58th SOW unveils Medal of Honor wall

  • Published
  • By Argen Duncan
  • Nucleus editor

Two Medal of Honor recipients unveiled the 58th Special Operations Wing’s Medal of Honor memorial wall during a ceremony Tuesday morning in the wing headquarters.

The wall features the seven Medal of Honor recipients who served in Air Force search and rescue or special operations, as well as the names of the 59 fallen Airmen associated with the 58th SOW. Retired Cols. Joe Jackson and James Fleming, two Medal of Honor recipients honored on the wall, unveiled the memorial.

Jackson said he was pleased and proud to see his portrait on the wall, but people shouldn’t assume heroic actions are limited to him.

“Everyone of you has within you the ability to do as much or more than I did, and I wish you the best of luck,” he said.

Jackson earned the highest military award for valor in combat by landing his C-123 Provider plane under heavy fire to rescue a three-man combat control team from an overrun outpost in Vietnam on Mother’s Day 1968.

Fleming received the honor for rescuing a seven-man special operations reconnaissance patrol in Vietnam in November 1968. Fleming landed his UH-1F Huey helicopter on an exposed river bank under intense fire twice, despite being low on fuel, and extricated the whole team.

Fleming said inclusion on the wall was humbling and struggled to express his appreciation.

“This is one of the grandest … My gosh, I’m not usually stuck for words,” he said.

The memorial wall, in the entryway of the headquarter building, will feature seven original oil paintings of Medal of Honor recipients and scenes from their heroic acts by artist Brian Bateman. Under the pictures, brass plates name the recipients and explain their deeds.

Jackson’s and Fleming’s portraits are there now, and Bateman is working on the others.

In addition to names of fallen Airmen, the wall displays the requirements to receive a medal of honor, a plaque featuring the design of the medal and a quote by Navy pilot and former Vietnam prisoner of war Jerry Coffee. A single-edition book featuring honorees’ valor stories from the Air Force Magazine is placed on a table against the opposite wall to make the memorial interactive and personal.

Former 58th SOW Commander Col. Dagvin Anderson initiated creation of the memorial about two years ago, assigning the job to wing historian Laura Malloy. Current Commander Col. Brenda Cartier supported the effort.

Malloy said Anderson told her he was looking for a way to unite the diverse missions and shared heritage of the wing.

“To me, it’s just bringing a little bit of history and heritage to life,” Malloy said.

The design of the wall is Malloy’s, but others on base, including the Arts and Crafts Center and Army Corps of Engineers maintenance crews, helped make it happen.

During the unveiling ceremony, Cartier said 18 Air Force members have received the Medal of Honor in the Air Force’s 69-year history as a separate branch of service. Of those, 14 received the award in the Vietnam War, and seven of those served in combat search and rescue or special operations.

Those seven include Fleming and Jackson.

“Their heroism is legendary,” Cartier said.

She said their brave acts are why the 58th works to train the best special operations aviation Airmen.

Anderson envisioned the wall as showing heritage and warrior ethos.

“I am honored to bring his vision — your vision — to fruition,” Cartier told the audience.

Fleming and Jackson spoke to personnel from Kirtland and Cannon Air Force bases before the unveiling ceremony. For a report on their remarks, check the Nov. 24 edition of the Nucleus.