Henry Buttelmann

Henry "Hank" Buttelmann (June 26, 1929 – September 16, 2019) was a fighter pilot of the United States Air Force in the Korean War and Vietnam War. He achieved seven victories over enemy aircraft in Korea, making him a flying ace. He gained his fifth kill on June 30, 1953, just after his 24th birthday, which made him the youngest ace of the war.

Buttelmann was born in Corona, Queens, New York City, and attended the University of Bridgeport for two years. He was sent to Korea in December 1952, flying as a wingman in the F-86 Sabre jet against MiG-15s in "MiG Alley", the area around the border between North Korea and China. He shot down his first plane on June 19 of the next year, and he scored his fifth victory eleven days later. He added two more in July, days before the end of hostilities. He served two tours during the Vietnam War, flying the F-105 Thunderchief and F-100 Super Sabre. He retired from the Air Force in 1979 after a career total of 286 combat missions.

Early life and education Buttelmann was born to German immigrants His first introduction to aviation was when he had a neighbor who was an American Airlines pilot.

He began attending the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut in 1948, and he also served as a private in the 514th Troop Carrier Group of the Air National Guard, after having worked as a lifeguard to save for flying lessons.

Military career Korean War

He joined the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group in November 1952, where he had to be trained in air-to-air combat because he had only learned air-to-ground at Nellis. He was sent to Suwon Air Base, South Korea, on December 23, where he completed several check flights in the F-86 Sabre before doing his first combat mission on January 15, 1953.

He flew in "MiG Alley", the nickname given to the area around the border between North Korea and China near the Yalu River where American pilots fought Chinese, Soviet, and North Korean MiG-15 planes. The war was winding down into a stalemate by the time Buttelmann arrived, so there were few MiGs in the skies. Because of this, he flew aggressively, venturing north of the Yalu, into Chinese territory, but he still only saw MiGs twice during his first five months, when he was a wingman. He was the USAF's 36th ace and the youngest ace of the war at 24 years and 4 days. In another flight with Glenn three days later, After coming home from Korea with 65 combat missions,

Awards and decorations His decorations include:

Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross with ”V” device and three bronze oak leaf clustersAir Medal with four silver oak leaf clustersAir Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters (second ribbon required for accouterment spacing)Air Force Commendation Medal National Defense Service Medal with bronze service starKorean Service Medal with bronze campaign starVietnam Service Medal with four bronze campaign starsAir Force Longevity Service Award with silver leaf clusterRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit CitationRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry CrossUnited Nations Service Medal for KoreaVietnam Campaign MedalKorean War Service Medal

Aerial victory credits Throughout his career, Buttelmann was credited with seven victories, all of them in the Korean War.