P-51 Pilot’s Heroic Actions Lead to First Air Force Medal of Honor in Korean War

Aug. 5, 1950

USAF Maj. Louis J. Sebille continued to attack Communist troops in his damaged P-51 Mustang until it crashed near Hamchang, Korea. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously. This is the first Air Force Medal of Honor awarded in the Korean War.

Related

Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91 

Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.   “Gene Smith was an American hero, whose...

What to Watch as Pentagon Implements AI, Innovation Reforms 

Jan. 17, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week released strategies meant to focus the Pentagon’s “alphabet soup” of innovation organizations and proliferate artificial intelligence—moves that experts say could provide the structure needed to make the military’s efforts to integrate and field new technology more effective.

What to Watch as Lawmakers Race to Pass 2026 Defense Budget by Jan. 30

Jan. 15, 2026
House and Senate lawmakers say they’re hopeful Congress will pass a defense appropriations bill in the coming weeks to avoid a repeat of last fall’s government shutdown, with only having a handful of working days remaining before the Jan. 30 deadline. Yet legislations still have to release a compromise version of defense spending legislation, which will have to…

Future SOUTHCOM Boss Sees Need for More Resources

Jan. 15, 2026
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy released in November made it clear that the Western Hemisphere is the new priority theater for the Pentagon. To put that into action, U.S. Southern Command needs to grow, the Marine Corps general nominated to lead SOUTHCOM told lawmakers.