UH-1 veterans to be awarded Silver Stars for saving C-130 crew 45 years ago

At 8:00 AM CT today, U.S. Congressman French Hill will award Silver Stars to a UH-1 crew who saved seven people on board a C-130 that crashed during the Vietnam war.

Silver Star from Lt. James Robert Barnett
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Robert J. Monette, John F. Deslouriers, Leonard B. Shearer, and Robert A. Frank were on a reconnaissance mission on Apr. 18, 1972 when they saw the C-130 went down in flames. They spotted survivors in the wreckage and flew down to pick them up while surrounded and under fire from the North Vietnamese Army.

Joining the four at the ceremony today will be the men they rescued.