JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Military members from Headquarters Pacific Air Forces and JBPHH gathered to honor the Air Force recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor during a rededication ceremony at Aloha Aina Park, Feb. 19, 2016.
Maj. Gen. Kevin Schneider, PACAF chief of staff, presided over the ceremony and thanked everyone who helped make the rededication ceremony possible.
The rededicated plaque now features Chief Master Sgt. Richard Echtberger and Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger, who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in the Vietnam War, in addition to the 59 names originally displayed.
“There are a lot of words to describe these two men,” Schneider said. “Heroic, brave, gallant, courageous, honorable - the list goes on. There is one word in particular that really resonates with me when I think about what these men were: selfless.”
During the ceremony, Schneider and Chief Master Sgt. Michael Atkins, PACAF's pararescue functional area manager, honored Pitsenbarger by placing a lei atop the memorial. Cory Etchberger and Traci Megenney, Etchberger’s son and granddaughter, each placed a lei atop the memorial in honor of Etchberger.
“This rededication was wonderful,” said Cory Etchberger. “ It’s more than just my dad’s name on that plaque. It is also tribute to all the other service members and their families.”
Although there are many stories to be told about the 61 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the ceremony was to pay tribute to two of them.
Pitsenbarger was the 59th member of the U.S. Army Air Corps and Air Force to receive the nation's highest decoration for remaining behind enemy lines to treat wounded soldiers during the Vietnam War.
The 21-year-old Airman, who was assigned to Detachment 6 of the 38th Aero Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, was killed during an operation to extract Army casualties pinned down in a battle near Cam My, a few miles east of Saigon, on April 11, 1966.
Pitsenbarger was originally awarded the Air Force Cross for his valor, however, the medal was later upgraded to the Congressional Medal of Honor in a ceremony Dec. 8, 2000.
Etchberger part of a 19-man team who directed 507 strike missions in North Vietnam and Laos. The strikes attracted the attention of the North Vietnamese military, which attacked the site from the air before infiltrating sniper and combat troops to surround the installation.
Etchberger and several of his colleagues were then pinned down by rifle fire and beset by grenades, which they kicked away while returning fire, displaying exceptional heroism.
Etchberger placed two comrades in a helicopter's rescue sling before bear-hugging one more into the sling and raising to safety. As the helicopter lifted off, it was struck with a barrage of armor-piercing fire that mortally wounded Etchberger.
He was awarded the Air Force Cross for his valor, however, the medal was later upgraded to the Congressional Medal of Honor in a ceremony Sep. 21, 2010.
“These men made a commitment to putting the mission first, putting others first, and to being selfless," Schneider said. “To me, this memorial and the memories of the names of the men on this plaque serve as a reminder of the power of selflessness.”