LEVITOW MEMORIAL UNVEILED AT CANNON AIR FORCE BASE

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
A Medal of Honor hangs from the newly unveiled John Lee Levitow memorial in the heritage room of the 3rd Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., May 22, 2012. Levitow was an AC-47 gunship loadmaster who became the lowest ranking Airman to ever receive the Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism during a time of war. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Xavier Lockley) 











3 SOS unveils Levitow Memorial at Cannon AFB 
by Public Affairs Staff
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

5/22/2012 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M.  -- The 3rd Special Operations Squadron unveiled a memorial dedicated to Airman 1st Class John L. Levitow in their heritage room at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., May 22.

Assigned to the 3 SOS during the Vietnam War, Levitow worked as a loadmaster on an AC-47 Spooky gunship. While supporting a firefight and dropping white phosphorus flares through the open door of the gunship, his aircraft was jarred by a tremendous blast. A North Vietnamese Army 82-millimeter mortar shell landed on top of the right wing and exploded inside the wing frame. Everyone in the back of "Spooky 71" was wounded, including Levitow.

Immediately after the explosion, Levitow saw that a burning Mark 24 magnesium flare that had been knocked free in the fuselage and was rolling amid ammunition cans that contained 19,000 rounds of live ammunition. Despite his wounds, he threw his body onto the burning flare and dragged himself to the rear of the aircraft where he hurled the flare through the open cargo door. At that instant, the flare separated and ignited in the air, but clear of the aircraft. Levitow's actions saved the gunship and the lives of the crew members onboard.

Levitow was awarded the Medal of Honor for these heroic acts, and he became the lowest-ranking Airman ever to receive the prestigious honor for exceptional heroism during wartime.

According to the official website for the Public Broadcasting Service, there have been seventeen Medal of Honor recipients since the formation of a separate Air Force in 1947. This places Levitow in an elite group.

"John Levitow was part of the 3 SOS, a fellow Air Commando, and a significant part of our squadron's lineage," said Master Sgt. Charles Nichols, 3 SOS operational superintendent. "Our troops are so proud to finally see this memorial within the 3 SOS after all the work we put into getting it here."

Today, the 3 SOS flies the MQ-1B Predator, a Remotely Piloted Aircraft that is employed primarily for intelligence collection. The 3 SOS has flown more than 200,000 hours since October 2005 and continues to conduct operations in support of Special Operations Forces worldwide.

Chief Master Sgt. Gary Glover, 27th Special Operations Group superintendent, came up with the concept of erecting the memorial at the 3 SOS. "I wanted to do it for the squadron, but it's more of a testament of the sacrifice and service before self attitude that the squadron still lives by today," said Glover. "Knowing the heritage of your squadron helps inspire pride and professionalism."

While Glover started the memorial project, Nichols took the steps necessary to follow through on the initiative.

"I didn't succeed alone in this endeavor," said Nichols. "A lot of hard working people stepped up from the squadron to make this memorial a reality. Everyone in the 3 SOS played some part, so it really was a team effort."

The 3 SOS hosted a base-wide motorcycle ride and squadron barbeque to raise money needed for the memorial. More than 30 motorcyclists took part in the ride, which went through Clovis, Melrose and Portales, N.M., and helped raise more than $800.

One of the more difficult items to procure was the actual Medal of Honor ribbon, which needed Congressional approval to be sent to the 3 SOS. Levitow originally received the medal in 1969.

"It just goes to show that no matter how many stripes you have on your sleeve or how much brass you have on your collar, you can make a difference in the lives of others," said Nichols. "To see this year-long project finally realized makes us feel like we've made an impact at Cannon."

VIETNAM WAR HERO WILL RECEIVE POSTHUMOUS MEDAL OF HONOR

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
Army Spc. 4 Leslie H. Sabo Jr., who served with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Sabo will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously in a May 16, 2012, White House ceremony for his valor in the Vietnam War. Photo courtesy of George Sabo  
Vietnam War Hero to Receive Posthumous Medal of Honor
Army News Service


WASHINGTON, April 17, 2012 - Army Spc. 4 Leslie H. Sabo Jr., a rifleman with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War, will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor in a May 16 ceremony, White House officials announced yesterday.
Sabo is credited with saving the lives of several of his comrades in Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, when his platoon was ambushed near the Se San River in eastern Cambodia on May 10, 1970. Sabo shielded a comrade from an enemy grenade and silenced a machine-gun bunker before he was killed.

Sabo's widow, Rose Mary Sabo-Brown, and his brother, George Sabo, have been invited to the White House for the ceremony. President Barack Obama recently telephoned Sabo-Brown to inform her that her late husband would receive the nation's highest award for valor.

"It was a very emotional day -- a very, very emotional day," she said. I couldn't even sleep that night. And ... when I did fall asleep finally and I woke up the next morning, I went, 'Now wait a minute, did I dream this? Is it really real?' I couldn't be more proud of him.
In her home near New Castle, Pa., Sabo-Brown has set up a museum of sorts in tribute to her late husband and his comrades who were killed in Cambodia.

When his platoon was ambushed from all sides by a large enemy force, Sabo charged the enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers. He then assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat. While the platoon was securing a re-supply of ammunition, an enemy grenade landed nearby. Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded a wounded comrade with his own body -- absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade's life.
Although wounded by the grenade blast, Sabo continued to charge the enemy's bunker. After receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire, he crawled toward the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker. The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Sabo's life.

Sabo's unit nominated him for the Medal of Honor, but the paperwork was lost until Tony Mabb, a Vietnam veteran of the 101st Airborne Division and a writer for the Screaming Eagle Association magazine, came across a thick file on Sabo while on a research trip to the National Archives military repository in College Park, Md.

Mabb contacted his congresswoman, who recommended that the Defense Department reconsider a medal of valor for Sabo. Mabb also made contact with Sabo's widow.
"The Leslie I know would give his life to anybody," she said. "He would. He would give you the shirt off his back. That's the kind of man he was."
(From a White House news release, with additional reporting by Elizabeth M. Collins of Soldiers magazine.)