| Paul F. Lorence | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1955 Oakland, California |
| Died | April 15, 1986 (aged 31) Gulf of Sidra |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1981–1986 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 48th Tactical Fighter Wing |
| Battles/wars | 1986 Bombing of Libya |
| Awards | Purple Heart Air Medal |
United States Air Force Captain Paul F. Lorence (February 17, 1955–April 15, 1986), a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), was killed when his F-111F fighter-bomber, callsign Karma 52, was shot down in action off the coast of Libya, on April 15, 1986.
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Paul Lorence grew up in Oakland, California where he attended Skyline High School and at the age of 17 joined the USAF. after 4 years he left to attend San Francisco State University where he majored in History. After completing his degree he attended Officer Training School at Mather Air Force Base in 1981 where he was awarded Most Outstanding Officer and the title for Flying Excellence. He was then sent out to RAF Lakenheath to begin a career as a F-111 WSO. It was there that he met his wife to be in 1983 with whom they had a son in 1985.
On April 14, 1986, in response to acts of terrorism then believed, and now absolutely known, to have been sponsored by Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi – in particular, the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing of April 6 – and against the backdrop of heightened tension and clashes between the Libyan and U.S. navies over the disputed Gulf of Sidra, the United States launched a surprise attack on targets in Tripoli and other parts of Libya. Neither France nor Spain would agree to U.S. military aircraft overflying of their territory, so the 24 USAF F-111F fighter-bombers which took off from American airbases in Britain had to make a 1300-mile detour by following the Atlantic coast before cutting into the Mediterranean via the Straits of Gibraltar to carry out their attack on Libya.
Lorence and his pilot (Maj. Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci) were the only U.S. casualties in the bombing raid.
On December 25, 1988, Gaddafi offered to release the body of Capt. Lorence to his family through Pope John Paul II.[1] But the body that was eventually handed over was identified by dental records as that of Capt. Ribas-Dominicci. [1] According to the U.S government, Libya denies holding Lorence's remains. [2]
Family members have led an ongoing campaign to recover Lorence's body. In 1996, Lorence's childhood friend Theodore D. Karantsalis, a public records librarian, started another campaign to retrieve the body by April 15, 2006, the 20th anniversary of his death. On November 17, 2006, the federal government [declassified and released] details of Operation El Dorado Canyon to Karantsalis pursuant to a lawsuit styled Karantsalis v. Department of Defense filed in Miami, Florida.[2]
The names of Lorence and Ribas-Dominicci are engraved in the F-111 "Vark" Memorial Park located in Clovis, New Mexico. Both Lorence and Ribas-Dominicci were awarded the Purple Heart and Ribas-Dominicci was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major, effective April 15, 1986.
The San Francisco State University (SFSU) Department of History established the Paul Lorence Scholarship, honoring Lorence. Lorence graduated in 1980 from SFSU summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.[3]