John Levitow

Infobox Military Person
name= Sgt. John L. LevitowUnited States Air Force
born= birth date|1945|11|01
died= death date and age|2000|11|08|1945|11|01
placeofbirth= Hartford, Connecticut
placeofdeath= Connecticut
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption=John Levitow
nickname=
allegiance=flag|United States of America
branch= air force|United States
serviceyears=1966–1974
rank= Sergeant
commands=
unit= 3rd Special Operations Squadron
battles= Vietnam War
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart Air Medal
laterwork=

John L. Levitow (November 1, 1945–November 8, 2000) was one of two Air Force enlisted men to receive the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

Biography

John Lee Levitow, an AC-47 gunship loadmaster, became the lowest-ranking Airman ever to receive the Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism during wartime.

Born in Hartford, Conn., Levitow attended Glastonbury High School, and originally intended to join the United States Navy. He changed his mind and joined the Air Force - never looking back. He was first trained in civil engineering, then he cross-trained into the loadmaster career field. After flying with C-130 Herculess out of McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., he was sent to Vietnam.

He worked for the state of Connecticut designing veterans program until his death on Nov. 8, 2000 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was buried Nov. 17 at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors.

Military career

On February 24, 1969, Levitow was asked to fill in for the regular loadmaster on an AC-47. He was handling Mark 24 magnesium flares aboard "Spooky 71" when his pilot threw the AC-47 and its eight-man crew into a turn to engage Viet Cong whose muzzle flashes were visible outside Long Binh Army Base. The aircraft, an armed version of the C-47 Skytrain transport, had been flying a night mission in the Tan Son Nhut Air Base area when Long Binh came under attack. Levitow would set the ejection and ignition controls and pass a flare to the gunner, who attached it to a lanyard. On the pilot's command, the gunner would simultaneously pull the safety pin and toss the flare through the open cargo door. Ten seconds after the three-foot-long, 27 pound metal tube was released, an explosive charge deployed a parachute. In another ten seconds, the magnesium flare would ignite, quickly reaching convert|4000|°F|°C and illuminating the countryside with two million candlepower intensity. Each flare would burn for more than a minute.

Suddenly, Spooky 71 was jarred by a tremendous explosion and bathed in a blinding flash of light. A North Vietnamese Army 82-millimeter mortar shell had landed on top of the right wing and exploded inside the wing frame. The blast raked the fuselage with flying shrapnel. Everyone in the back of Spooky 71 was wounded, including Levitow who was hit by shrapnel that "felt like a two-by-four."

Despite his wounds, he came to the rescue of a fellow crew member who was perilously close to the open cargo door. As he dragged his buddy back toward the center of the cabin, Levitow saw something even worse: a loose, burning Mark 24 magnesium flare had been knocked free in the fuselage and was rolling amid ammunition cans that contained 19,000 rounds of live ammunition.

Through a haze of pain and shock, Levitow, with 40 shrapnel wounds in his legs, side and back, realized he was the closest crew member to the flare. Fighting a 30-degree bank, Levitow crawled to the flare, but was unable to grasp it to pick it up. He threw himself bodily upon the burning flare. Hugging it to his body, he dragged himself back to the rear of the aircraft, leaving a trail of blood behind. Not knowing how long the flare had been burning, he hurled it through the open cargo door. At that instant, the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft. When the aircraft finally returned to the base, the extent of the damage became apparent. The AC-47 had more than 3,500 holes in the wings and fuselage, one measuring more than three feet long.

The pilot later reconstructed what happened by the blood pattern Levitow had left on the floor of the aircraft.

Levitow spent about two-and-a-half months in a hospital and was sent back to Vietnam for another tour of duty, and flew 20 more missions. He was returned to the United States to receive the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon in ceremonies at the White House on Armed Forces Day, May 14, 1970. After receiving the Medal of Honor, Levitow was told by a member of the Air Staff that the only people to whom he was required to render a salute were Medal of Honor recipients who were of higher rank than himself -- all of them since he was the lowest-ranking one.

He was promoted to sergeant before his discharge from the Air Force fours years later, Levitow spent more than 22 years devoted to veterans' affairs. On January 22, 1998, in Long Beach, California, Air Mobility Command and the Boeing Company struck a resounding chord for the Air Force enlisted rank with the naming of a C-17 Globemaster III as "The Spirit of John Levitow."

Death and Burial

John Levitow died of cancer November 8, 2000 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia. His grave can be found in section 66, site 7107, map grid DD/17.findagrave|19246 Retrieved on 2007-10-25]

Honors

In his memory, the Levitow Honor Graduate Award is presented to the top professional military education graduate from Air Force Airman Leadership Schools. The 737th Training Group headquarters building at Lackland AFB, Texas, has also been named in his honor, as well as the Airmens Center in the training section (the "Triangle") at Keesler Air Force Base. Levitow is further honored by having the "John L. Levitow Award" named after him, which is the highest award given to the top graduate of every Air Force enlisted Professional Military Education class.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Air Force, 3d Special Operations Squadron. place and date: Long Binh Army post, Republic of Vietnam, February 24, 1969. Entered service at: New Haven, Conn. Born: November 1, 1945, Hartford, Conn.

Citation:

:For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Levitow (then A1C.), U.S. Air Force, distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while assigned as a loadmaster aboard an AC-47 aircraft flying a night mission in support of Long Binh Army post. Sgt. Levitow's aircraft was struck by a hostile mortar round. The resulting explosion ripped a hole convert|2|ft|m in diameter through the wing and fragments made over 3,500 holes in the fuselage. All occupants of the cargo compartment were wounded and helplessly slammed against the floor and fuselage. The explosion tore an activated flare from the grasp of a crew member who had been launching flares to provide illumination for Army ground troops engaged in combat. Sgt. Levitow, though stunned by the concussion of the blast and suffering from over 40 fragment wounds in the back and legs, staggered to his feet and turned to assist the man nearest to him who had been knocked down and was bleeding heavily. As he was moving his wounded comrade forward and away from the opened cargo compartment door, he saw the smoking flare ahead of him in the aisle. Realizing the danger involved and completely disregarding his own wounds, Sgt. Levitow started toward the burning flare. The aircraft was partially out of control and the flare was rolling wildly from side to side. Sgt. Levitow struggled forward despite the loss of blood from his many wounds and the partial loss of feeling in his right leg. Unable to grasp the rolling flare with his hands, he threw himself bodily upon the burning flare. Hugging the deadly device to his body, he dragged himself back to the rear of the aircraft and hurled the flare through the open cargo door. At that instant the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft. Sgt. Levitow, by his selfless and heroic actions, saved the aircraft and its entire crew from certain death and destruction. Sgt. Levitow's gallantry, his profound concern for his fellowmen, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country. [http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/vn_af_levitow.html MOH Citation] ]

Notes

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War

References

*findagrave|19246 Retrieved on 2007-10-25
* [http://www.mishalov.com/Levitow.html Collected Levitow Articles]
* [http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/vn_af_levitow.html MOH Citation]

Persondata
NAME= Levitow, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Air Force Medal of Honor recipient
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PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
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