The Chief

Published June 16, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Lauren Pitts
Minot Air Force Base Public Affaris

MINOT, N.D. -- The Medal of Honor: an award reserved for the most noble and selfless acts, and the pinnacle of American heroism. One such hero gave his life for his men and his country, but the true story of his legacy remained a secret for 42 years.

Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger enlisted in the Air Force in 1951. Upon arriving at his first duty station, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Etchberger met and married his wife. With Richard working as a radar technician, the Etchbergers traveled the world from Air Base to Air Base with their children Steve, Rich, and Cory.

"At the height of the Vietnam War in the mid 60's, that's when I remember dad being gone a lot," said Rich Etchberger. "He was spending a lot of time at the radar facility, training to make them more mobile for missions in South East Asia."

During this time period, the U.S. government began discharging Airmen and contracting them with Lockheed Martin as civilians to run the radar sites overseas. Etchberger and his wife arrived at the Pentagon to sign secrecy agreements before he began his mission.

Etchberger was serving as a ground radar superintendent at a top-secret defensive position at Lima Site 85 in Laos, a location that remained classified to the American public for over 40 years.

Despite the secrecy of the location, the North Vietnamese were aware of the American troops. Etchberger and his men were at the site when they were overrun by enemy forces. Under heavy artillery attack, Chief Etchberger's entire crew lay either dead or severely wounded, leaving the chief as the only one able to operate the radio and a weapon.

Chief Etchberger single-handedly directed airstrikes into the area, while simultaneously fighting off enemy fire with an M-16 rifle. The following morning, a rescue aircraft hovered over the chief's location, and lowered down the slings. Etchberger repeatedly exposed himself to the continuous enemy fire to ensure the surviving members of his crew were hoisted to safety. Just as Etchberger was about to board the aircraft, he noticed another troop of his ducking out of fire. He ran to the man, and together they were lifted to the aircraft.

"Just as dad is being lifted up, and the air craft begins to peel away, a Vietnamese soldier empties his AK-47 at the Huey, and only one bullet hit anything," said Cory Etchberger. "And that was dad."

On March 11, 1968, the Etchberger family received a call at their home in Pennsylvania. What they were told and what they believed for most of their lives was that their father was killed in a helicopter crash.

Only eight months after they heard the news, the Etchbergers were called to the White House where their mother was presented with the Air Force Cross. Although her children remained oblivious to their father's cause of death, Mrs. Etchberger kept her husband's mission a secret until her death in 1994.

In 2010, Cory received a call from the White House. On the other end of the line was President Barack Obama, who revealed the true story behind Chief Etchberger's death, and his acts of heroism and valor. The Etchberger brothers traveled to Washington D.C. once more, to witness the Medal of Honor posthumously awarded to their father; the first chief master sergeant to ever receive it.

Chief Etchberger's legacy is the embodiment of the Air Force Core values, and the personification of the Airman's creed. During his time serving his country, Chief Etchberger's sacrifice truly was the epitome of integrity first, service before self, and the promise to never leave an Airman behind.