Michael J . Estocin Michael John Estocin ( April 27 , 1931 – April 26 , 1967 ) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Vietnam War . Biography . Estocin was from Beaver Falls , Pennsylvania , and joined the Navy from Akron , Ohio , in 1954 . By April 20 , 1967 , he had reached the rank of lieutenant commander and was an A - 4 Skyhawk pilot in Attack Squadron 192 , operating off of the in the Gulf of Tonkin . On that day , he supported a bombing mission over Haiphong , North Vietnam . Six days later , on April 26 , he supported another strike aimed at Haiphong ' s thermal power station , with John B . Nichols acting as his escort in an F - 8 Crusader . Estocin and Nichols flew ahead of the main attack and were charged with suppressing any surface - to - air missile s ( SAMs ) in the area . The strike on the power plant went off without incident , and the two pilots were about to head back to the " Ticonderoga " when Estocin detected an active SAM site . A single missile was launched from the site and exploded near his A - 4 , knocking it into a barrel roll . Estocin was able to regain control and pulled the aircraft , burning at the belly and wing roots , into a 30 degree dive . Estocin ' s wingman , John Nichols , immediately called for a helicopter rescue . He flew beside the stricken plane , getting close enough to see Estocin in the cockpit with his head bent forward slightly , not moving . He tried to contact Estocin by radio but received no response . As the A - 4 lost altitude and entered a cloud bank , Nichols continued to follow it , even as a second SAM exploded nearby . After reaching , he leveled off and watched as Estocin ' s plane impacted with the ground . He circled the area , looking for a parachute , but saw nothing . Nichols called off the rescue mission and returned to the " Ticonderoga " . Although Nichols was certain Estocin had been killed in the crash , intelligence from Hanoi indicated that he had ejected and been captured . The U . S . military declared him a prisoner of war , causing Nichols to feel deep guilt for having called off the rescue mission . When the prisoners were released in 1973 and Estocin was not among them , it was presumed that he had died in captivity . For his actions during the missions over Haiphong on April 20 , and April 26 , 1967 , Estocin was promoted to captain " in absentia " and awarded the Medal of Honor . In 1976 , his parents ran him as a write - in candidate for President of the United States to bring attention to prisoner of war / missing in action issues . The U . S . Navy named the guided missile frigate , launched in 1979 , in his honor . In 1993 , a committee investigating the cases of missing U . S . military personnel determined that Estocin was never captured and had indeed died in the crash of his plane . Estocin ' s disappearance and presumed death occurred one day before his 36th birthday . A marker in his memory was placed in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery , San Diego , California . The Michael J . Estocin Award was created by the U . S . Navy to recognize meritorious achievement by a strike fighter squadron . The award , originally sponsored by the McDonnell Douglas corporation , is a trophy with a polished black stone base and an 18 inch ( 46 cm ) stainless steel ribbon topped with a stylized model of a strike fighter aircraft . It is awarded annually to the strike fighter squadron with the greatest professional reputation , aggressiveness , and operational performance . Medal of Honor citation . Captain Estocin ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 20 and 26 April 1967 as a pilot in Attack Squadron 192 , embarked in USS " Ticonderoga " ( CVA - 14 ) . Leading a 3 - plane group of aircraft in support of a coordinated strike against two thermal power plants in Haiphong , North Vietnam , on 20 April 1967 , Capt . Estocin provided continuous warnings to the strike group leaders of the surface - to - air missile ( SAM ) threats , and personally neutralized 3 SAM sites . Although his aircraft was severely damaged by an exploding missile , he reentered the target area and relentlessly prosecuted a SHRIKE attack in the face of intense antiaircraft fire . With less than 5 minutes of fuel remaining he departed the target area and commenced in - flight refueling which continued for over 100 miles . Three miles aft of " Ticonderoga " , and without enough fuel for a second approach , he disengaged from the tanker and executed a precise approach to a fiery arrested landing . On 26 April 1967 , in support of a coordinated strike against the vital fuel facilities in Haiphong , he led an attack on a threatening SAM site , during which his aircraft was seriously damaged by an exploding SAM ; nevertheless , he regained control of his burning aircraft and courageously launched his SHRIKE missiles before departing the area . By his inspiring courage and unswerving devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger , Captain Estocin upheld the highest traditions of the U . S . Naval Service .