The Air Force Sergeants Association annually confers a "Pitsenbarger Award," which recognizes an Air Force enlisted member for heroic acts on or off duty that . William Hart "Bill" Pitsenbarger was born in Piqua, Ohio on July 8, 1944, but he was destined to leave the small town. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? [11][12] At six feet, three inches tall he was an inspiring sight for the beleaguered men of his platoon. He had been in combat in both World War II and Korea.". It was like walking into a whole new world, a world separated from their small hometown of Piqua, Ohio by more than miles. Hundreds of men owed their lives to a young medic called Pitsand not only for his lifesaving first aid in the airborne trip from the jungle to a field hospital. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in December 1963 and went to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for basic training. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. An official website of the United States government, National Museum of the United States Air Force, All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. As Captain Salem hovered, the Airman Hammond began lowering the stokes from Pedro 73. The Air Force rescue craft with their twin rotors was not as trim in appearance as the "Dustoffs" used by the Army for evacuating their own wounded. On April 11, 1966, in thick jungle near Saigon, an infantry company on 134 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division (the "Big Red One") was . He courageously resisted the enemy, braving intense gunfire to gather and distribute vital ammunition to American defenders. Try again later. - Backpacks He even gave away his own pistol, and did have a firearm to return enemy fire. Along with the being the recipient of the Medal of Honor (posthumously) he has been honored several times. Captain Harold Salem piloted the back-up aircraft, "Pedro 73". His role had taken him to Perth, Australia as a Pararescue-medic in the earliest days of the space program, working on the Gemini and Mercury space probe recoveries. IN THE CARE OF. Learn more about managing a memorial . The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Pitsenbargers last, and probably most gallant mission, was on April 11, 1966. When his body was recovered the next day, one hand still held a rifle and the other clutched a medical kit. This account has been disabled. [1][2] He was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.[3]. During a subsequent attempt to evacuate the site, American forces came under heavy assault by a large Viet Cong force. He attended the Navy's underwater swimmers school. Alice C Pitsenbarger : Abt 1913: 7 Jan 2000: Redfield IA: View Record. After he graduated from high school, he decided to join the U.S. Air Force, and on New Year's Eve 1962, he was on a train bound for basic training in San Antonio. But Bill (Pitsenbarger) had a triple dose of that.". Year should not be greater than current year. Navarro himself was wounded. I couldnt believe that anybody was brave enough or crazy enough to come down on the ground with all the firing going on Even though there was 700 guns firing at the same time, it was to him like nothing was going on. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. On that day, he was aboard a rescue helicopter that was sent to evacuate casualties of a firefight between the Armys 1st Infantry Division and Viet Cong enemy forces. When its engine began to lose power, the pilot realized he had to get the helicopter away from the area as soon as possible. For Mr. and Mrs. William Pitsenbarger, the September 22, 1966 visit to the home of America's military men and women had all the elements of culture shock. Ambulatory casualties could be hoisted to the waiting choppers on "jungle penetrators". Airman Pitsenbarger volunteered to remain on the ground and administer medical treatment to the wounded. During the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force awarded its second-highest award, the Air Force Cross, to nineteen enlisted airmen. Airman Pitsenbarger, an Air Force Pararescue Crew Member, had died in Vietnam decades earlier on April 11, 1966 while rescuing wounded soldiers. He loved to go to concerts and watch fireworks. He continued to work as a stock boy at the local Kroger supermarket, all the while thirsting for more adventure. Through it all, he emerged as one of the Air Force's elite Pararescuemen, more commonly known as PJs. Retha Mae (Simmons) Pitsenbarger, 90, of Franklin, WV and formerly Moyers, WV passed away Friday, January 17, 2020 at Pendleton Manor. The ceremony was so important that top military officials came from Washington, D.C. to attend. William Hart Pitsenbarger (July 8, 1944 April 11, 1966) was a United States Air Force