Lance Sijan

Lance Sijan
Lance Sijan
	480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Wing
Battles/wars	Vietnam War †
Awards	Medal of Honor; Distinguished Flying Cross; Purple Heart; Air Medal (6)

Lance Peter Sijan (April 13, 1942 – January 22, 1968) was a

posthumously received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military award, for his selflessness and courage in the face of lethal danger.^[1]

Early life and military career

Lance Peter Sijan, also known by his Serbian name Lazar Šijan (

F-4 Phantom.^[4]

Last mission

On the night of November 9, 1967, for his 52nd combat mission, Sijan and pilot Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong were tasked with a bombing mission to Ban Laboy ford in Laos.

F-4C (AF Ser. No. 64-0751) was engulfed in a ball of fire due to the bomb fuses malfunctioning and causing a premature detonation on their release. Sijan managed to eject from the aircraft, and although likely rendered unconscious in the ejection, his parachute landed him on a rocky limestone karst

ridge adjacent to the target.

From the night of 9/10 November to the morning of 11 November, no electronic or radio signals were heard from either Sijan or Armstrong. However, early on the morning of 11 November, Sijan made radio contact with a

MIA

casualty status.

During his violent ejection and very rough parachute landing on the karst ridge, Sijan had suffered a fractured skull, a mangled right hand, and a compound fracture of the left leg. He was without food, with very little water, and no survival kit; nevertheless, he evaded enemy forces for 46 days. During this entire period, Sijan was only able to move by sliding on his buttocks and back along the rocky limestone ridge and later along the jungle floor. After managing to move several thousand feet, Sijan crawled onto a truck road along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where he was finally captured by the North Vietnamese on Christmas Day, 1967. Very emaciated and in poor health, Sijan was imprisoned in an NVA camp. Soon thereafter, he managed to incapacitate a guard and escape into the jungle, but was recaptured several hours later.

Sijan was transported to a holding compound in

Geneva Convention guidelines allowed (name, date of birth, service, rank, and service number). Suffering terribly from exhaustion, malnutrition, and disease, he was soon transported to Hanoi, under the attentive care of both Craner and Gruters. However, in his weakened state, he contracted pneumonia and died in Hỏa Lò Prison (better known as the "Hanoi Hilton") on January 22, 1968.^[4]

First Lieutenant Sijan was promoted posthumously to

Gerald R. Ford.^[6]

Military awards

Sijan's military decorations and awards include:

USAF Pilot Badge
Medal of Honor	Distinguished Flying Cross	Purple Heart w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Medal w/ 1 silver oak leaf cluster	Air Force Presidential Unit Citation	"V" device and 2 bronze oak leaf clusters
Prisoner of War Medal	National Defense Service Medal	campaign star
Air Force Longevity Service Award	Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation	Vietnam Campaign Medal

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to SIJAN, LANCE P. Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force, 4th Allied POW Wing, Pilot of an F-4C aircraft. Place and Date: North Vietnam, 9 November 1967. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 13 April 1942, Milwaukee, Wis.

Citation:

While on a flight over North Vietnam, Capt. Sijan ejected from his disabled aircraft and successfully evaded capture for more than 6 weeks. During this time, he was seriously injured and suffered from shock and extreme weight loss due to lack of food. After being captured by North Vietnamese soldiers, Capt. Sijan was taken to a holding point for subsequent transfer to a prisoner of war camp. In his emaciated and crippled condition, he overpowered 1 of his guards and crawled into the jungle, only to be recaptured after several hours. He was then transferred to another prison camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and interrogated at length. During interrogation, he was severely tortured; however, he did not divulge any information to his captors. Capt. Sijan lapsed into delirium and was placed in the care of another prisoner. During his intermittent periods of consciousness until his death, he never complained of his physical condition and, on several occasions, spoke of future escape attempts. Capt. Sijan's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the cost of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
/S/GERALD R. FORD^[7]

Other honors

Sijan's heroism and courage brought him numerous honors. The United States Air Force created the Lance P. Sijan Award, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in their jobs and in their lives. It has become one of the U.S. Air Force's most prestigious awards.

Because Sijan was the first graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to receive the Medal of Honor, a cadet dormitory, Sijan Hall, was named after him. The dormitory was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1976.

Sijan's high school in Milwaukee set up a scholarship in his honor, presented each year to the student who best exemplifies Lance Sijan's examples of leadership and courage. A nearby park, Sijan Playfield, is dedicated to him, and Milwaukee's Serbian community honors him with a memorial on the grounds of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral.

An

Mitchell Airport

is painted using the color scheme of the one he flew.

Sijan was named as the

class exemplar

at the United States Air Force Academy for the Class of 2002.

In June 2006, before the

Mitchell International Airport to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Lake Michigan lake front. However, the display was finally moved on February 28, 2017, to another more visible location at Mitchell International Airport. It was re-dedicated at this location on May 26, 2017.^[8]

Sijan is a member of the DeMolay International Hall of Fame.

Mountain Home AFB in Idaho named Sijan St. in his honor. A major road at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska, is also named for him.

References

^ ^a ^b "Lance P. Sijan". mishalov.com.
^ "Naval Academy Preparatory School Reefpoints." MS. Naval Academy Preparatory School, Newport.
^ "USAFA Graduate POW Database". Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
^ ^a ^b "Capt. Lance Peter Sijan". Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
^ "December 1998 issue of Air Force Magazine". Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Air Force 'Spotlight' Story". Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
^ "Sijan, Lance P." Home of Heroes. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
^ "Hometown hero: Warplane of Vietnam War hero Lance Sijan arrives at new home". WITI Milwaukee. 28 February 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.

External links

"June 1977 issue of Airman Magazine". Archived from the original on April 7, 1997. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
“Serb a hero in America”, Evening News, Marko Lopušina, 28 Jun 2010
"Map of the area where Sijan was shot down". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
"The Virtual Wall". Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
The short film Into the Mouth of the Cat – the Lance P. Sijan Documentary (September 17, 1998) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.

[mishalov.com-1] "Lance P. Sijan". mishalov.com.

[2] "Naval Academy Preparatory School Reefpoints." MS. Naval Academy Preparatory School, Newport.

[3] "USAFA Graduate POW Database". Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2017-02-13.

[af.mil-4] "Capt. Lance Peter Sijan". Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-07.

[5] "December 1998 issue of Air Force Magazine". Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2010.

[spotlight-6] "U.S. Air Force 'Spotlight' Story". Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2010.

[sijanmohcite-7] "Sijan, Lance P." Home of Heroes. Retrieved July 23, 2011.

[phantomdisplaymove-8] "Hometown hero: Warplane of Vietnam War hero Lance Sijan arrives at new home". WITI Milwaukee. 28 February 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.

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