In his words: To make it, I prayed by the hour. [7], On September 15, Risner's flight escorted F-84 Thunderjet fighter-bombers attacking a chemical plant on the Yalu River near the East China Sea. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. Risner . [28] He was on his 55th combat mission at the time. [24] He was on his 55th combat mission at the time. The day after his arrival, he returned to Korea when he learned that MiGs were operational. The 30th FS was based on a primitive airstrip without permanent facilities at Aguadulce, on the Gulf of Panama. I did not ask God to take me out of it. Subsequently, he served as commander of the 34th Fighter-Day Squadron, also at George Air Force Base. He was captured by North Vietnamese while still trying to extricate himself from his parachute. He subsequently received training in the F-80 Shooting Star at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Risner was later transferred to Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico as Commander of the 832d Air Division in February 1974 and flew the F-111 fighter-bomber. [n 1] During their defense of the bombers, Risner's flight overflew the MiG base at Antung Airfield, China. 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. Grumbach, Doris (March 16, 1974). He received his FIRST Air Force Cross when he was shot down and rescued, becoming the FIRST LIVING recipient of the new award. [56], General Risner received the following awards and decorations:[16][57]. Robinson Risner . Colonel Risner's actions not only deprived the communist force of its vital supply route and much needed equipment but further served to emphasize the high degree of U.S. determination in Southeast Asia. Subsequently, he served as commander of the 34th Fighter-Day Squadron, also at George Air Force Base. Robinson Risner, Self: Return with Honor. His many decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star with V for valor, two Silver Stars, eight Air Medals, and three Purple Hearts. Once Risner determined that he was the senior ranking officer, he began to put structure and guidance into the POWs lives, a sense of order and community, the very thing their captors were trying desperately to prevent. During the Vietnam War, Risner was 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, awarded the first for valor in . As a leader of the POWs, Risner set up committees, assigned tasks and helped set up communication systems through tapping, scraping walls and even coughing. James Robinson Risner 'Robbie' Engagements: Korean War (1950 - 1953) Vietnam War (1960 - 1973) Biography: James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (January 16, 1925 - October 22, 2013) was a general officer and professional fighter pilot in the United States Air Force.. Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to . The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese, Code of Conduct for American Fighting Men. Portrait of General James Robinson Risner. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. As soon as he was eligible, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, having been accepted as an aviation cadet. In his book, Risner attributes faith in God and prayer as being instrumental to his surviving the Hanoi prison experience. [7], Risner arrived in Korea on May 10, 1952, assigned to the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron at Kimpo Air Base. Tags: 15th Reconnaissance Squadron, 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing, Air Force Cross, Arlington National Cemetery, Army Air Forces, Bible College, Brigadier General, Bronze Star Medals., Bugs Bunny, Charles G. Boyd, Code of Conduct for American Fighting Men, Dean Rusk, Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Dorothy Miller Williams, East China Sea, F-105s, F-86E-10 Sabrejet, God Bless America, Gulf of Tonkin, H. Ross Perot, Hanoi, James Robinson Risner, Kimpo Air Base, Korean War, Lyndon Johnson, Mammoth Springs, Medal of Honor, MiG-15s, Oklahoma Air National Guard., Operation Rolling Thunder, P-51 Mustang, Panama Canal, Prisoner of War in North Vietnam, Robert McNamara, Robinson Risner, Silver Stars, Southeast Asia, the Korean War, The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese, The Star-Spangled Banner, Time Magazine, U.S. Air Force Academy, Vinh Son, World War II, Yalu River. In a brief dogfight Risner shot down one to score his first "kill", on August 5, 1952. [4], Risner had a religious upbringing as a member of the 1st Assembly of God Church. The force had clear conditions but encountered a severe glare in the target area that made the bridge difficult to acquire for attacks with the Bullpups. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. [28][31], Risner spent more than three years in solitary confinement. Voices of the Vietnam POWs: Witnesses to Their Fight. On August 12, 1965, U.S. Air Force and Navy air units received authorization to attack surface-to-air missile sites. "[37], Perot helped Risner later become the Executive Director of the Texans' War on Drugs, and Risner was consequently appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a United States Delegate to the fortieth session of the United Nations General Assembly. . He completed transition training in P-40 Warhawk and P-39 Airacobra fighters before being assigned to the 30th Fighter Squadron in Panama. The retired brigadier general was 88-years-old. Sometimes in history, a man emerges whom no one saw coming, one who rises to the awful challenge of crisis leadership when others are faltering and provides exactly the right strength of character, calming influence, and credible guidance out of the morass. (Risner, p. 10; Campbell and Hill, p. 87), Ironically, Risner's portrait was featured that month in a, Kiernan said of McCarthy herself: "She just about always had the right position. Major support provided through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. James Robinson Risner: Mini Bio (1) The 67th TFS ended its first duty at Korat on April 26 but returned from Okinawa on August 16 for a second tour of combat duty over North Vietnam. On the afternoon of April 3, the strike package of Rolling Thunder Mission 9 Alpha consisted of 79 aircraft, including 46 F-105s. James Robinson Risner. 