Charles J . Loring , Jr . Charles Joseph Loring , Jr . ( October 2 , 1918 – November 22 , 1952 ) was a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II , and later in the United States Air Force in the Korean War . Loring rose to the rank of major and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 22 , 1952 above Kunwha , North Korea during a close air support mission . Born in Portland , Maine , Loring joined the US Army in 1942 and was quickly selected to undergo pilot training . He spent several months stationed in Puerto Rico before being transferred to duty in the United Kingdom in 1944 . There , he flew 55 combat missions in P - 47 Thunderbolt aircraft before being shot down and serving six months as a Nazi German prisoner of war . By the outset of the Korean War , Loring was working in an administrative role in the United States , but by 1952 had been transferred to combat duty in Korea . During a patrol on November 22 , 1952 , Loring was leading a flight of F - 80 Shooting Star s of the 80th Fighter - Bomber Squadron in an attack on a Chinese artillery position . During the run , his aircraft was struck by intense and accurate anti aircraft fire . Rather than abort the mission , Loring continued his diving run , aiming his disabled aircraft at the position and obliterating it , killing himself in the process . After his death , Loring was awarded the Medal of Honor and made the namesake of Loring Air Force Base in Limestone , Maine . Biography . Charles Loring Jr . was born on October 2 , 1918 in Portland , Maine . He lived in the town throughout his early life , attending Cheverus High School , graduating in 1937 . He entered service in Portland at age 23 . World War II . After the US entry into World War II , Loring enlisted in the United States Army in March 1942 , and as a private joined the Army Air Corps . By May 1942 , he had been selected as an aviation cadet at the USAAC pre - flight school at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery , Alabama . There , Loring completed primary , basic and advanced flight training courses . After graduating , Loring was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve with a pilot rating . In December 1942 , Loring was assigned to the 22nd Fighter Squadron , 36th Fighter Group at Losey Army Airfield in Juana Díaz , Puerto Rico . The unit flew anti - submarine patrols as part of a force defending the Panama Canal and Caribbean Sea areas . During this time , Loring primarily flew P - 39 Airacobra and P - 40 Warhawk fighter and ground attack aircraft . After a stint of this duty , the 36th Fighter Group returned to the United States to Charleston Army Airfield in Charleston , South Carolina . There , Loring and the other pilots of the unit trained with the P - 47 Thunderbolt aircraft . It briefly moved to Scribner , Nebraska as part of this flight training . In March 1944 , Loring and the group moved to England to fly missions against Nazi German targets . The 36th Fighter Group flew out of RAF Kingsnorth in Kent , England flying reconnaissance , fighter escort and interdiction missions . The missions involved striking military strongpoints in northern Europe in preparation for Operation Overlord . Following the success of Overlord , Loring continued to fly air support missions for the remainder of the conflict . By December , he had flown 55 combat missions . He had won a Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions supporting D - Day . On December 24 , 1944 , Loring was flying a mission over Belgium when his P - 47 was hit by flak artillery as he strafed ground targets . Loring was subsequently captured and spent six months as a German prisoner of war . He was liberated on May 6 , 1945 , two days before the end of the war on V - E Day . Korean War . After World War II , Loring remained in the US Army Air Corps . Promoted to captain , he served in a number of administrative roles in the post - war Air Corps , which became the United States Air Force in 1947 . By the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 , Loring was attached to Air University and was not immediately sent to Korea for combat duty . On February 3 , 1952 , Loring was reassigned to the 2353rd Personnel Processing Squadron at Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg , California . This unit was quickly moved to South Korea , where it was assigned to the 8th Fighter - Bomber Wing with the assignment of supervising training for replacement pilots before they were moved into combat units . During this time he flew with the 36th Fighter - Bomber Squadron and 80th Fighter - Bomber Squadron while assisting the new pilots . In July 1952 , Loring transferred to the 36th Fighter - Bomber Squadron full - time , where he served as operations officer . In this role he returned to combat duty , this time as a jet aircraft fighter pilot operating the F - 80 Shooting Star . Missions for this unit primarily concerned close air support , air strikes and interdiction missions supporting United Nations Command ground troops in the country . In this role , Loring ' s unit primarily fought North Korean and Chinese ground targets . By November 22 , 1952 , Loring had completed 50 combat missions . At that time the ground battle in Korea had developed into a stalemate , with the two sides firmly entrenched along the 38th Parallel . Throughout November , the UN forces had been launching Operation Showdown against two targets : Triangle Hill and Sniper Ridge , northwest of Kunwha , north of the 38th Parallel . During the battle , the Chinese managed to amass 133 large caliber guns , 24 BM - 13 rocket launchers and 47 anti - aircraft guns in the largest Chinese artillery operation during the Korean War , and it posed a serious threat to ground troops of the ROK 2nd Infantry Division operating in the area . The artillery was heavily guarded , forcing the UN forces to use airpower to combat them . Medal of Honor action . Late in the morning of November 22 , 1952 , Loring led a flight of four F - 80s on patrol over Kunwha . Upon radioing a forward air controller , he was told a T - 6 Texan flying over Sniper Ridge had spotted a concentration of artillery near the ridge which was pinning down UN ground troops on the ridge . He was also told the artillery concentration was surrounded by a heavy presence of anti - aircraft guns . Loring ordered the flight to the location , spotting the artillery concentration . Immediately after Loring began his dive bombing run , he was spotted by the anti - aircraft batteries . The Chinese crews operating them were highly skilled , and even at a distance , the batteries fired an extremely accurate barrage which struck Loring ' s aircraft several times on the nose and fuselage . The fire disabled the aircraft . His wingmen , noting the damage , suggested he abort the bombing mission , as the flight was not far behind the lines and Loring ' s aircraft could have attempted the return trip . Instead , Loring ceased radio contact , and resumed what appeared to be the standard bombing mission . At , however , Loring accelerated his aircraft at a 40 - degree angle in what appeared to be a controlled maneuver , lining up the Chinese batteries . The other pilots reported they watched , stunned , as Loring dove his damaged aircraft into the battery position . Loring was killed instantly in the impact , but his action resulted in the complete destruction of the battery position . Honors . Loring ' s remains were never recovered after the crash and he was listed as " Missing in action , presumed dead . " On May 5 , 1954 , Loring ' s widow received a Medal of Honor from President Dwight Eisenhower . At that time , it was also announced that the newly built Air Force Base in Limestone , Maine would be named Loring Air Force Base in his honor . After his death , Loring ' s high school created a display in its alumni room dedicated to him . The display featured replicas of Loring ' s medals , as well as his high school diploma . The school also created an award named after him which honors students who have served in the military . Awards and decorations . Loring was decorated several times during World War II . His decorations included the following medals : Medal of Honor citation . Loring was the fourth and final member of the US Air Force to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean War , after Louis J . Sebille , John S . Walmsley Jr . and George A . Davis , Jr . . All four Air Force recipients were pilots and all were awarded the medal posthumously .