James H. Kasler
US Air Force officer and only three time recipient of the Air Force Cross / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colonel James Helms Kasler (May 2, 1926 – April 24, 2014) was a senior officer in the United States Air Force and the only person to be awarded the Air Force Cross three times.[1][2] The Air Force Cross ranks just below the Medal of Honor as an award for extraordinary heroism in combat.
James Helms Kasler | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Jim Destroyer Stoneface |
Born | (1926-05-02)May 2, 1926 South Bend, Indiana, US |
Died | April 24, 2014(2014-04-24) (aged 87) West Palm Beach, Florida, US |
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1943–1975 |
Rank | Colonel |
Unit | 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing 355th Tactical Fighter Wing |
Commands held | 366th Tactical Fighter Wing |
Battles/wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
Awards | Air Force Cross (3) Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (9) Bronze Star Medal (2) Purple Heart (2) Air Medal (11) |
Kasler was a combat veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In Korea, as an F-86 Sabre pilot with the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, he was recognized as an ace, credited with shooting down 6 MiG-15s.[3] Kasler flew a combined 198 combat missions and was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from August 1966 until March 1973.
He flew a total of 101 combat missions in an F-86E Sabre and scored 6 confirmed air-to-air victories and two more damaged against MiG-15s, becoming among the first jet aces of the Korean War.[4]