Lance Sijan Lance Peter Sijan ( Serbian : Лазар Шијан / Lazar Šijan ) ( April 13 , 1942 – January 22 , 1968 ) was a United States Air Force officer and fighter pilot . On March 4 , 1976 , he posthumously received the Medal of Honor , the United States ' highest military award , for his selflessness and courage in the face of lethal danger . Biography . Lance Sijan was born to Sylvester and Jane Sijan in Milwaukee , Wisconsin . His father , who owned a restaurant , was of Serbian ancestry ; his mother was an Irish - American . Lance was the eldest of three children . Sijan graduated from Bay View High School . Immediately after his graduation he attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School at the United States Naval Training Center , Bainbridge . After completion of the program , he gained an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs , Colorado . He played on the academy ' s football team for three years , but quit the team in his final year to concentrate on his studies . Graduating in 1965 , he was awarded a second lieutenant ' s commission and began pilot training . After its completion , he was assigned to the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron , 366th Fighter Wing , stationed at Da Nang Air Base , South Vietnam . He flew as a pilot and systems officer in an F - 4 Phantom . Last Mission . On the night of November 9 , 1967 , for his 52nd combat mission , Sijan and pilot Lt . Col . John Armstrong were tasked with a bombing mission over North Vietnam . As they rolled in on their target to release their ordnance , their F - 4C was engulfed in a ball of fire , due to the bomb fuses malfunctioning and causing a premature detonation on their release . The Phantom then entered a banking climb before plunging into the jungle . Sijan managed to eject from the aircraft , and a search - and - rescue crew radioed him that they were attempting a rescue . After almost a whole day was spent locating his position and softening up air defences in the area , the SAR forces were finally able to get one of the big Jolly Green Giant helicopters roughly over Sijan ' s position . During this operation over 20 aircraft were damaged by anti - aircraft fire and had to return to base . One aircraft was shot down , though its pilot was rescued by a helicopter on station . Sijan , refusing to put other airmen in danger , insisted on crawling into the jungle and having a penetrator lowered by the helicopter , instead of sending down the helicopter ' s Para - Jumpers to carry him . However , the helicopter crew could not spot him in the jungle and after 33 minutes the rescue team , which faced enemy fire and the growing darkness , had to withdraw . Search efforts continued the next day , but they were called off when no further radio contact was made with Sijan . He was placed on MIA status . Sijan had suffered a fractured skull , a mangled right hand , and a compound fracture of the left leg from his rough landing . He was without food , with very little water , and no survival kit ; nevertheless , he evaded enemy forces for 46 days ( all the time scooting on his back down the rocky limestone karst on which he landed , causing more injuries ) . He was finally captured by the North Vietnamese on Christmas Day , 1967 . Emaciated and in poor health , he still managed to overpower his guard and escape , but was recaptured several hours later . Sijan was transported to a holding compound in Vinh , North Vietnam , where he was placed in the care of two other POW s , Air Force Colonel Robert R . Craner and Air Force Captain Guy Gruters . In considerable pain from his wounds , he suffered beatings and extensive torture from his captors , but never gave any information other than what the Geneva Convention allowed . Suffering from exhaustion , malnutrition , and disease , he was sent to Hanoi . In his weakened state , he contracted pneumonia and died in Hoa Lo Prison ( the notorious Hanoi Hilton ) on January 22 , 1968 . First Lieutenant Sijan was promoted posthumously to captain on June 13 , 1968 . His remains were repatriated on March 13 , 1974 and were positively identified on April 22 , 1974 . He was buried with military honors in Arlington Park Cemetery in Milwaukee . It was Colonel Craner who recommended him for the Medal of Honor . This award was corroborated with Captain Guy Gruters ' testimony and Sijan received the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1976 . His parents received the medal on his behalf on March 4 , 1976 from President Gerald R . Ford . Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to SIJAN , LANCE P . Rank and organization : Captain , U . S . Air Force , 4th Allied POW Wing , Pilot of an F - 4C aircraft . Place and Date : North Vietnam , 9 November 1967 . Entered service at : Milwaukee , Wis . Born : 13 April 1942 , Milwaukee , Wis . Citation : While on a flight over North Vietnam , Capt . Sijan ejected from his disabled aircraft and successfully evaded capture for more than 6 weeks . During this time , he was seriously injured and suffered from shock and extreme weight loss due to lack of food . After being captured by North Vietnamese soldiers , Capt . Sijan was taken to a holding point for subsequent transfer to a prisoner of war camp . In his emaciated and crippled condition , he overpowered 1 of his guards and crawled into the jungle , only to be recaptured after several hours . He was then transferred to another prison camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and interrogated at length . During interrogation , he was severely tortured ; however , he did not divulge any information to his captors . Capt . Sijan lapsed into delirium and was placed in the care of another prisoner . During his intermittent periods of consciousness until his death , he never complained of his physical condition and , on several occasions , spoke of future escape attempts . Capt . Sijan ' s extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the cost of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U . S . Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U . S . Armed Forces . / S / GERALD R . FORD Other honors . Sijan ' s heroism and courage brought him numerous honors . The United States Air Force created the Lance P . Sijan Award , recognizing individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in their jobs and in their lives . It has become one of the U . S . Air Force ' s most prestigious awards . Because Sijan was the first graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to receive the Medal of Honor , a cadet dormitory , Sijan Hall , was named after him . The dormitory was dedicated on Memorial Day , 1976 . As part of their training , all new cadets at the Air Force Academy are required to learn Lance Sijan ' s story . Sijan ' s high school in Milwaukee set up a scholarship in his honor , presented each year to the student who best exemplifies Lance Sijan ' s examples of leadership and courage . A nearby park , Sijan Playfield , is dedicated to him , and Milwaukee ' s Serbian community honors him with a memorial on the grounds of St . Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral . An F - 4 Phantom jet fighter on display in front of the 440th Air Force Reserve at Milwaukee ' s Mitchell Airport is painted using the color scheme of the one he flew . In June , 2006 , before the 440th Airlift Wing was relocated to Pope AFB in North Carolina , there were calls to move the F - 4 Phantom jet fighter display from Mitchell International Airport to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Lake Michigan lake front . However , the display continues to be housed at Mitchell until more permanent plans have been made .