One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University

1967
The F–111, sometimes called the Aardvark, featured swing wings that could be
swept forward for slow flight or backward for greater speed.
November 9: Enemy gunners shot down a helicopter piloted by Capt. Gerald
O. Young, USAF, during efforts to rescue an Army reconnaissance
team near Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam. Captain Young survived
the crash, and although badly burned, he aided another wounded
crewman. Later, he attempted to divert hostile forces from the crash
site. Refusing rescue because of the proximity of enemy forces, he successfully
evaded capture for 17 hours before finally being evacuated.
These actions earned Captain Young the Medal of Honor. He was the
first Air Force Academy graduate to receive the award.
November 9: Capt. Lance P. Sijan, USAF, ejected from his F–4C Phantom
over North Vietnam and successfully evaded capture for more than six
weeks. The enemy eventually captured him, but the severely weakened
and injured pilot managed to escape. Recaptured and tortured, he
contracted pneumonia and died. Captain Sijan received the Medal of
Honor posthumously.
November 17: Operation EAGLE THRUST began. C–141 Starlifters and
C–130 Hercules aircraft transported 10,356 paratroopers and 5,118
tons of equipment to the combat zone in the largest and longest-range
airlift of troops and cargo from the United States to Southeast Asia.
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