Pararescueman who flew on almost 300 rescue missions during the Vietnam War to aid downed soldiers and pilots. Of the 291 men, fewer than 20 men survived the night of April 11-12, 1966. When the company was ordered to move a short distance, the intrepid Airman began cutting branches to improvise litters to transport the wounded. His bravery and determination exemplify the highest professional standards and traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Air Force. Pitsenbarger was given the Air Force Cross for his actions on June 30, 1966. Virginia, to William Pitsenbarger and Mary "Polly" Pitsenbarger (born Amick). In a ceremony held at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 8, 2000, Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten "Whit" Peters presented the Medal of Honor to the parents, William F. and Alice Pitsenbarger, of Airman 1st Class William F. Pitsenbarger. regarding use of images of identifiable personnel, appearance of endorsement, and related matters. She was born October 28, 1929 in Moyers, WV a daughter of the late Lona (Rexrode) and Frank Simmons. Connect to 337 Pitsenbarger profiles on Geni, Source: https://familysearch.org/service/tree/tree-data/person/LRL6-P2N/all?locale=en, Apr 30 1918 - Shelby, Richland County, Ohio, United States, John W Pittsenbarger, Freda Pittsenbarger, John W Pittsenbarger, Freda B Pittsenbarger, Frances W Pittsenbarger, Loren E Pittsenbarger, Between 1940 and 1942 - 504 Purcell Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 1940 - 303 South Roosevelt Avenue, Piqua, Washington T, Miami, Ohio, USA, John W Pitsenbarger, Freda B Pitsenbarger, Apr 30 1918 - Shelby, Ohio, United States, Feb 8 2002 - Muncie, Delaware, Indiana, United States, John Walter Pitsenbarger, Freda Blanche Pitsenbarger (born Westfall), William Hart Pitsenbarger Congressional Medal of Honor, Frances Winifred Mcmaster (born Pitsenbarger), Loren Elwood Pitsenbarger, Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17952884/_, Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17952807/loren-elwood-pitsenbarger, Shelby County, Ohio, USA, Shelby, Ohio, United States, Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana, USA, Muncie, Delaware, Indiana, United States, Miami Memorial Park Cemetery, Covington, Miami County, Ohio, USA, Covington, Miami, Ohio, United States, U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. There was a problem getting your location. Make sure that the file is a photo. Lenie A Pitsenbarger Lenie A. Pitsenbarger, 48, of Mentor, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, at Lake West Medical Center in Willoughby. You can always change this later in your Account settings. He came there to save lives and that was what he was doing., -Fred Navarro, a man whose life William Pitsenbarger saved -, (Photocourtesy of the Piqua Public Library History Department). After Air Force basic training, the young airman had continued to push the envelope and expand his thirst for adventure. Then, as the Huskie lifted off, O'Berne remained on the ground to treat wounded and load them on the Army Chinook. Training included the U.S. Army Airborne School, U.S Navy Dive School (SCUBA), survival school, and a rescue and survival medical course. He continued to work as a stock boy at the local Kroger supermarket, all the while thirsting for more adventure. In a ceremony held at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 8, 2000, Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten "Whit" Peters presented the Medal of Honor to the parents, William F. and Alice Pitsenbarger, of Airman 1st Class William F. Pitsenbarger. All U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current results for Pitsenbarger. Born February 19, 1927 at Thayer, WV she was the daughter of the late William Haynes and Ocie Dean Haynes As the last surviving sibling, she was preceded in death by three brothers Alfred . Pitsenbarger received orders to go to Okinawa, but requested his orders be changed to go to Vietnam. That done, Captain Bachman returned to use the stokes to pull one more wounded soldier from the field of battle. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? There was an error deleting this problem. When Mr. and Mrs. Pitsenbarger accepted that award on behalf of their heroic son on September 22, 1966, William Pits Pitsenbarger became the first enlisted airman in history to receive the Air Force's second-highest award for military heroism, posthumously. Learn more about merges. - Firearms* William "Virgil" Pitsenbarger, age 89, of Franklin, W.Va., and formerly Moyers, W.Va., passed away Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, at Pendleton Manor. After his training was completed, he returned to Piqua on leave and then to his first duty assignment at Hamilton Air Force Base in California. Weve updated the security on the site. Jump to navigation Jump to search. How bad was it on the ground? In the vicious fighting which followed, the American forces suffered 80 percent casualties as their perimeter was breached, and airman Pitsenbarger was finally fatally wounded. Pitsenbarger, a Piqua native, was born to William F. and Irene Pitsenbarger on July 8, 1944. When the others began running low on ammunition, he gathered ammunition from the dead and distributed it to those still alive. