James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (January 16, 1925 - October 22, 2013) was a Brigadier General, fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, and a senior leader among U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. [19], On April 3 and 4, 1965, Risner acted as mission commander on two large missions attacking the Thanh Hoa Bridge in North Vietnam. [18][n 4] On February 18, 1965, as part of an escalation in air attacks directed by President Lyndon B. Johnson that resulted in the commencement of Operation Rolling Thunder, the 67th TFS began a tour of temporary duty at Korat RTAFB, Thailand, under the control of the 2d Air Division. [n 5], Risner's squadron led the first Rolling Thunder strike on March 2, bombing an ammunition dump at Xom Biang approximately 10 miles (16km) north of the Demilitarized Zone. [49][54][55] Risner was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on January 23, 2014. [16], From August 1960 to July 1961, he attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Even so, as the officer of rank with the responsibility of maintaining order, from 1965 to 1973 he helped lead American resistance in the North Vietnamese prison complex through the use of improvised messaging techniques ("tap code"), endearing himself to fellow prisoners with his faith and optimism. Robinson Risner was born on January 16, 1925 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, USA. Born in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas on Jan. 16, 1925 and raised in a religious family, Robinson Risner made his first critical life choice between attending Bible College or joining the Army Air Forces during World War II. However, he refused to be diverted from his primary mission of completing the destruction of the assigned targets. In civilian life, Risner tried a succession of jobs, training as an auto mechanic, operating a gas station, and managing a service garage. James Robinson "Robbie" Risner was a Brigadier General, fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, and a senior leader among U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. [44] He later moved to Bridgewater, Virginia. [16] The following January he led a detachment of seven aircraft to Da Nang Air Base to fly combat strikes which included a mission in Laos on January 13 where he and his pilots were later on decorated for destroying a bridge, but Risner was also verbally reprimanded for losing an aircraft while bombing a second bridge not authorized by his orders. Risner . Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War, California State University, San Bernardino, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Names and Citations of Recipients of the Air Force Cross, Shaw fighter pilot named best in the Air Force, "Eagle Biography Robinson 'Robbie' Risner", Logan Memorial at Korean War casualty Database, "Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale: Vietnam War Hero and Indomitable Spirit at the Hanoi Hilton". Returned to Ha L Prison as punishment for disseminating behavior guidelines to the POWs under his nominal command, Risner was severely tortured for 32 days, culminating in his coerced signing of an apologetic confession for war crimes. "The Art of Reviewing By Innuendo". On 1 August 1975, he became Vice Commander of the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and retired from the Air Force on 1 August 1976. [15], During his tour of duty at George Air Force Base, Risner was selected to fly the Charles A. Lindbergh Commemoration Flight from New York to Paris. His five sons had been ages 3 to 16 when he was shot down and imprisoned.[33]. It was a reminder of the generals strong leadership among the POWs. [10][14][15], Risner was commissioned into the Regular Air Force and assigned to the 50th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico, in March 1953, where he became operations officer of the 81st Fighter Bomber Squadron. Early in the air war over North Vietnam, Robinson Risner led the first flight of Operation Rolling Thunder, a high-intensity aerial bombing of North Vietnam. Risner is a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. http://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/105823/brigadier-general-robinson-risner/ (accessed December 16, 2017). The one time she was way off was about the prisoner of war in North Vietnam, Robinson Risner. He was eulogized by Perot and General Welsh with fellow former POWs and current members of the 336th Fighter Squadron among those in attendance. [38] Risner made no rebuttal at the time, but when interviewed by Frances Kiernan decades later, Risner described the review as "character assassination", a criticism of McCarthy's treatment supported by several of her liberal peers including Kiernan. Following the war, Risner raised quarter horses in Texas and became executive director of the Texans War Against Drugs. As storm clouds gathered over Southeast Asia in 1964, Risner arrived in the region, as if on cue, to take command of a fighter-bomber squadron in preparation for the larger war nearly everyone saw coming. Amid heavy flak from antiaircraft fire, Risner maneuvered his jet behind Logans and, at a speed of more than 200 mph, placed the nose of his plane in the tailpipe of the damaged plane. Arriving at Kimpo in the middle of the night, he joined his flight which was on alert status. Through turbulence and with leaking oil splattering his cockpit canopy,he pushed Logans powerless plane until they were beyond enemy territory and within reach of U.S. troops. The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese, Code of Conduct for American Fighting Men. On August 12, 1965, U.S. Air Force and Navy air units received authorization to attack surface-to-air missile sites. He became an ace by shooting down eight enemy MiG fighters. Arriving at Kimpo in the middle of the night, he joined his flight which was on alert status. [10] [19] After the last strike had been delivered, Risner and the two surviving members of his flight remained in the area, directing the search and rescue mission for Baird until their fuel ran low. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Later that same month, Robbie was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Also in attendance was retired Gen. Charles G. Boyd, his fellow POW. Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, "Detailed Chronological List, Recipients of the Air Force Cross", http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/02_AFC/detail_index_chron.html, http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/1983/December%201983/1283valor.aspx, http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/aviators/rrisner.htm, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0112/14/lkl.00.html, "Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale: Vietnam War Hero and Indomitable Spirit at the Hanoi Hilton", http://www.historynet.com/vice-admiral-james-bond-stockdale-vietnam-war-hero-and-indomitable-spirit-at-the-hanoi-hilton.htm, "USAF Weapons School Robbie Risner Award", http://web.archive.org/web/20120420011921/http://www.aggienetwork.com/uploads/class/newsletters/66%20July%2008.pdf, "Nomination of United States Representatives and Alternate Representatives to the 40th Session of the United Nations General Assembly", http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/91785a.htm, http://www.veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.asp?ID=19, "Eagle Biography: Robinson 'Robbie' Risner", Air University Gathering of Eagles, Dedication of the Risner statue at the Air Force Academy on November 16, 2001, Photograph of Risner statue and its sculptor, Lawrence Ludtke, YouTube (newsreel), "1957 Spirit of St. Louis II Sets Atlantic Record", Articles with dead external links from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War, Central High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) alumni, Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United States), Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States), United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II, Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States). Tactics were revised in which "Hunter-Killer Teams" were created. He was the first living recipient of the medal.[1]. As soon as he was eligible, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, having been accepted as an aviation cadet. The missions saw the first interception of U.S. aircraft by North Vietnamese MiG-17 fighters, resulting in the loss of two F-105s and pilots of the last flight, struck by a hit-and-run attack while waiting for their run at the target.[24]. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 16 of those carried AGM-12 Bullpup missiles, while another 30 carried eight 750-pound bombs each, half of which were designated for the railroad and highway bridge. [6], On September 15, using the call sign "John Red Lead",[8] Risner's flight escorted F-84 Thunderjet fighter-bombers attacking a chemical plant on the Yalu River near the East China Sea. The Risner Award is a six and one-half foot trophy consisting of a sculpture of Risner in flight suit and helmet on a marble base, weighing approximately four tons. Joe, a strong swimmer, landed close to shore, and the chopper tried to blow him in with the rotors. On these dates Colonel Risner led two successive operations against vitally important and heavily defended targets. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In July 1973 assigned to the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he became combat ready in the F-4 Phantom II. It was automatic, almost subconscious. He also became a P-51 Mustang pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. 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