In 1972, with the Air Force losing hundreds of Airmen and aircraft in the Vietnam War, Maj. Robert “Bob” Alfred Lodge led a complete overhaul of F-4 fighter tactics, a secret effort that would help U.S. pilots gain the upper hand in dogfights with North Vietnamese MiGs. And when his F-4 was hit on the first day of Operation Linebacker, Lodge refused to bail out, perishing with his doomed aircraft to keep his intimate knowledge of those tactics and plans out of enemy hands.
Fifty-four years later, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) is introducing legislation to award Lodge a posthumous Medal of Honor for sacrificing his life May 10, 1972—during the critical bombing campaign against the North—to protect fellow members of the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, the lawmaker announced at a June 2 event at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
“Valor exists in many forms across our armed forces, and Maj. Lodge stands as an outstanding example of the courage found in our cockpits,” Pfluger told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a statement.
“As a fighter wing weapons officer with knowledge of highly classified intelligence sources and methods, Maj. Lodge knew he could not fall into enemy hands,” said Pfluger, a former F-22 pilot. “He made the ultimate sacrifice, deliberately choosing to ride a crippled aircraft to his death to protect that information.”
Lodge has been awarded a record five Silver Stars for his service and sacrifice. But momentum to upgrade one of those to a Medal of Honor has built in recent months, supported by one of the Air Force’s most famous Vietnam aces, retired Col. Charles B. “Chuck” DeBellevue.
DeBellevue, the first weapon system operator to achieve six enemy kills and the last Air Force ace on Active-Duty, credits Lodge for preparing him and other aviators for what they would face over Hanoi and for sacrificing his life to protect the air-to-air combat advantages he helped U.S. Airmen achieve. He witnessed the fateful mission when Lodge’s aircraft take a devastating hit from a MiG’s 30mm cannon.
“A MiG-19 saddled up on him, took out the engine on one side and the hydraulics went on the other side,” DeBellevue said.
Lodge’s weapons systems officer, then-1st Lt. Roger Locher, bailed out, but Lodge remained in the aircraft until it crashed.
“His intent was to stay in the airplane; he knew too much,” DeBellevue said. “He knew about what we were doing. He knew the war plans, and he knew that if the [enemy] wanted the information out of him, they would have gotten it out of him.”
Locher endured a difficult ordeal in enemy territory but managed to evade North Vietnamese patrols for three weeks until he was rescued.
Lodge had told family and squadron-mates that he would make such a choice if surviving meant he would likely be captured.
DeBellevue, now 80, announced last October he was joining the effort to upgrade Lodge’s Silver Star to America’s highest award for valor.
“He did a great job of getting us ready, and a great job of keeping the secrets—by staying in the jet.” said DeBellevue.
Lodge served as chief of the Fighter Tactics Branch for the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing when he wasn’t flying combat missions as an F-4 pilot with the Wing’s 555th. Lodge became instrumental in ensuring the unit’s F-4 crews would have many advantages against their North Vietnamese adversaries. He laid the groundwork for improving the F-4’s kill capability and instituting new training for countering MiG tactics, Delbellevue said.
In early 1972, Lodge helped equip the unit with modified F-4Ds that were equipped with a highly classified modification to the AN/APX-81 radar known only by its code name—Combat Tree. The system empowered crews to identify and target MiGs beyond visual range, a new advantage for American pilots.
Lodge also coordinated with the Navy to get its F-8 Crusader fighters to fly MiG tactics against F-4 crews. He helped aviators work with mechanics to make sure their engines were tuned to fly faster which gave pilots an edge in a dogfight. The fighter crews of the 555th also learned how to push the F-4’s tolerance of G-forces far beyond the training manual’s safety guidelines, in some cases bending the airframes.
Typically, Medals of Honor must be presented within five years of the action. But lawmakers have shown an increased willingness to waive that time limit through legislation, particularly through the National Defense Authorization Act.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced in December 2025 that he secured language in the fiscal 2026 NDAA clearing the way for retired Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War. The fiscal 2023 NDAA contained language for the Medal of Honor to be awarded posthumously to Army Master Sgt. Roderick W. Edmonds for his valor during World War II.
On March 26, President Donald Trump also signed three bills into law allowing him to award the Medal of Honor to retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers for his heroism during the Vietnam War, Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery for actions in Afghanistan, and Marine Corps Col. John W. Ripley for acts of valor in Vietnam.
For now, Pfluger’s office said the plan is to introduce the bill for House consideration. Pfluger said he looks forward to working with Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink and the Pentagon to ensure Lodge’s “heroism is properly recognized.”
Air & Space Forces Association President and CEO Retired Lt. Gen. Burt Field said that AFA applauds Lodge’s “valor, heroism and sacrifice.”
“Maj. Bob Lodge exemplified the selfless spirit of the American military hero,” Field said. “He put the mission and his comrades first, sacrificing his own life and security so that others would survive.”