Jon E. Swanson

He attacked enemy gun positions from his damaged helicopter.

Jon Edward Swanson was born at San Antonio, Texas, on 1 May 1942 and grew up in Colorado. He entered the United States Army and trained as a helicopter pilot. During his first Vietnam tour in 1967 he served with D Troop, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry, and was wounded while supporting ground troops. He married Sandee in Honolulu during leave, and they had two daughters.

On his second tour he served with B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. On 26 February 1971 he flew an OH-6A scout helicopter in support of South Vietnamese troops operating in Cambodia. His task was to find enemy positions in an area occupied by substantial opposing forces.

Swanson repeatedly attacked gun positions at low altitude and directed supporting helicopter fire onto emplacements. Although his aircraft was damaged and his ammunition reduced, he continued the mission to protect the troops below. While approaching another heavy machine-gun position, his helicopter was hit and crashed. Swanson and his observer, Staff Sergeant Larry Harrison, were killed.

He initially received the Distinguished Service Cross. His family later sought a review of the recommendation, and the decoration was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. President George W. Bush presented the posthumous award to his widow and daughters on 1 May 2002.

Search teams recovered remains from the crash site during the 1990s, and identification was completed in 2001. Swanson and Harrison were buried together at Arlington National Cemetery on 3 May 2002. The return of their remains and the award ceremony brought a formal conclusion to a loss their families had carried for more than thirty years.