Stanley D. Hyman

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant Stanley D. Hyman, United States Air Force, for gallantry in action on 23 April 1951 as a pilot of a B-26 attack bomber on a mission over North Korea. En route to his home base after completing a successful attack on enemy forces, he responded to an emergency message from an entrapped United Nations ground unit. Proceeding to the designated area he found the unit surrounded by approximately two thousand enemy troops. Although the position of the surrounded unit required him to make the attacks as much as fifteen hundred feet below the level of adjacent hills, Lieutenant Hyman made repeated strafing passes in the face of intense enemy ground fire to relieve the pressure on the friendly forces. On the first of these strafing runs, his aircraft canopy was shattered by fire from guns concealed on the hills above. In spite of the wind and bitter cold entering through the shattered canopy, Lieutenant Hyman continued his attacks until his ammunition was exhausted and then continued orbiting in the area to draw fire away from the entrapped unit. He left only when low fuel supply forced an immediate return. Intelligence reports the following day indicated that as a result of Lieutenant Hyman’s courageous and determined action the surrounded unit was able to rejoin the main body of the United Nations forces. Lieutenant Hyman’s gallantry under fire and his unswerving devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the service, and reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.