James Robinson Risner
| James Robinson Risner | |
|---|---|
Risner in 1973 after being released as a POW by the North Vietnamese
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Robbie |
| Born |
January 16, 1925 Mammoth Spring, Arkansas |
| Died | October 22, 2013 (aged 88) Bridgewater, Virginia |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 1951–1976 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands held |
832d Air Division 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron 34th Fighter-Day Squadron 81st Fighter-Bomber Squadron |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Air Force Cross (2) Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Bronze Star (3) Purple Heart (4) Air Medal (8) |
James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (January 16, 1925 – October 22, 2013) was a general and a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force.
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 aerial combat and the second for gallantry as a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese for more than seven years. He was the first living recipient of the medal.
Risner became an ace in the Korean War, and commanded a squadron of F-105 Thunderchiefs in the first missions of Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. He flew a combined 163 combat missions, was shot down twice, and was credited with destroying eight MiG-15s. Risner retired as a brigadier general in 1976.
At his death, Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III observed: "Brig. Gen. James Robinson "Robbie" Risner was part of that legendary group who served in three wars, built an Air Force, and gave us an enduring example of courage and mission success... Today’s Airmen know we stand on the shoulders of giants. One of 'em is 9 feet tall… and headed west in full afterburner."
Risner was born in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas in 1925, but moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1931. His father was originally a sharecropper, then during the Great Depression became a day laborer for the Works Progress Administration. By the time Risner entered high school, his father was self-employed, selling used cars. Risner worked numerous part-time jobs in his youth to help the family, including newspaper delivery, errand boy and soda jerk for a drug store, for the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce at age 16, as a welder, and for his father polishing cars.
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