Medal of Honor: Hilliard A. Wilbanks – Vietnam War, February 24, 1967

Hilliard Almond Wilbanks
Captain, U.S. Air Force
Conflict: Vietnam War
Unit: 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force
Date of Action: February 24, 1967
Location: Near Dalat, Republic of Vietnam

Summary of Action:
Courage has many faces in war—but few are as stark, selfless, or tragic as that of Captain Hilliard A. Wilbanks.

On February 24, 1967, Capt. Wilbanks was flying a lone reconnaissance mission in his unarmed Cessna O-1 Bird Dog, scouting enemy positions ahead of a South Vietnamese Ranger Battalion advancing through the Central Highlands. Beneath him, hidden in the thick terrain, lay a deadly trap: a large, well-entrenched Viet Cong force waiting to spring an ambush.

The moment the enemy realized they had been spotted, they opened fire—not just on the Rangers, but on Capt. Wilbanks’ exposed aircraft. As the enemy surged forward, threatening to overrun the lead elements of the South Vietnamese unit, Wilbanks was faced with a harrowing truth: there was no time for supporting fighters to arrive. The Rangers would be massacred before help could come.

So he acted.

Armed only with an M16 rifle and flying an unarmored observation plane, Capt. Wilbanks dove into the fray. He flew at treetop level, raking the enemy with rifle fire from his side window, sowing confusion and stalling their attack. Again and again, he made strafing runs—his plane rattled with bullet holes, the air thick with tracer fire—drawing the enemy’s attention and fire away from the vulnerable Rangers.

On his final pass, just as the enemy momentum faltered, Capt. Wilbanks was struck by enemy fire. His aircraft, mortally wounded like its pilot, crashed between the two forces.

Thanks to his valor, the ambush was broken. The Rangers regrouped. Lives were saved.

But the cost was immense.

Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Capt. Wilbanks distinguished himself while serving as a forward air controller near Dalat, Republic of Vietnam. As he directed air strikes in support of heavily engaged South Vietnamese troops, Capt. Wilbanks discovered a well-concealed and numerically superior enemy force poised to ambush the advancing allies.

As the enemy initiated their attack, he recognized that close air support could not arrive in time. Undeterred, he attempted to distract the enemy and shield the friendly troops by flying repeated low-level passes through intense hostile fire while firing an M16 rifle from his aircraft.

On his third pass, Capt. Wilbanks was mortally wounded, and his aircraft crashed between the opposing forces.

His heroic sacrifice disrupted the enemy attack and allowed the South Vietnamese troops to withdraw with minimal casualties. Capt. Wilbanks’ extraordinary valor, unhesitating devotion to duty, and selfless sacrifice reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.