James H. Kasler

Colonel James Helms Kasler (May 2, 1926 – April 24, 2014) was a senior officer in the United States Air Force and the only person to be awarded the Air Force Cross three times. The Air Force Cross ranks just below the Medal of Honor as an award for extraordinary heroism in combat.

Kasler was a combat veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In Korea, as an F-86 Sabre pilot with the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, he was recognized as an ace, credited with shooting down 6 MiG-15s. Kasler flew a combined 198 combat missions and was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from August 1966 until March 1973.

He flew a total of 101 combat missions in an F-86E Sabre and scored 6 confirmed air-to-air victories and two more damaged against MiG-15s, becoming among the first jet aces of the Korean War.

Early life and education Kasler was born May 2, 1926, in South Bend, Indiana. After enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserve on November 24, 1943, he went on active duty with the U.S. Army Air Forces on May 16, 1944.

He earned his bachelor's degree in June 1963 from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Prisoner of war

While flying F-105D-31-RE Thunderchief 62–4343 on his 91st combat mission on August 8, 1966, Kasler was awarded a second Air Force Cross as leader of a formation that was evaluating low-level delivery against a priority target. When his wingman, 1st Lt Fred R. Flom was hit and ejected, Major Kasler located the downed pilot, flew cover at low altitude until his fuel was almost gone, refueled with an aerial tanker, and returned to direct rescue operations. Flying at treetop level in an attempt to relocate his wingman, Kasler's F-105 was disabled by ground fire. He ejected, was captured and singled out for special attention by his captors and tortured repeatedly to get him to cooperate with their propaganda efforts.

For more than a month in 1967, Kasler was the target of nearly continuous daily torture. He received his third award of the Air Force Cross for resisting torture inflicted on him over a two-month period during the summer of 1968 in an attempt to coerce his cooperation with visiting anti-war delegations and propaganda film makers.

Kasler described his worst treatment: My worst session of torture began in late June 1968. The Vietnamese were attempting to force me to meet a delegation and appear before TV cameras on the occasion of the supposed 3,000th American airplane shot down over North Vietnam. I couldn't say the things they were trying to force me to say. I was tortured for six weeks. I went through the ropes and irons ten times. I was denied sleep for five days and during three of these was beaten every hour on the hour with a fan belt. During the entire period I was on a starvation diet. I was very sick during this period. I had contracted osteomyelitis in early 1967 and had a massive bone infection in my right leg. They would wrap my leg before each torture session so I wouldn't get pus or blood all over the floor of the interrogation room. During this time they beat my face to a pulp. I couldn't get my teeth apart for five days. My ear drum was ruptured, one of my ribs broken and the pin in my right leg was broken loose and driven up into my hip.

The guard nicknamed "Fidel" by the POWs returned to Kasler's cell the next day and demanded that he surrender. Kasler refused and the beatings resumed and continued for another two days. Kasler suffered a fractured rib, a ruptured eardrum and broken teeth. He was left with the skin hanging off his rear end down to the floor. His face was so swollen, it hung like a bag, his eyes almost shut. Kasler's mangled and infected leg, which tormented him throughout his captivity and for years afterward, swelled to the point he feared it would explode.

He was finally released on March 4, 1973, during Operation Homecoming, after spending 2,401 days in captivity.

Later life Kasler was married to his wife, Martha (Rankin), for 65 years. She had moved to Indianapolis from Macomb, Illinois, as an eighth-grader. They had a daughter Suzanne and twins James and Nanette. Suzanne operates a nationally known interior design firm in Atlanta and Nanette is the owner of NKL Designs. They have four grandchildren. Kane Lauck, Ryan Kasler, Jackie Kasler and Alexandra Morris.

He spent the last 39 years of his life as a resident of Momence, Illinois, where he owned and developed South Shore Golf Course in Momence and had interests in banking and real estate, served on a number of boards and received a variety of civic and service awards.

