Lance Sijan

He resisted captivity and kept planning escapes while dying.

Lance Peter Sijan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 13 April 1942. After Bay View High School and preparatory study at Bainbridge, he entered the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated in 1965 with a degree in humanities and a commission as a second lieutenant. Pilot training at Laredo was followed by F-4 training in California and assignment to the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Da Nang in July 1967.

On 9 November his aircraft was lost during a mission over Laos. He ejected but landed with a broken leg, severe hand injuries and a fractured skull. A rescue attempt failed to reach him. Unable to walk normally and with very little food or water, he evaded capture for more than six weeks.

After North Vietnamese troops captured him, Sijan overcame a guard and escaped into the jungle. He was recaptured within hours. His captors interrogated and tortured him, but he refused to provide useful military information. Other American prisoners later cared for him as his injuries, malnutrition and illness worsened.

Even when drifting in and out of consciousness, he discussed further escape rather than abandoning resistance. He developed pneumonia and died in captivity in Hanoi on 22 January 1968. His fellow prisoners' testimony subsequently established the circumstances of his resistance and formed an important part of the recommendation for the Medal of Honor.

He was promoted posthumously to captain. His remains were returned in 1974 and buried in Arlington Park Cemetery in Milwaukee. President Gerald Ford presented the Medal of Honor to his parents at the White House on 4 March 1976. The Air Force Academy and the Air Force's Sijan leadership award subsequently preserved his name and the example described by the men imprisoned with him.