Hilliard Almond Wilbanks (July 26, 1933 – February 24, 1967) was a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for sacrificing his life on February 24, 1967, while supporting a unit of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) at Di Linh, near Da Lat, South Vietnam.
Career
Wilbanks joined the Air Force in August 1950, and was an air policeman with the Strategic Air Command during his first four years of service. He was then accepted into the aviation cadet program, and became a commissioned officer in June 1955. After serving as an instructor for a few years, he qualified as a fighter pilot in the early 1960s.
He arrived in Vietnam in April 1966 as a forward air controller (FAC) with the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron piloting a Cessna O-1E Bird Dog, with a top speed of about 105 mph. FACs were the key link in providing close air support to ground troops fighting in the Vietnam jungle. By February 24, 1967, he had flown 487 combat missions and had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and eight Air Medals. He was within two months of returning home.
Late in the afternoon of the 24 February, Wilbanks was in the air above the Central Highlands, flying reconnaissance for an ARVN Ranger Battalion. He discovered Viet Cong units concealed on two hilltops. The Rangers were on foot, making their way through a tea plantation that gave them little or no cover. They were walking into an ambush.
As Wilbanks flew his O-1E on a low-level sweep of the area, he radioed a warning to the Rangers. The enemy troops, seeing his plane, knew their ambush was being compromised, so they reacted with a barrage from mortars, machine guns and automatic weapons. Wilbanks flew through the heavy fire as he marked the area with white phosphorus rockets. The Viet Cong, knowing that fighters would soon be coming, charged down the slopes toward the outnumbered Rangers.
Wilbanks watched the drama from above and realized the fighters would not arrive in time before the Rangers were overrun. Diving toward the advancing troops, Wilbanks fired his remaining phosphorus rockets. The line momentarily stopped, but the Viet Cong knew he had no more rockets. They began their advance again. The fighters had still not arrived. Wilbanks had one more weapon, an M16 rifle. Grabbing his rifle, he began a series of strafing runs at about , firing it through the side window and reloading between passes. He managed to distract the enemy troops and momentarily slowed their advance. The Viet Cong diverted their fire against the low-flying O-1E. On his third pass, Wilbanks was severely wounded and crashed in the battle area. An Army Ranger ran to his plane and pulled the unconscious Wilbanks from the wreckage. A flight of F-4s strafed the enemy while a helicopter picked up the wounded Wilbanks. He died while being evacuated to a hospital.
Awards and decorations
Medal of Honor citation
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