US Air Force Lt Col Gerald Young: Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient

Welcome back everyone. In this episode of Duty & Valor, I’m diving into the incredible story of Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Young, a true American hero.

Colonel Young's bravery during the Vietnam War is the stuff of legends. As a helicopter pilot, he put his own life on the line time and again to save others. But it was one particular daring rescue mission in 1967 that cemented his place in history as a Medal of Honor Recipient.  This is his story.

Gerald was born on May 19, 1930, in Chicago to parents Orren and Ruth Young. During his teen years, the US was fighting in WWII, which led to a deep-seated patriotism in Gerald. By the time he was old enough to enlist in the military, the war had ended. Though this didn’t stop him. In 1947, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy and trained as an aviation technician. He served until 1952 and then returned home. After a few years, he knew civilian life wasn’t for him, and he re-enlisted in the Navy in 1955.

While in the Navy, he applied for and was accepted into the Air Force Aviation Cadet Training Program in 1956. He transferred into the Air Force, and two years later, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant on June 18, 1958.

After completing training, Lt. Young was assigned as a helicopter support pilot in the Marshall Islands in support of Operation Hardtack I, a nuclear weapons testing program. Lt. Young was then stationed in Japan for one year before being sent stateside to bases in Wyoming, Texas, Louisiana, and Kansas.

During the Vietnam War, Young, who was now a Captain, was sent to Da Nang Air Force Base. He was a rescue pilot with the 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron, where he flew the Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopter with the call sign Jolly 26.

In the early hours of November 9, 1967, Capt. Young was sent on his 60th combat mission of the war. He was sent out with four other aircraft on a rescue mission of a joint US and South Vietnamese Army reconnaissance team that were all wounded and surrounded by enemy forces near Khe Sanh.

The team was stuck on a steep slope, making rescue extremely difficult. Earlier, two helicopters attempting a rescue were downed by enemy ground fire. Capt. Young was tasked with supporting another helicopter, Jolly 29, as it maneuvered into position to rescue the men. With the area illuminated by parachute flares dropped from a C-130 Hercules transport plane, Jolly 29 was able to rescue three soldiers before it was badly damaged by ground fire. The pilot of that helicopter told Capt. Young to abandon any other rescue attempt, as the gunfire was too intense.

However, Capt. Young and his crew wouldn’t heed that advice as there were still two men on the ground, with the enemy moving closer. Capt. Young brought his helicopter as close to the ground as he could. Due to the steep slope, he was hovering with only one wheel on the ground. One of the men aboard Jolly 26 was Air Force Pararescueman Sgt. Larry Maysey. As soon as the helicopter was low enough, Sgt. Maysey jumped out and raced down the steep slope to the two wounded men. He was able to get them safely aboard when an enemy rocket-propelled grenade struck the number one engine, just before Capt. Young was able to take off. The engine exploded, causing the helicopter to turn over. It then slid down the hill and into a ravine where it burst into flames.

When the helicopter came to a stop, still inverted, Capt. Young was hanging upside down by his seatbelt. He was able to kick out the window and release himself, but not before the flames reached him and set his clothing on fire. He then fell to the ground and put out the flames. Though seriously burned, he turned his focus on rescuing survivors. Quickly surveying the scene, he was able to find only one man still alive. That man was also badly injured and unconscious. With the enemy closing in, Capt. Young moved the other man from the crash site and did his best to conceal him in some undergrowth. He then led the enemy away to give rescuers a chance at saving the wounded man and recovering the bodies of the others.

Around dawn, Capt. Young found a clearing in the jungle. He felt that he had lost his pursuers, so he radioed for help. As helicopters neared his position, he sent up flares to guide them towards him. However, Capt. Young had to send the rescuers away as he had spotted the enemy nearby setting up firing positions, ready to ambush any incoming helicopters.

Throughout the day, Capt. Young continued to evade the enemy. Though he was moving in broad daylight, he was able to utilize the thick jungle to his advantage, giving him much needed concealment. After trekking for six miles, and 17 hours after crashing, Capt. Young was finally able to call for a rescue, and he was safely extracted.

Though not many survived this rescue mission, Capt. Young’s fortitude and courage in leading the enemy away led to the wounded man being rescued, all bodies of the US servicemen being recovered, and ensured the safety of the rescue crews who flew in after them.

After being rescued, Capt. Young returned to the US. He spent three months in a hospital where he was treated for severe burns to over 25% of his body. For his actions that day, Capt. Gerald Young was presented the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon Johnson on May 14, 1968.

Capt. Young remained in the Air Force until June 30, 1980, when he retired as a Lt. Col.

The men reported killed in action when Jolly 26 went down were as follows:

• Captain Ralph Brower - Co-pilot
• Staff Sgt. Eugene Clay - Flight Engineer
• Sgt. Larry Maysey - Pararescueman

And the two soldiers they had attempted to rescue:

• Army MSGT Bruce Baxter
• Army Specialist 4 Joseph Kusick

I tried, but I couldn’t find the name of the one man who Capt. Young pulled from the crash site or if he survived his wounds.

For their heroism in the rescue attempt, Capt. Brower, SSGT Clay, and Sgt. Maysey were posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross. The Air Force Cross, like the Army Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and the Coast Guard Cross, is the second-highest decoration a servicemember can receive from their branch of service.

Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Young exemplified the highest standards of courage, dedication, and selflessness. Despite his helicopter being shot down and suffering severe burns, Young refused to abandon his mission. Col. Young's legacy serves as an enduring inspiration, demonstrating the incredible feats that can be achieved through courage, resilience, and a deep sense of duty.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor.  To read more about this week’s hero, check out the sources used in today's episode in our show notes and at dutyandvalor.com.  

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