In an effort to help him reach Kimpo, Risner attempted to push Logan's aircraft by having him shut down his engine and inserting the nose of his own jet into the tailpipe of Logan's, an unprecedented and untried maneuver. In 1965 the facilities at Korat RTAFB were still primitive and the Air Force living area was referred to as "Camp Nasty.". James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (born January 16, 1925) was a general officer and professional fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. When the Korean War began, he wangled his way out of the Oklahoma Air National Guard and arrived in Korea on May 10, 1952, where he was assigned to the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron at Kimpo Air Base. [37] After publication of the book, McCarthy strenuously attacked both Risner (deeming him "unlikeable" and alleging that he had "become a Vietnamese toady") and Risner's credibility in a review. The two had met, apparently at McCarthy's request,[30] when McCarthy visited Hanoi in April 1968. Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform (1968-2022) Type. Risner is a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. In the course of the operation, Colonel Risner's unit encountered the first MIG force committed in aerial combat against the U.S. On the afternoon of April 3, the strike package of Rolling Thunder Mission 9 Alpha consisted of 79 aircraft, including 46 F-105s. In 1976, he met his second wife, Dorothy Marie ("Dot") Williams, widow of a fighter pilot missing-in-action in 1967, and subsequently married her after her missing husband was declared dead. [21] Initial attempts to locate and destroy the SA-2 Guideline sites, known as Iron Hand missions, were both unsuccessful and costly. In civilian life, Risner tried a succession of jobs, training as an auto mechanic, operating a gas station, and managing a service garage. Lyndon B Johnson Cup. The force had clear conditions but encountered a severe glare in the target area that made the bridge difficult to acquire for attacks with the Bullpups. He wrestled for Tulsa Central High School, where he graduated in 1942. Others were tortured and never seen again. He would pay a terrible price for that leadership when the guards would catch him communicating, but they couldnt stop him. He was extensively tortured for information but successfully resisted their demands and established a standard of honorable conduct and resistance which was followed by hundreds of Americans after him. At his passing, Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III observed: "Brig. In October, Robinson Risner was promoted to Major and named Operations Officer of the 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Robbie Risner was born on January 16, 1925, in Mammoth Spring, the son of sharecroppers Grover W. Risner and Lora Grace Robinson Risner. Fighting one MiG at nearly supersonic speeds at ground level, Risner pursued it down a dry riverbed and across low hills to an airfield 35 miles (56km) inside China. Online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/robinson-risner-air-force-ace-and-pow-dies-at-88/2013/10/29/ec759f3e-40ae-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html (accessed December 16, 2017). On September 16, 1965, Risner was leading an attack on a North Vietnamese missile base when his jet was disabled, forcing him to bail out. Only one Bullpup could be guided at a time, and on his second pass, Risner's aircraft took a hit just as the missile struck the bridge. He flew F-86s with the 50th Wing to activate Hahn Air Base, West Germany, where he became commander of the 81st FBS in November 1954. When forced to make a statement against the war, he did so with mispronounced words and a heavy German accent, bringing further punishment from his captors. Risner exercised as much as he could and prayed by the hour, he wrote in his 1973 memoir, The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese. In the book he wrote, I did not ask God to take me out of it, I prayed He would give me the strength to endure it.. [18][n 4] On February 18, 1965, as part of an escalation in air attacks directed by President Lyndon B. Johnson that resulted in the commencement of Operation Rolling Thunder, the 67th TFS began a tour of temporary duty at Korat RTAFB, Thailand, under the control of the 2d Air Division. LBJ Cup . Online at http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/30/local/la-me-robinson-risner-20131031 (accessed December 16, 2017). [n 5], Risner's squadron led the first Rolling Thunder strike on March 2, bombing an ammunition dump at Xom Biang approximately 10 miles (16km) north of the Demilitarized Zone. He flew F-86s with the 50th Wing to activate Hahn Air Base, West Germany, where he became commander of the 81st Fighter-Bomber Squadron in November 1954. . Risner became an ace in the Korean War and commanded a squadron of F-105 Thunderchiefs in the first missions of Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. The strike force consisted of more than 100 F-105, F-100 and B-57 aircraft, and in the congested airspace, heavy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire seriously disrupted its coordination and radio communications. His second wife, Dorothy Risner, was the widow of an American soldier who died in the war. 