Lance P. Sijan

From USAFA Folklore

Lance P. Sijan

1942 - 1968
USAFA position(s):
Rank:	Capt.
Nickname(s):
Awards and Recognition:	Medal of Honor Sijan Hall named in memory Class Exemplar, Class of 2002
USAFA Class:	1965
Cadet squadron:	CS-21
Cadet Activities:
Official bio:	http://www.af.mil/history/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006524

Lance Peter Sijan (April 13, 1942 – January 22, 1968), Class of 1965, was a United States Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military award, for his selflessness and courage in the face of lethal danger. He is the first (and so far only) graduate to have won the Medal of Honor. Sijan Hall is named in his memory, and he served as the class exemplar for the Class of 2002. All fourth class cadets are required to learn Sijan's story. The Association of Graduates has sometimes given Into the Mouth of the Cat, a book about Sijan's experiences, to cadets.

1 Background
2 Cadet Years
3 Medal of Honor
- 3.1 Medal of Honor citation
4 Other Honors
5 References

[edit] Background

Sijan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1942. He graduated from the Academy in 1965, and after attending pilot training, was assigned to the 366th Wing at Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam.

[edit] Cadet Years

Lance Sijan was a cadet in CS-21. He has since become the subject of many legends about his exploits as a cadet (such as certain actions inside the F-104 static display). They are largely apocryphal, but persist nonetheless.

[edit] Medal of Honor

On his 52nd mission, on the night of November 9, 1967, Sijan and pilot Lt. Col. John Armstrong were tasked with a bombing mission over North Vietnam. As they rolled in on their target to release their ordnance, their F-4C was engulfed in a ball of fire and entered a banking climb before plunging into the jungle below. Sijan ejected from his aircraft, and a search-and-rescue crew, radioed to Sijan that they were sending down someone to assist him. Sijan, refusing to put another person in danger, asked that a penetrator be lowered instead. However, he couldn't grab the dropped steel cable, and after 33 minutes the rescue team faced enemy fire and had to leave. Although search efforts continued the next day, they were called off when no further radio contact could be established with Sijan, and he was placed in MIA status.

Wounded and without food, water, or his survival kit, Sijan evaded enemy forces for 46 days before being captured on December 25, 1967. Although emaciated and in poor shape, he managed to overpower his guard and escape, but was recaptured within hours. He was transported to a holding compound in Vinh, North Vietnam, where he was put into the care of other American POWs. After further travel to Hanoi, Sijan succumbed to his wounds, exhaustion, and disease, and he died in captivity on January 22, 1968.

Sijan was promoted posthumously to captain on June 13, 1968. His remains were repatriated on March 13, 1974 and positively identified on April 22, 1974. He is buried in Arlington Park Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For his bravery, Captain Sijan was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration. On March 4, 1976, President Gerald Ford presented Captain Sijan's Medal of Honor to his parents, Sylvester and Jane.

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

Sijan's Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

While on a flight over North Vietnam, Captain Sijan ejected from his disabled aircraft and successfully evaded capture for more than six 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, Captain Sijan was taken to a holding point for subsequent transfer to a prisoner of war camp. In his emaciated and crippled condition, he overpowered one 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. Captain 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. Captain 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.

[edit] Other Honors

Sijan's heroism and courage brought him a number of posthumous honors in addition to those at the Academy. The 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 the Air Force's most prestigious awards. Sijan's high school alma mater, Bay View High School in Milwaukee, has set up a scholarship in Sijan's honor, presented each year to a student who best exemplifies Sijan's examples of leadership and courage. A nearby park called Sijan Playfield is also dedicated to him.