Hal P Henning

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Hal P. Henning, Captain, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as an F-105 Pilot in Southeast Asia on 27 October 1967. On that date, Captain Henning was the leader of a force of twenty F-105 Thunderchiefs assigned to attack an extremely vital military storage area in the vicinity of Hanoi, North Vietnam. En route to the target, his aircraft was extensively damaged by shrapnel from a surface-to-air missile. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, Captain Henning continued on to the assigned target with his crippled aircraft. Diving through intense antiaircraft fire, delivering his bombs precisely on target, he was successful in heavily damaging the storage complex. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Captain Henning reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.