation over the target, bombing it successfully. After applying a tourniquet to his leg with the aid of the radar operator, Lt. Col. Vance, realizing that the ship was approaching a stall altitude with the 1 remaining engine failing, struggled to a semi-upright position beside the copilot and took over control of the ship. Cutting the power and feathering the last engine he put the aircraft in glide sufficiently steep to maintain his airspeed. Gradually losing altitude, he at last reached the English coast, whereupon he ordered all members of the crew to bail out as he knew they would all safely make land. But he received a message over the interphone system which led him to believe 1 of the crewmembers was unable to jump due to injuries; so he made the decision to ditch the ship in the channel, thereby giving this man a chance for life. To add further to the danger of ditching the ship in his crippled condition, there was a 500-pound bomb hung up in the bomb bay. Unable to climb into the seat vacated by the copilot, since his foot, hanging on to his leg by a few tendons, had become lodged behind the copilot's seat, he nevertheless made a successful ditching while lying on the floor using only aileron and elevators for control and the side window of the cockpit for visual reference. On coming to rest in the water the aircraft commenced to sink rapidly with Lt. Col. Vance pinned in the cockpit by the upper turret which had crashed in during the landing. As it was settling beneath the waves an explosion occurred which threw Lt. Col. Vance clear of the wreckage. After clinging to a piece of floating wreckage until he could muster enough strength to inflate his life vest he began searching for the crewmember whom he believed to be aboard. Failing to find anyone he began swimming and was found approximately 50 minutes later by an Air-Sea Rescue craft. By his extraordinary flying skill and gallant leadership, despite his grave injury, Lt. Col. Vance led his formation to a successful bombing of the assigned target and returned the crew to a point where they could bail out with safety. His gallant and valorous decision to ditch the aircraft in order to give the crewmember he believed to be aboard a chance for life exemplifies the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.