Former Simpsonville resident John Elsey inducted into Hall of Valor in Pittsburgh


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April 1, 2023 by Bob Gecy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Contributed

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Former Simpsonville resident John Elsey inducted into Hall of Valor in Pittsburgh

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John Elsey on stage at Soldier’s & Sailor’s 
Memorial Hall receiving his award

A native of Fayette County Pennsylvania and former Simpsonville resident John Elsey has been inducted into the Hall of Valor at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The ceremony took place at 2 pm on March 26, 2023.  

Elsey was nominated for this prestigious award because of his Courageous actions in Combat. Elsey received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery during the Vietnam War, 

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he said his job at that point in his Air Force career was to fly a small, single-engine plane — “low, slow and unarmed” — over a designated area to direct fighter jets high overhead to enemy positions. That day, he was patrolling in Cambodia.

“We flew over the same area every mission, looking for anything unusual,” he said. “After a while, you got to know if something was different. The fighter pilots fly at 12,000 feet — everything looks the same up there, so our job was to mark the target” with a rocket that gave off smoke when it hit the ground.

The job had a lot of components. Capt. Elsey said he had three radio sets in the plane — one to keep in contact with soldiers on the ground, one to communicate with the fighter pilots, and the third to keep in touch with headquarters in Saigon that had to approve every target.

 Capt. Elsey, who flew 176 combat missions, said it was critical that if U.S. or South Vietnamese troops were in the area, he had to set up the fighters’ runs so the “friendlies” were not in the path of the bombs.

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Captain John E. Elsey United States
Air Force Seventh Air Force 19th
Tactical Air Support Squadron Vietnam 1971

That April day, each side had several hundred troops in the area when Capt. Elsey had to direct fighters on a bombing run.

“I had a good day,” he said. “I knew where the friendlies were, I knew where the enemy was, and everything worked just fine.”

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Jack & June Elsey
with Capt.  Elsey’s
Hall of Valor citation

He wouldn’t characterize his efforts as just a routine day at the office, but he also said he didn’t think he had done anything worthy of distinction. His Hall of Valor citation says: “Because of his actions. many lives were saved. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Capt. Elsey reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.” Air Force Capt. John E. Elsey is the only honoree still alive; he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for action on April 14, 1971.

Capt. Elsey, 79, a retired commercial and corporate pilot who graduated from Carnegie Tech with a mechanical engineering degree in 1965, now lives in Fort Mill, S.C. 

In 1963, the Hall of Valor at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall was dedicated as part of our military history museum to honor veterans, living and deceased, for valor “above and beyond the call of duty” while in action against the enemy. 

Hall of Valor inductees qualify by being the recipient of one, or a combination of, the following medals: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross (limited inductions also include Airmen’s Medal, Soldier’s Medal, Coast Guard Medal and The Navy & Marine Corps Medals). 

Induction into the Hall of Valor is open to eligible veterans who were born, enlisted or lived most of their lives in Pennsylvania. Currently there are more than 700 veterans that have been inducted into this repository of American military memory. Since its inception in 1963, Soldiers & Sailors has inducted more than 700 veterans who have received the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross.■

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