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Vietnam War hero receives
Air Force Cross after 36 years
By Capt. Scott Cerone
357th Fighter
Squadron
7/11/2003 -DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE,
Ariz. (ACCNS) -- A Vietnam War hero was awarded an Air
Force Cross here June 20, giving him proper recognition
and closing a chapter in his life.
Retired Col.
Jerry Hoblit’s actions during the Vietnam War warranted
his receipt of the Air Force Cross, but it took the
actions of his wingman, Col. Tom Wilson, to help set the
record straight.
Then Capts. Hoblit, the pilot,
and Wilson, the electronic weapons officer, flew 100
missions over North Vietnam in their “Thud”, an F-105
Thunderchief. They were two of the first Wild Weasels in
the history of the U.S. Air Force.
The Wild
Weasel mission was to protect strike packages from enemy
surface-to-air missile sites by searching them out and
engaging them. It was almost as if these pilots and EWOs
were asked to walk into a lion’s den holding two giant
ribeye steaks in their hands and hope to lose only their
fingers.
“Back (in 2002) the History Channel was
interviewing us for their special program, ‘Suicide
Missions – Wild Weasels,’” Colonel Wilson wrote. “I
realized that Jerry Hoblit had one fewer Silver Star
than I did. I researched my records and discovered that
Jerry was on each set of orders for all of the
decorations I received except for one and that one was a
particularly intense mission.”
“I contacted our
old squadron commander and asked him if Jerry had been
submitted for a medal for that mission. He checked in
his personal journal for that date and confirmed that
Jerry Hoblit had been submitted for an Air Force Cross
for that mission and reminded me that we had been shot
up pretty good by anti-aircraft fire and landed at Udorn
(Royal Thai Air Base). I gathered up all of the
paperwork and resubmitted it through our local
congressman. That was one year ago.”
The medal
was approved May 23, and 12 Wild Weasels from the 357th
Tactical Fighter Squadron came to see one of their old
friends receive the second highest decoration for valor
and heroism in combat 36 years after earning
it.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., is the
current home of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron, now
known as the 357th Fighter Squadron, thus the
appropriate place for the award presentation.
After the presentation ceremony, Colonel
Hoblit’s wife, Rosalie, was overwhelmed by the day’s
events.
“I am so happy,” she said. “All those
Silver Stars he received were just handed to him in an
office, still in the box. There were no ceremonies.
Today was just
beautiful.” |
