David Althoff

Lt.Col.David Althoff (May 5, 1932 – March 8, 2022) was a decorated war veteran known for his heroic acts during the Vietnamese war. Althoff enlisted in the Navy in November of 1952 for the Korean War in fear of the draft. After completing 18 months of flight school and graduating in the top 10 percent of his class, David Alhoff was commissioned as a Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant. In 1954, he was deployed to Korea and then transferred to Osugi, Japan after five months to join Marine Attack Squadron 251. In Osugi he underwent training to deliver atomic bombs and became one of eight qualified pilots for this task after 15 months in Osugi, Japan. Following this he was ordered back to the United States for further training in Orange County, California. During his military service, David Althoff flew a remarkable 1080 combat missions in Vietnam and leading over 700 men in his career. He won multiple awards which include, "Aviator of the Year" in 1968, three silver stars, three Distinguished Flying Cross, a bronze star, and 54 air medals. He also is a recipient of the Cunningham Award and a developer of SuperGaggle. His dedication and skills led him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring in 1972. Lt.Col.David Althoff died March 8th, 2022 of leukemia.

Vietnam War
On February 21, 1968, he flew CH-46 helicopters to resupply the Khe Sanh Combat Base with water and ammo. During that time his aircraft suffered numerous hits from enemy's automatic weapons and mortars. On May 13, 1968, he was in charge of reconnaissance aircraft. During that time he landed both of them safely in a grassland, 200 m away from mortar attacks. On July 3, 1968, he flew two Sea Knights back-to-back hovering over 1500 ft in an attempt to resupply the base.