Their Story
Remembering William H. Pitsenbarger.
Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger grew up in Piqua, Ohio, wanting nothing more than to be a pararescueman, the airmen who go where the wounded are, no matter how the ground looks. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1962 at seventeen, and by 1965 was flying combat rescue missions over Vietnam with Detachment 6, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron.
On April 11, 1966, near Cam My, a company of the Army's 1st Infantry Division was pinned down in a firefight against a much larger enemy force. Pitsenbarger's helicopter answered the call to evacuate the wounded. With the landing zone too hot and the jungle too thick for the aircraft to set down, he volunteered to ride the hoist more than a hundred feet through the trees to the ground, and once there, he chose to stay.
He organized the wounded, treated what injuries he could with the medical kit he carried, and kept casualties moving to the hoist as his helicopter made trip after trip. When his aircraft was finally driven off by ground fire and could not return, Pitsenbarger stayed on the ground with the soldiers of Charlie Company rather than fly out with the last group that could still be lifted.
He fought through the night alongside them, retrieving ammunition from the fallen to keep the position supplied, until he was killed near dawn, at 21 years old, a rifle in his hands after his medical supplies had run out.
He was initially awarded the Air Force Cross. Nearly 34 years later, after the survivors of that night never stopped telling what they had seen, President Clinton upgraded the honor to the Medal of Honor. From the citation:
"With complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Pitsenbarger volunteered to ride a hoist more than one hundred feet through the jungle, to the ground. On the ground, he organized and coordinated rescue efforts, cared for the wounded, prepared casualties for evacuation, and insured that the recovery operation continued in a smooth and orderly fashion...
His bravery and determination exemplify the highest professional standards and traditions of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force."
The pararescue creed, "That Others May Live", is often said to have found its truest expression in what he did that day. He is remembered not for how he died, but for the choice he made to stay.
