The Distinguished Flying Cross is our nation’s the fourth highest award for heroism and the highest award for extraordinary aerial achievement. The fact that Robert Lifsey was awarded four DFC medals is impressive.  Even more amazing is that the awards were presented over the course of only twelve months in Vietnam, along with a Bronze Star, a Republic of Vietnam Silver Star and four Airmen’s Medals with Valor.

After receiving a draft notice, Bob enlisted in the Army. He chose to go to an airborne unit and completed training with the 7^th Special Forces (Green Berets). However, orders for flight school came right as he completed Special Forces training so he “Never tucked my trousers in my boots again.”

Bob was assigned to the 191^st Helicopter Assault Company in January of 1969. His unit flew UH-1 “Huey” C model gunships. He describes the UH-1’s weapons systems and shares his great respect for the bravery of crew chiefs and door gunners who hung out the side doors attached to the helicopter with only a waist strap.

The 191^st Assault Helicopters nickname was “The Boomerangs”, a reference to the fact that they would always come back for their own.  A common theme in Bob’s award citations was his unwillingness to leave any troops behind even though he was taking significant enemy fire.

Bob walks us through one particular dangerous mission that still gives him nightmares. His helicopters were called to neutralize enemy bunkers that could not be attacked with artillery because they were too close to a village. Fire from the bunkers was causing significant casualties to Navy units on the river.

Bob climbed to altitude and dove directly at the bunker to fire his rockets. Secondary explosions from the bunker knocked out the copter’s nose bubble turning the aircraft into a wind tunnel.  Flying concrete and other bunker fragments killed both his crew chief and door gunner.  “I’ve asked the lord many times. I don’t know if I had target fixation or not but if it hadn’t been for those secondary explosions, I may have flown right into that target.”

Bob’s brother was a Naval Academy graduate who flew A-4’s in Vietnam at the same time Bob did.

The mission of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society is to honor, preserve and teach the legacy of heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight for which the DFC is awarded.