Pilot George "Bud" Day: Iowa Time Machine February 24, 1925

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 24, 1925, Medal of Honor winner George “Bud” Day was born in Sioux City. One of the most decorated military officers in American history, Day served from World War 2 through the Vietnam War and endured captivity that lasted longer than America's involvement in World War I.

Day's childhood in Sioux City coincided with economic hardship that defined rural Iowa during the agricultural depression of the late 1920s and the catastrophic Dust Bowl years that followed. His family struggled, as did countless others, and Day left school after eighth grade to work and help support his parents and siblings. The deprivations of his youth cultivated a toughness that would prove essential decades later. When World War II broke out, Day enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 and served in the Pacific theater. After the war, he returned to Iowa and completed his education, earning both a high school diploma and a law degree while working full-time.

In 1950, he joined the Air Force, attracted by the opportunity to fly. Day became a fighter pilot during the Korean War, then continued his military career through the tense years of the Cold War. Day's defining ordeal began on August 26, 1967, when his F-100 Super Sabre was shot down over North Vietnam during a mission near the demilitarized zone. He ejected from his burning aircraft and parachuted into enemy territory with a broken arm and severe burns. Captured almost immediately, Day endured brutal interrogation before managing an audacious escape five days later. With his injuries untreated, he evaded enemy patrols for two weeks, surviving on berries and frogs while crawling south toward American lines. He came within two miles of safety before being recaptured.

Day’s second captivity proved far worse. Transported to the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison camp, Day suffered systematic torture designed to extract propaganda statements. Guards hung him by his arms, broke bones that had begun to heal from his ejection, and beat him with fists and rifle butts. He refused to break. For the next five and a half years, Day endured conditions that killed many prisoners. He became a leader among the POWs, organizing resistance and maintaining morale despite his own suffering. Day returned to American soil on March 14, 1973, during Operation Homecoming, the largest prisoner exchange of the Vietnam War. His body bore permanent damage from torture and neglect: he walked with a limp, his hands remained partially crippled, and he suffered chronic pain that would plague him for the rest of his life. President Gerald Ford awarded him the Medal of Honor in 1976 for his extraordinary heroism during his escape attempt and subsequent resistance to torture. Day refused to fade into comfortable retirement. He became an outspoken advocate for veterans' rights, filing a class-action lawsuit against the government in 1999 over healthcare benefits promised to military retirees. #Iowa #OTD #History #Military #Learning