STORY ABOUT THE SAR BILL PITSENBARGR WAS AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR
Excerpted from the book "PJs in Vietnam by Robert LaPointe"

SECRETARY AIR FORCE AWARD SPEECH 

AIRMAN MUSEUM MONOGRAPH AFC 

A movie about Bill Pitsenbarger's mission was released in 2020. The title is "The Last Full Measure" and it is an accurate portrayal of Bill's last mission and the long delay in finally being awarded the Medal of Honor. There are two issues in the movie that require explanation. First, the helicopter used in the movie was a UH-1 Huey; but, the HH-43 Huskie was the actual type flown on that mission. The reason for this swap of helicopter types was that there were no HH-43's that were flyable for use in the movie. The last flight by the USAF of this helicopter was in 1975. At the time of the movie, there was only one known HH-43 that was still flying and it was in the USA. The jungle scenes of the movie was filmed in Thailand. The second issue is the uniform worn by Pitsenbarger in the movie was the USAF fatigue uniform with blue and white patches and rank insignia. This was the same uniform worn by airmen the world over in the 1960's. Airman Pitsenbarger actually wore the same type jungle fatigues worn by the Army soldiers in the movie. The more visible uniform worn by Pits was an intentional deviation from the facts in order that Pits would stand out from the grunts. Had he worn the same uniform as the Army troops it would have been very difficult to ascertain who was who in the movie.

Movie Synopsis
The Last Full Measure centers on the true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force Pararescueman who personally saved over 60 men during the Vietnam War. During a rescue mission on April 11, 1966, Pits, as he was called, chose to leave the relative safety of his rescue helicopter to aid wounded soldiers under heavy fire. After saving many, he was ordered to leave on the last helicopter out of what became one of the war's bloodiest battles. He chose to stay, sacrificing his own life to save and defend soldiers of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division.

32 years later, Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman, is reluctantly tasked with investigating a posthumous Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger by his parents and Tom Tulley, Pitsenbarger's partner on the fateful mission. Huffman seeks out the testimony of Army veterans who witnessed or were saved by Pitsenbarger's extraordinary valor. As Huffman learns more about Pitsenbarger's selfless courage, he uncovers a decades-long, high-level conspiracy: as of Pitsenbarger's death in combat in 1966. The Air Force had never put forth the names of enlisted personnel to receive the Medal of Honor. This prompts him to put his own career on the line, potentially creating controversy around the company's former commanding officer who ordered the highly dangerous mission, and who is now a US senator seeking reelection.

When a Senate effort to award the medal fails on the floor of Congress due to unrelated political infighting, Huffman goes public with the story, and ultimately the Medal of Honor is awarded to Pitsenbarger by presidential decree. Pitsenbarger's father, who is dying of cancer, and mother are in attendance as their son's duty, courage and sacrifice is recounted. The Air Force Secretary presents the medal to the parents, then recognizes everyone in attendance, all of whose lives were influenced by Pitsenbarger's actions, saying, "This is the power of what one person can do." The epilogue points out that as of 2019, of the 3,489 Medal of Honor recipients among millions of US military personnel, only three airmen have been enlisted Air Force.