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Only Medal of Honor awarded to fixed-wing naval aviator in Vietnam War
The “World Famous Golden Dragons” of VA-192 had gained their name when the squadron’s F9F-5 Panthers starred in two Hollywood Korean War movies, Men of the Fighting Lady and The Bridges at Toko-ri. Switching from fighter to attack squadron in 1956, the “Golden Dragons” arrived in Southeast Asia aboard Ticonderoga in early 1967, and the unit’s A-4s were in the thick of things quickly. The squadron experienced some truly memorable events that spring.
As told by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver in his book The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, the mission of Apr. 26 would see the only Medal of Honor awarded to a fixed-wing naval aviator in the Vietnam War.
Flying Iron Hand support for the mission was VA-192’s Lieutenant Commander Mike Estocin, a serious, focused man who had always wanted to fly. He was the squadron’s Iron Hand specialist, a pilot willing to fly down the throat of an SA-2 battery before firing his Shrike missile. In 1967, the Shrike was not a dependable weapon, and often a pilot would be forced to fire his second weapon to kill the SAM, its crew, and the support radar. With tactics and equipment to fight the ever-increasing number of SAMs constantly evolving, it took a special kind of aviator to fly the mission.
Skyhawk losing fuel fast
Six days before this mission, Estocin had flown as Iron Hand support for an Alpha strike to hit two thermal powerplants near Haiphong. The three Iron Hand A-4s had successfully attacked three SAM sites. Estocin’s Skyhawk sustained severe damage when a SAM detonated beneath him during the second attack. After checking for control problems, he attacked the third site. As the A-4s headed out over the Tonkin Gulf in search of a tanker, Estocin’s airplane was streaming jet fuel. Finally, with an estimated five minutes of fuel remaining, he found the orbiting KA-3B and plugged in.
It was quickly apparent the Skyhawk was losing fuel faster than it could be pumped in. The Skywarrior then towed the A-4 back to Ticonderoga, three miles from the ship and with fuel for one pass, Estocin unplugged and headed for the deck. Listening to the LSO, he made a “roger” pass and caught the three wire as the A-4 caught fire. Estocin remained in the cockpit and waited as the fire-fighting crew smothered the fire with foam. Ticonderoga’s CAG wrote him up for a Silver Star for the mission.
Iron Hand Lead
On Apr. 26, Estocin was again Iron Hand Lead. As the strike force swept across the tank farm, Estocin and F-8 pilot Lieutenant Commander John Nichols, his escort, remained in orbit as he watched for signs of SAMs. Finally, their radar warning receivers lit up as the Fan Song radars that controlled the SAMs reached out for them. Getting word from the radar controller on the duty air control ship that the strike force was heading for home, Estocin and Nichols both suddenly spotted the flash of a launch 12,000 feet below. Nichols waited for Estocin to turn and take evasive action, but Estocin bored in, intent on getting the site. A moment later, the SAM exploded near the A-4, which began shedding pieces as it burned and spun toward the ground.
Somehow, Estocin managed to right his plane at 2,000 feet. Nichols slid in for a closer look at the Skyhawk. Both were flying at 160 knots, barely above stalling speed. Nichols could see Estocin slumped over in the shattered cockpit of the A-4. There was no response to his repeated calls as the shredded Skyhawk staggered through the sky. Finally, the airplane rolled inverted and the two Shrike missiles launched themselves as it dived into the ground and exploded on impact. He called off the incoming rescue force and went “feet wet” back to the ship. There was initial confusion over Estocin’s fate, since his death was not confirmed, and there were confusing reports he had ejected and survived. In 1973, the North Vietnamese confirmed his body had been found in the cockpit of his crashed Skyhawk.
Posthumous Medal of Honor
At first, the wing wrote a citation for a Navy Cross, but both the task group commander and ComTF-77 sent the write-up back, stating they would “support an upgrade.” There was only one award higher than a Navy Cross. Mike Estocin’s family received his posthumous Medal of Honor in 1978, which was awarded for his actions on Apr. 20 and 26, 1967. Nineteen fliers received this award during the Vietnam War: ten USAF, five Army, two Navy, and one Marine. Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Estocin was the only naval aviator to receive the award for bravery in the cockpit of a jet. (Commander James Stockdale was awarded the medal for his service while a POW in Hanoi.) Estocin died the day before his 36th birthday. In 1981, USS Estocin (FFG-15) was named in his honor, serving until it was decommissioned and sold to Turkey in 2003.
The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: U.S. Navy
