Airman Who Rescued B-52 Aircrew Dies

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Moses E. Willoughby, 72, who as a staff sergeant pulled six airmen from the wreckage of a burning B-52 in 1968, and received the Airman’s Medal for his actions, died Sept. 4. The Washington Post reported Sept. 28 that Willoughby succumbed to congestive heart failure at his home in Lothian, Md. Willoughby, born in Winterville, N.C., was an ordnance supervisor at Kadena AB, Japan, on Nov. 19, 1968, when a B-52 headed for Vietnam crashed at the end of the runway on takeoff. Despite the intense fire and explosions, Willoughby and another airman drove in a military pickup and rescued the six. He retired from the Air Force in 1975 and joined the Washington, D.C., police force.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org