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27881350/william-franklin-pitsenbarger. Geni requires JavaScript! If you had a need, Lenie was your guy! In addition all bags are subject to search and may be placed through an X-Ray machine. While patching up his broken body he noticed the location of an enemy machinegun that had been inflicting heavy casualties on his unit. The United States Navy Container Ship MV A1C William H. Pitsenbarger (T-AK-4638) was christened in his honor, but was decommissioned and returned to its original owner in 2008 with the new name Black Eagle. Locating one highly effective enemy sniper, Robinson used a grenade launcher to end the threat. Arriving with the Army's CH47 helicopters on Tuesday morning was the only operable Huskie from Detachment 6. OBITUARY Shirley A Pitsenbarger December 29, 1932 - February 8, 2023. - Strollers At least nine rounds hit the aircraft, one of them tearing through the wiring and causing the throttle control to jam at full throttle. William Pitsenbarger was dead. "It was horrible," said Pfc Ronald Haley, as he stood in the tiny clearing blasted from the jungle so that the dead and wounded could be evacuated. He is the sixth enlisted airman to receive the Medal of Honor. It was the only helicopter equipped with cables and winches that could be lowered into the jungle. While still in high school, he wanted to join the U.S. Army Special Forces ("The Green Berets"), but his parents, Irene and William Frank Pitsenbarger forbade it. Moments later a stokes litter was being lowered to the ground. After high school, he worked as a stockboy at a Kroger grocery store, but he left to join the U.S. Air . (U.S. Air Force photo). The American forces, including Pitsenbarger, soon came under sniper fire and mortar attacks from the Viet Cong. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. After six wounded men had been flown to an aid station, the two U.S. Air Force helicopters returned for their second load. My own platoon medic, who was later killed, was totally ineffective. Even as the enemy fire continued to scorch the area, he moved among the casualties to tend the wounded and administer life-saving medical attention. When he was just a junior in high school, Pitsenbarger had dreams of joining the U.S. Army as a Green Beret, but his parents would not give their permission. Mr. Pitsenbarger graduated from Franklin High School in 1952. He was credited with saving nine lives. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Staff Sergeant James Robinson, a former Marine, had volunteered for Vietnam dutyhad, in fact, engaged in a determined year-long letter-writing campaign from his duty station in Panama in efforts to be assigned as an advisor to soldiers of the Vietnamese Army. - Diaper bags 27881355, citing Miami Memorial Park Cemetery, Covington, Miami County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Pam Estes gedmatch# T131729 (contributor 46799761) . The wire stretchers, however, kept getting caught in the jungle trees. During his basic training in early 1963, he volunteered for Pararescue. In addition several buildings have been named in his honor including William H. Pitsenbarger Dining Hall, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; William H. Pitsenbarger Professional Military Education Center, Beale Air Force Base, California; William H. Pitsenbarger Airman Leadership School, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Pitsenbarger Hall, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas and Pitsenbarger Fitness Center, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It was placed by The Valley of the Jolly Green Giants and the Ohio Historical Society. This allowed the rescue team to recover 4-5 wounded men with each in and out trip of the helicopters. [5] His unit was composed of five aircrews that flew three Kaman HH-43F Huskie helicopters. Pits' solution? In 2005, the State of Ohio designated State Route 48 as the "U.S.A.F. Since the litter was already outside the helicopter, Hammond placed the penetrator inside the stokes and began lowering both. A marker honoring the men is along State Route 48 just north of Covington. [1][3], He is buried in Miami Memorial Park Cemetery Covington, Ohio. At 3 o'clock on the afternoon of April 11th, the call for help arrived at the headquarters of the 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Bien Hoa. In the Spring of 1962, William Pitsenbarger graduated from high school. His name can be found on Panel 06E Line 102 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Detachment 6 consisted of five aircrews that flew three HH-43F Kaman Huskie helicopters. In the Spring of 1962, William Pitsenbarger graduated from high school. His pararescue training was put to the test soon after arriving at Hamilton Air Force Base. