Name, rank, serial number … and the aftermath.
Medal of Honor recipient George “Bud” Day was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1925. He grew up during the Depression and after dropping out of high school and joining the Marines at age 17, he served 30 months in the South Pacific as an NCO.
After the war, Day went to college and earned a law degree. He had enjoyed the military life, so in 1950 he joined the Iowa Air National Guard and was sent to pilot training. Upon earning his wings he flew two combat tours in Korea. In April 1967, then-Major Day was sent to Vietnam to fly F-100 “Misty FACs.” As a forward air controller (FAC), he performed one of the most challenging and dangerous air missions in Vietnam, a mission often described as “flying low and slow to draw enemy fire and then hoping they miss.”
On Aug. 26, 1967, he was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese. Upon ejection his right arm was broken in three places, he smashed his face and couldn’t see out of one eye, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was captured and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and tortured. After five days and when the guards relaxed their vigilance, he crawled into the jungle and began moving south. Despite his injuries, he continued his trek, surviving on berries and uncooked frogs. After successfully evading enemy patrols, he reached the Ben Hai River, and with the aid of a bamboo log, Day floated across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. There he was injured further by a stray bomb. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days. After unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was sighted and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He had enjoyed 14 days of freedom—his last for some time to come. He had made it to within 2 miles of a Marine base camp.
He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and beaten severely for his insolence. Later, Day was moved to Hanoi. It was an arduous period. Like the other POWs, he endured the vicious strap torture—his arms were bound tightly and pulled behind him, then tied to his ankles and pulled taut so that he was shaped like a bow. He was then hung from a hook on the ceiling. This further worsened his already severe injuries, and he was unable to perform even the simplest task for himself: His weight dropped to 100 pounds. Still, Day remained defiant, claiming amnesia, “I remember nothing before my ejection,” he told his interrogators. That didn’t work.
In the spring of 1968, he was taken to the “Plantation” and eventually the “Zoo,” a punishment camp for “hard resisters.” There, he was beaten so badly his vision became blurred. Flogging was routine. After Ho Chi Minh died in the fall of 1969, the POW situation improved somewhat—for the first time he was able to write and receive letters—but Day was still singled out for special treatment because of his “negative attitude” and the fact that by then the enemy knew he had been promoted to full colonel. Such rank did not count among the POWs: They all retained the rank they had at shootdown, and it was an individual’s date of rank that determined seniority. His captors delighted in beating him for it anyway. Day was moved to another camp, even more restrictive, dubbed “Skid Row,” where he was largely isolated from other Americans. There were occasional medical consultations with “doctors,” but Day later commented that they were mere corpsmen “who couldn’t diagnose daylight.”
In 1973, after 67 grueling months in captivity, he was released and came home. Despite the damage done by the enemy, Day recovered, and a year later he was back on flying status and checked out in F-4s. He became vice commander of the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing and then retired in 1976.
Colonel Day received the Medal of Honor from President Gerald Ford that year, and he is recognized as one of the most decorated officers in American history, receiving nearly 70 awards for the three wars in which he fought, including the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and Bronze Star.
Upon retirement, Day taught at St Louis University, Troy State University, and Parks College of Aeronautical Technology. Still a lawyer, he practiced in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and often took on the cases of military personnel fighting for their medical benefits. He wrote of his experiences in two books, Return with Honor and Duty, Honor, Country. Both are excellent and sobering accounts. Day died in July 2013 and was posthumously promoted to brigadier general.