English: A U.S. Air Force Lt.Col. William A. Jones of the 602nd Special Operations Squadron smiles in the cockpit of a Douglas A-1H Skyraider, in 1968.
On 1 Spetember 1968, Colonel Jones' aircraft was hit during a rescue mission and his cockpit was set ablaze. He sought to eject but the damaged extraction system only jettisoned the canopy without pulling him from the cockpit. At the same time his transmissions to the rescue force were being blocked by repeated calls from other aircraft that he bail out. Before the fire died out, Colonel Jones was badly burned and his radio transmitters were disabled. He chose to return to base to report the downed pilot's exact location. Despite his severe burns, he landed his damaged aircraft safely, and insisted on passing on the vital information before receiving medical treatment. The downed pilot was rescued later that day. The Medal of Honor was awarded to Colonel Jones for this action.