Henry Buttelmann

An F-86 Sabre, the type of aircraft Buttelmann flew in the Korean War

He joined the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group[7] in November 1952, where he had to be trained in air-to-air combat because he had only learned air-to-ground at Nellis.[8] He was sent to Suwon Air Base, South Korea, on December 23, where he completed several check flights in the F-86 Sabre before doing his first combat mission on January 15, 1953.[7]

He flew in "MiG Alley", the nickname given to the area around the border between North Korea and China near the Yalu River where American pilots fought Chinese, Soviet, and North Korean MiG-15 planes. The war was winding down into a stalemate by the time Buttelmann arrived, so there were few MiGs in the skies. Because of this, he flew aggressively, venturing north of the Yalu, into Chinese territory, but he still only saw MiGs twice during his first five months, when he was a wingman.[4] On his 50th mission, he came across a formation of MiGs but had to break off because he had reached "bingo" state, which meant he was below the minimum 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of fuel needed to get back to base safely. The airstrip was covered in clouds when he returned, and Buttelmann said he was lucky to have been able to land in those conditions while low on fuel.[8]

On June 19, his 55th mission and first as an element leader (which meant he was in the shooting position), he made his first kill.[7]

His fifth victory came on June 30, 1953, making him a flying ace.[9] He was the USAF's 36th ace[7] and the youngest ace of the war at 24 years and 4 days.[6]

On July 19, he was in a flight of four F-86s led by future astronaut John Glenn that ran into a group of MiGs. In the ensuing skirmish, Glenn, Buttelmann, and Glenn's wingman were each credited with a victory. Glenn said that "the MiGs' tactics were so poor I could only imagine it was a training flight, or they were low on fuel, but we were unbelievably lucky".[10] In another flight with Glenn three days later,[10] he scored his seventh and final victory—also the last day of aerial combat in the war.[11] After coming home from Korea with 65 combat missions,[6] Buttelmann returned to Nellis to serve as an instructor.[5]

Buttelmann was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas when he was sent to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand in April 1965, after the outbreak of the Vietnam War. As part of the 562d Tactical Fighter Squadron, he logged 46 missions in the F-105 Thunderchief during his four-month deployment. In May 1969, he returned for a twelve-month second tour of duty. In the F-100 Super Sabre, he flew 232 combat missions while commanding the Misty Forward Air Controllers and the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron.[6]

He retired from the Air Force in October 1979 as a lieutenant colonel,[6] having flown 286 combat missions over the two wars.[5]