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. When he passed the tough entrance exam for pilot training by one point, his future aloft was set. James Robinson (Robbie) Risner, a native of Mammoth Spring (Fulton County), was a much-decorated fighter pilot famed for his resistance to his North Vietnamese captors as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. Other articles related to "legacy ": X86 . awards the Air Force Cross to Brigadier General Robinson Risner for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 31 October 1965 to 15 . His mother and brother died while he was still a P.O.W. While undergoing hospital treatment in the Army, he met his first wife, Kathleen Shaw, a nurse from Ware Shoals, South Carolina. Performing in the role of air coordinator, Colonel Risner arrived over the target area before the main strike force, evaluated the effectiveness of each strike, redirected subsequent strikes, and provided flak suppression against defenses that would hinder delivery aircraft in the performance of their mission. They were 60 miles from friendly territory and he knew his fellow pilot would never make it. 60 seconds . At the time of Robbies capture, there were 27 other Americans incarcerated in Hanoi, separated from each other, all doing their best to abide by the Code of Conduct for American Fighting Men. This project is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant award. It was a reminder of the generals strong leadership among the POWs. ", Commander Everett Alvarez Jr. 1st U.S. pilot held as a Prisoner of War in Southeast Asia[30], After several days of travel on foot and by truck, Risner was imprisoned in Ha L Prison, known as "The Hanoi Hilton" to American POWs. Heavy ground fire struck Risner's F-105 in its air intakes when he popped up over a hill to make his attack. Robinson Risner, Ace Fighter Pilot, Dies at 88. New York Times, October 28, 2013. Risner enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet in April, 1943, and attended flight training at Williams Field, Arizona, where he was awarded his pilot wings and a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in May 1944. About; Blog; Contact Us; . 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.[16]. After his military career, Risner lived for many years in Texas, where he was executive director of an anti-drug program. His aerial skill and heroic actions set an example for the others to follow. Risners first marriage ended in divorce. On the initial attack, while exposing himself to heavy ground fire, with complete disregard for his personal safety, Colonel Risner's aircraft sustained a direct hit in the left forward bomb-bay area, filling the cockpit with smoke and fumes. It was largely thanks to the leadership of Risner and his Navy counterpart, Commander (later Vice Admiral) James Stockdale, that the POWs organized themselves to present maximum resistance. Double ACE and prisoner of war in Vietnam. Timothy A. Kinnan in 1977. In 1976, he met his second wife, Dorothy Marie ("Dot") Williams, widow of a fighter pilot missing-in-action in 1967, and subsequently married her after her missing husband was declared dead. Risner was severely tortured for 32 days, resulting in him being coerced into confessing war crimes. Tactics were revised in which "Hunter-Killer Teams" were created. Jet fuel and hydraulic fluid spewed out from the damaged Sabre onto Risner's canopy, obscuring his vision, and turbulence kept separating the two jets. Risner died at his home in Bridgewater, Virginia, on October 22, 2013, following a series of strokes. [17], From August 1960 to July 1961, he attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He was promoted to brigadier general in May 1974. 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. [17] 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 that rescued his wingman. Risner's wingman was shot down in the opening pass, and the mission was in danger of collapsing when Risner took charge. He was promoted to the grade of Brigadier General in May 1974. At his passing, Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III observed: "Brig. Risner's aircraft was at very low altitude flying at approximately 600mph,[23] approaching a site that was likely a decoy luring aircraft into a concentration of AAA. Later that same month, Robbie was featured on the cover of Time magazine. On Feb. 12, 1973, he was among the first group of prisoners to be released from North Vietnam. When the Russian wondered if they might have met in combat, Risner replied, No, way. It would take another war, and an extraordinary set of circumstances for that to occur. It was no accident that the statue was nine-feet tall. They remained married until the end of his life, with the two younger of his four surviving sons choosing to live with him and Risner adopting her three youngest children. Risner retired as a brigadier general in 1976. Risner exercised as much as he could and prayed by the hour, he wrote in his 1973 memoir, The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese. In the book he wrote, I did not ask God to take me out of it, I prayed He would give me the strength to endure it.. 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. Gen. James Robinson Risner. [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. Online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/robinson-risner-air-force-ace-and-pow-dies-at-88/2013/10/29/ec759f3e-40ae-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html (accessed December 16, 2017). The President of the United States, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Robinson Risner, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force on 3 and 4 April 1965. At his death, Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III observed: "Brig. [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. 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. His autobiography, The Passing of the Night: My Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese, describes seven years of torture and mistreatment by the North Vietnamese. Baird, W. David, and Goble, Danney (1994). With (Captain James) Stockdale we had wisdom. He wrestled for Tulsa Central High School, where he graduated in 1942. Risner, low on fuel and in a battle damaged aircraft, diverted to Danang air base for landing. [1][n 11], The USAF Weapons School Robbie Risner Award, created September 24, 1976, was donated by H. Ross Perot as a tribute to Risner and all Vietnam era Prisoners of War, and is administered by the Tactical Air Command (now by Air Combat Command). Yet all he did, remained in a military framework, based on the core principle that each were fighting men with a code of honor that must be upheld. Risner, in a battle damaged aircraft, diverted to Da Nang Air Base for landing. Can you list the top facts and stats about Robbie Risner? James R. Risner. He flew a combined 163 combat missions, was shot down twice, and was credited with destroying eight MiG-15s. Risner was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on January 23, 2014, with fellow former POWs and current members of the 336th Fighter Squadron among those in attendance. 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