In 1973, Kasler received the Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate presented by Lowell Thomas at an awards ceremony in Chicago. Other honorees at the 1973 Banquet included Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, Neil Armstrong, Ray Kroc, Senator Howard Baker, and Bart Starr

In 2007, Kasler appeared on an episode of the History Channel series Dogfights. In the episode, titled 'No Room for Error', Kasler's "May 15, 1952 mission", where he shot down two MiG-15s, action is depicted. The episode was the eighth episode of the second season of the series, which recreated historical air combat campaigns using modern computer graphics.

On 15 September 2007 the United States Air Force dedicated a monument to him. He and his wife Martha resided in Illinois.

Kasler died April 24, 2014, in West Palm Beach, Florida and is buried with full military honors at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Awards and decorations Included among his 76 awards for valor and service, in addition to receiving three awards of the Air Force Cross, Kasler was decorated twice with the Silver Star and awarded a Legion of Merit, nine Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, and eleven Air Medals.

US Air Force Command Pilot BadgeAir Force Crossw/ 2 bronze oak leaf clustersSilver Starw/ 1 bronze oak leaf clusterLegion of MeritDistinguished Flying Crossw/ Valor device, 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clustersDistinguished Flying Cross (second ribbon required for accouterment spacing)Bronze Starw/ Valor device and 1 bronze oak leaf clusterPurple Heartw/ 1 bronze oak leaf clusterAir Medalw/ 2 silver oak leaf clustersAir Force Commendation Medalw/ 2 bronze oak leaf clustersAir Force Presidential Unit Citationw/ 2 bronze oak leaf clustersAir Force Outstanding Unit Awardw/ Valor device and 2 bronze oak leaf clustersPrisoner of War MedalCombat Readiness MedalArmy Good Conduct MedalAmerican Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalw/ 2 bronze campaign starsWorld War II Victory MedalNational Defense Service Medalw/ 1 bronze service starKorean Service Medalw/ 2 bronze campaign starsArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalVietnam Service Medalw/ 3 silver and 1 bronze campaign starsAir Force Longevity Service Awardw/ 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clustersSmall Arms Expert Marksmanship RibbonRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit CitationRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry CrossUnited Nations Service Medal for KoreaVietnam Campaign MedalKorean War Service Medal

Air Force Cross citation (1st Award)

Kasler, James Helms Major, U.S. Air Force 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand Date of Action: June 29, 1966

Citation:

Air Force Cross citation (2nd Award)

Kasler, James Helms Major, U.S. Air Force 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand Date of Action: August 6, 1966

Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Air Force Cross to Major James Helms Kasler, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as an F-105 Thunderchief pilot with the 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, in action near Yen Bay, North Vietnam, on 6 August 1966. On that date, Major Kasler led a flight of fighter-bombers against a heavily defended target in evaluating a low level ordnance delivery tactic. While carrying out this hazardous mission, a wingman was forced to eject over unfriendly territory. Major Kasler located the downed airman and flew cover until perilously low fuel compelled him to leave. Refueling aerially, Major Kasler returned to relocate the downed pilot so he could direct rescue operations. At great risk to his own life, he explored the gun infested countryside at tree-top level, valiantly searching, but was unable to locate his fellow American. Major Kasler's Thunderchief was hit by destructive ground fire during his valorous search, and he too ejected into unfriendly hands. Through his extraordinary heroism superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Major Kasler reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Silver Star citation (2nd Award)

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to Colonel James Helms Kasler (AFSN: O-2221728/24551A), United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. During the period 15 August 1967 to 20 September 1967, the North Vietnamese were conducting a savage purge throughout the prison camp in which Colonel Kasler was interned, to determine the identity of the leaders of the resistance against them and their camp policies. Colonel Kasler was called out on trumped up charges, had his hands clamped behind his back for 32 days and put through the dreaded rope torture. Colonel Kasler, although very seriously wounded, resisted the Vietnamese through extraordinary willpower and gallantry in a manner which reflected great credit on himself and the United States Air Force.