Leon Vance

He brought his damaged bomber home despite a shattered foot.

Leon Robert Vance Jr. was born at Enid, Oklahoma, on 11 August 1916. His father was a school principal and flying instructor. Vance attended the University of Oklahoma before entering West Point in 1935. He graduated in 1939 and trained as an Army Air Corps pilot. He married Georgette Brown, and they had a daughter, Sharon.

After years of flying and instructional appointments in the United States, he became a lieutenant-colonel and deputy commander of the 489th Bombardment Group. The group deployed to England with B-24 Liberators in 1944.

On 5 June, Vance led a mission against coastal defences near Wimereux, France. Anti-aircraft fire crippled the lead bomber and severely wounded him, almost severing his foot. Despite the damage, he helped complete the attack and bring the aircraft back towards England.

With the bomber unable to land safely, he directed the surviving crew to parachute. Believing an injured man remained aboard, he stayed to ditch the aircraft in the Channel. He escaped from the sinking wreck after a struggle and was rescued by an RAF launch.

Hospital treatment saved his life after the action, but he did not return home. On 26 July 1944, the aircraft carrying him across the Atlantic for further medical care disappeared between Iceland and Newfoundland. He was twenty-seven.

The Medal of Honor was announced in January 1945. At his widow's request, the presentation was delayed until their daughter was old enough to receive it. Sharon accepted the medal in October 1946. The airfield at Enid was renamed Vance Air Force Base in 1949, connecting his military service with the Oklahoma community where he had grown up.