Rudolf Anderson Major Rudolf Anderson , Jr . , USAF ( 15 September 1927 – 27 October 1962 ) , was a pilot and commissioned officer in the United States Air Force and the first recipient of the Air Force Cross , the U . S . Air Force ' s second - highest award for heroism . The only person killed by enemy fire during the Cuban Missile Crisis , Anderson died when his U - 2 spy aircraft was shot down over Cuba . Life . Anderson was born in Greenville , South Carolina . He earned the rank of Eagle Scout from Greenville ' s Boy Scout Troop 19 , graduated from Greenville High School and from Clemson University as a member of Air Force ROTC Detachment 770 , in 1948 . Commissioned as a second lieutenant , he completed Primary and Advanced pilot training and received his Air Force aeronautical rating as a pilot . He began his operational career flying RF - 86 Sabre s and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses for reconnaissance missions during the Korean War . After qualifying on the U - 2 on 3 September 1957 , " he became the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing ' s top U - 2 pilot with over one thousand hours , making him a vital part of the United States ' reconnaissance operation over Cuba in late October of 1962 . " Cuban Missile Crisis . Originally flown by the CIA , the Lockheed U - 2 high - altitude reconnaissance missions over Cuba were taken over by the Air Force on 14 October 1962 , using CIA U - 2 aircraft that were repainted with USAF insignia . Anderson was part of the 4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Weather Squadron , 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing , headquartered at Laughlin Air Force Base , Texas . On 15 October , when CIA analysts studied reconnaissance film from the first 4080th overflight , they found SS - 4 medium - range ballistic missiles . These pictures triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis . On 27 October , Anderson took off in a U - 2F ( AF Serial Number " 56 - 6676 " , former CIA Article 343 ) from a forward operating location at McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando , Florida . A few hours into his mission , he was shot down by a Soviet - supplied S - 75 Dvina ( NATO designation SA - 2 Guideline ) surface - to - air missile near Banes , Cuba . " The loss of the U - 2 over Banes was probably caused by intercept by an SA - 2 from the Banes site , or pilot hypoxia , with the former appearing more likely on the basis of present information , " stated a CIA document dated 0200 hrs , 28 October 1962 . Anderson was killed when shrapnel from the exploding proximity warhead punctured his pressure suit , causing it to decompress at high altitude . On 31 October , Acting United Nations Secretary U Thant returned from a visit with Premier Fidel Castro and announced that Anderson was dead . By order of President John F . Kennedy , Anderson was posthumously awarded the first Air Force Cross , as well as the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , the Purple Heart , and the Cheney Award . On 26 July 2011 , Anderson was inducted into the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony at Maxwell AFB , Alabama , officiated by Lieutenant General Allen G . Peck , Commander , Air University . Although Anderson was the only combat death of the crisis , three reconnaissance - variant Boeing RB - 47 Stratojet s of the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing crashed between 27 September and 11 November 1962 , killing a total of 11 crewmembers . Seven more airmen died when a Boeing C - 135B Stratolifter delivering ammunition to Naval Base Guantanamo Bay stalled and crashed on approach on 23 October . Air Force Cross citation . The President of the United States of America , authorized by Title 10 , Section 8742 , United States Code , takes pride in presenting the Air Force Cross ( Posthumously ) to Major Rudolf Anderson , Jr . , United States Air Force , for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a U - 2 airplane with the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing , Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , from 15 October 1962 to 27 October 1962 . During this period of great national crisis , Major Anderson , flying an unescorted , unarmed aircraft , lost his life while participating in one of several aerial reconnaissance missions over Cuba . While executing these aerial missions , Major Anderson made photographs which provided the United States government with conclusive evidence of the introduction of long - range offensive missiles into Cuba and which materially assisted our leaders in charting the nation ' s military and diplomatic course . Through his extraordinary heroism , superb airmanship , and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy , Major Anderson reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force . After his death . After the Cuban Missile Crisis ended , Anderson ' s body was returned to the United States and interred in Greenville on 6 November 1962 at Woodlawn Memorial Park . A memorial to Anderson was erected in 1963 at Cleveland Park in Greenville . No surplus U - 2 aircraft were available at the time , so an F - 86 Sabre like the ones he flew in Korea was installed instead : North American YF - 86H - 1 - NA Sabre , AF Ser . No . " 52 - 1976 " . In October 2012 , Greenville city leaders unveiled plans for a redesign of the memorial . It was rededicated on the 50th anniversary of Anderson ' s death , 27 October 2012 . A memorial service is held in his honor each late October . The auditorium for the 47th Operations Group at Laughlin AFB , Texas , is named in his honor . The Maj . Rudolf Anderson , Jr Squadron of the Arnold Air Society at Clemson University is named in his honor . Wreckage . Some of the wreckage of Major Anderson ' s aircraft is on display in three museums in Cuba . One of the engine intakes is at the Museo Girón at Girón village , in the province of Matanzas , at the entrance to Bahia de Cochinos , or Bay of Pigs . The engine and portion of the tail assembly from the U - 2 is at the Museum of the Revolution in Havana . The right wing , a portion of the tail assembly , and front landing gear are at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña , or La Cabaña , Havana . The two latter groups of parts were previously displayed at the Museo del Aire , Havana . Popular culture . The shooting down of Anderson ' s U - 2 reconnaissance flight over Cuba is featured in the 2000 film " Thirteen Days " ; actor Chip Esten plays the role of Anderson .