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 flak suppression against defenses that would hinder delivery aircraft in the performance of their mission. Risners first marriage ended in divorce. The idea was to push the plane to reach the United Nations rescue base of Cho Do. Arriving at Kimpo in the middle of the night, he joined his flight which was on alert status. In his words: To make it, I prayed by the hour. . In June 1975, Risner was divorced from his wife Kathleen after 29 years of marriage. 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 flak suppression against defenses that would hinder delivery aircraft in the performance of their mission. Risner is one of only four airmen with multiple awards of the Air Force Cross, a combat decoration second only to the Medal of Honor. In a brief dogfight, Risner shot down one to score his first aerial victory. [10][13][14], Risner was commissioned into the Regular Air Force and assigned to the 50th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, in March 1953, where he became operations officer of the 81st Fighter Bomber Squadron. 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. All Rights Reserved. Joe, a strong swimmer, landed close to shore, and the chopper tried to blow him in with the rotors. He flew his badly damaged aircraft over heavily fortified hostile territory before successfully landing at a friendly airfield. He received his FIRST Air Force Cross when he was shot down and rescued, becoming the FIRST LIVING recipient of the new award. It was his heroics of the Korean War that put Robbie Risners name on the map of aerial warriors of that era and earned him the title of the 20th Ace of the War. Risner was flying F-105D 62-4233 on March 22, 1965. 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. The 30th FS was based on a primitive airstrip without permanent facilities at Aguadulce, on the Gulf of Panama. In June, when the 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, also at Kimpo, sought experienced pilots, he arranged a transfer to 4th Fighter Wing through the intervention of a former OKANG associate. No matter how brutal the beatings, the next day he would be at it again. While the Korean War may have been Risners favorite period, it was by no means the most consequential in the lives of others. Guards stormed into the cellblock and hauled Risner and two other organizers to certain torture. [28][31], Risner spent more than three years in solitary confinement. On 4 April, he again led an attacking force of fighter aircraft on a restrike against the same target. James Robinson Risner's F-86; While a guest of the communists, he suffered. [31] After publication of the book, McCarthy strenuously attacked both Risner (deeming him "unlikeable") and Risner's credibility in a review. Your email address will not be published. and his oldest son, Robbie Jr., died two years after his return of a congenital heart defect. He became an ace by shooting down eight enemy MiG fighters. Bri. 60 seconds . second award of the air force cross " The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Air Force Cross to James Robinson Risner, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force while a Prisoner of . Robert V. "Boris" Baird was shot down on the opening pass and the mission was in danger of collapsing when Risner took charge. Risner joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943 at age eighteen and served in Panama during World War II, seeing no action, although he trained as a pilot. [28] He was a POW for seven years, four months, and 27 days. In July 1973 USAF assigned him to the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he became combat ready in the F-4 Phantom II. During the Vietnam War, Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force, awarded the first for valor in aerial combat and the second for gallantry as a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese for more than seven years. [4], Risner had a religious upbringing as a member of the 1st Assembly of God Church. Risner, in Davis (1978), p. 46, is quoted as identifying the airfield as "Tak Tung Kau". He actually had his cast removed to fly his first mission. On these dates Colonel Risner led two successive operations against vitally important and heavily defended targets. He radioed Joe to shut down his engine. [16], In August 1964, Lieutenant Colonel Risner took command of the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, an F-105D Thunderchief fighter-bomber unit based at Kadena AB, Okinawa, and part of the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing. [8][9] Scoring numerous hits on the MiG, shooting off its canopy, and setting it on fire, Risner chased it between hangars of the Communist airbase, where he shot it down into parked fighters. When he and two other organizers were hauled away for being behind his comrades singing The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America, Risner said, I felt like I was nine feet tall and could go bear hunting with a switch.. 7478. Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. Robinson deliberately concealed the injury, which would have grounded him, until able to convince a flight surgeon that the injury had healed. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. 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