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? ), Pitsenbarger decided that he could speed things up if he could get to the ground. PIQUA Thursday evening was the homecoming celebration William H. Pitsenbarger never got after his sacrifices during the Vietnam War. On Monday, the second day of the sweep, the rugged terrain forced Charlie Company to move outward instead of parallel to Alpha and Bravo Companies. "All of us PJs had a strong desire to save lives," said Chief Master Sergeant Dave Milsten, the ranking Pararescueman in Detachment 6, "that's what we lived for. Time and again, as was not uncommon among any of the dedicated PJs, Pits had made the ascent from the relative shelter of his hovering Huskie to the jungle floor to render immediate first aid to wounded and then strap them into the lowered Stokes Litter. Click here for frequently asked questions regarding items permitted inside the museum. With heavy mortar and small-arms fire, the helicopters could not return to rescue Pitsenbarger. Among other problems, he had also lost partial rudder control. PIQUA The Piqua and surrounding community came out in . Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Born June 17, 1934, in Frankford, WV, she was the daughter of the late John Thomas and Flora Mae Loudermilk Yates. He turned to Captain Salem at the controls and said, "I'm going in." based on information from your browser. This electronic book is available for free download and printing from www.homeofheroes.com. Realizing the two wounded men were dangerously exposed to continued enemy fire, Robinson ignored the whine of deadly missiles around him to rush into the open and drag the two wounded men to safety. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Under the guidance of the brave PJ, the infantrymen were able to quickly send two more stokes patients to safety. Iowa, Death Records, 1880-June 1904 and 1921-1951 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes images of the death certificates from 1921-1951 and images of the death registers from 1880-June 1904. Lieutenant Libs strained his eyes against the unexpected sight. We were completely surrounded.". Not only had he chosen to serve his country in uniform, but he had also chosen to serve among some of the most elite. In the 1990s, a campaign was initiated by numerous private citizens as well as federal officials, to revisit the story of the boy from Piqua, Ohio. Results 1-20 of 372 View Record Name Birth Date Publication Date Publication Place Relatives; View Record. He stared at them in awe and never cried. Adamantly Irene and her husband had refused to give their 17-year old permission to join the Army, requiring him to remain in school one more year to graduate. - Purses (During the Korean War, four Air Force pilots were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor but all received the Army design for the award.). - Camera bags One cannot judge the young men who reacted to the horrible events of April 11th with fear and panic. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Airman 1st Class Pitsenbarger, a Piqua native and graduate of Piqua schools, was a pararescue and medical specialist who died April 11, 1966, in Vietnam. He was wounded twice. When the enemy launched the assault, the evacuation was called off and Airman Pitsenbarger took up arms with the besieged infantrymen. ). he attended the fire-fighters course for the HH-43 helicopter. Mr. Pitsenbarger was a member of St. Paul Independent Lutheran Church. Please reset your password. You may print and distribute in quantity for all non-profit, educational purposes. It was the Air Force Cross, our Nation's second-highest award for military valor by a member of the United States Air Force. - February 8, 2023 to work as a stock boy at the controls and said, `` 73. Many failed sign in attempts but Bill ( Pitsenbarger ) had a triple dose of that..! Piqua native, was totally ineffective, one hand still held a rifle and the clutched! Pitsenbarger ( born Amick ) State Route 48 just north of Covington day one... Ammunition to American defenders inflicting heavy casualties on his unit was composed of five aircrews that flew three HH-43F... 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