On the night of November 9, 1967 Capt. Lance Sijan was on his 52nd combat mission over Laos when his F4 Phantom was engulfed in a ball of fire due to the bomb fuses malfunctioning and causing a premature detonation on their release.
Sijan managed to eject from the aircraft and land on a limestone karst ridge.
During his violent ejection and very rough parachute landing, Sijan had suffered a fractured skull, a mangled right hand, and a compound fracture of the left leg. He was without food, with very little water, and no survival kit; nevertheless, he evaded enemy forces for 46 days. During this entire period, Sijan was only able to move by sliding on his buttocks and back along the rocky limestone ridge and later along the jungle floor.
He was eventually captured and sent to an NVA camp. Despite his poor health, he managed to incapacitate a guard and escape into the jungle, but was recaptured several hours later.
He was then sent to a camp in North Vietnam where he was brutally tortured for information, to which he didnt divulge.
Suffering terribly from exhaustion, malnutrition, and disease, he was soon transported to Hanoi. However, in his weakened state, he contracted pneumonia and died at the "Hanoi Hilton" on January 22, 1968.
For his unwavering defiance towards his enemies and extraordinary heroism, Sijan was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. #hardfuck #survival #hero #stayzero #zerofoxtrot