These Stories of Valor are part of an ongoing oral history program of the Honor Project to ensure the experiences of our combat wounded and those who gave their all in the service of America are remembered for generations to come.
In 1966, Hackford flew as an F-105 pilot with the 469th TFS at Korat AB in Thailand where he flew 112 missions over North Vietnam; 36 as a Wild Weasel pilot. He returned to the U.S. as an instructor pilot, but was soon retired from flying due to injuries sustained in his shoot down over Laos in 1966.
Read MoreEdward Cruickshank was commissioned into the U.S. Army in June 1967 and went on to a 30 year career in the service. In 1967, while serving with the 101st Aviation Group in Vietnam, he was wounded-in-action.
Read MoreDavid Hugus entered the military in February 1966 and was first assigned to Germany. He joined the 101st Airborne in Vietnam on January 28, 1968, two days before the Tet Offensive started. During his first deployment to Vietnam, Hugus was stationed at a fire base in the vicinity of Phouc Binh.
Read MoreThomas "TC" Smith enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 9, 1967, and served for more than 25 years, including tours in Vietnam, Germany, Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Washington, D.C., and the Philippines. Three years after being commissioned, on May 9, 1971, Smith was flying as a co-pilot of a OH-58A on a “last light” visual reconnaissance scouting mission in the vicinity of the U-Mihn Forest (aka “the Delta).
Read MoreWashington Sanchez was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, through the ROTC program at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. At the time of his commissioning, he was the school’s only Distinguish Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduate and the recipient of a Regular Army Commission in April 1964. Nineteen months later, in November 1965, then-Lieutenant Sanchez was wounded while serving as a Forward Observer with an Airmobile Company of the 1st Cavalry Division.
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