Jon E . Swanson Jon Edward Swanson ( May 1 , 1942 – February 26 , 1971 ) was a United States Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War . He directed the destruction of five enemy bunkers and two anti - aircraft positions before being shot down in Cambodia . His actions were recognized over thirty years later , when his family received the Medal of Honor posthumously from President George W . Bush in 2002 . Biography . Born in 1942 , Swanson grew up in Denver , Colorado . He met his future wife Sandee there as a teenager . Swanson attended Colorado State University where he was a member of the Army ' s Reserve Officers ' Training Corps . After graduating in 1965 and becoming a commissioned officer in the Army , he continued to correspond with Sandee , who was serving with the Peace Corps in the Philippines . The two were married in 1967 in Honolulu , Hawaii , while Swanson was on leave from his first tour in Vietnam . They settled in Boulder , Colorado , and had two daughters , Brigid and Holly . Swanson later volunteered for a second combat tour in Southeast Asia . Now a captain , he served as an OH - 6A " Loach " helicopter pilot . On February 26 , 1971 , he and his observer , Staff Sgt . Larry Harrison , were on a reconnaissance mission over Cambodia , searching for enemy positions in support of an Army of the Republic of Vietnam ( ARVN ) task force . When the task force came under heavy fire , Swanson engaged and destroyed five enemy bunker s despite intense anti - aircraft fire . He then helped destroy two machine gun positions and , although his craft had been severely damaged and was running low on ammunition , volunteered to continue the mission . While heading towards a third machine gun position , the helicopter exploded and crashed to the ground , killing both men inside . Swanson and Harrison were listed as " killed in action – body not recovered . " In 1992 , a search team located the crash site and found small amounts of human remains . More remains were recovered in 1999 and , in late 2001 , were identified as Swanson and Harrison . Swanson ' s widow , Sandee , and his younger brother , Tom , were married in 1977 . Tom Swanson adopted his brother ' s two daughters . As adults , the daughters learned that Jon Swanson had been recommended for the Medal of Honor shortly after his death . His original nomination had been rejected , and he was instead given the military ' s second - highest award , the Distinguished Service Cross . In 1998 his daughters began an effort to have the nomination re - assessed . A subsequent investigation concluded that Swanson ' s Distinguished Service Cross should be upgraded . He was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 1 , 2002 , thirty years after the mission in Cambodia . During a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden that day , Swanson ' s widow and daughters accepted the medal on his behalf from President George W . Bush . World War II soldier Ben L . Salomon was also honored at the ceremony . Two days later , on May 3 , Swanson and Harrison were buried together at Arlington National Cemetery . Medal of Honor citation . CAPTAIN JON E . SWANSON UNITED STATES ARMY For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty : In memory . Swanson ' s name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ( " The Wall " ) on Panel 04W , Row 007 .