July 31, 1964 - A 40-year-old Air Force officer who was killed when his plane was shot down in Vietnam will receive the Air Force’s Cheney Award for “extraordinary heroism.”
The officer was Major James R. O’Neill (pictured). The award will be presented Tuesday by the Air Force chief of staff, General Curtis LeMay, to the pilot’s mother, Mrs. Caroline O’Neill of Huntington Station, L.I.
Major O’Neill was on a combat mission Feb. 6, 1963, when his B-26 light bomber was struck by ground fire. The engines failed at low altitude, and he remained at the controls while his crew bailed out.
The Cheney Award was established in memory of First Lieutenant William H. Cheney, who was killed in Italy in World War I. It is presented annually and consists of a certificate, bronze plaque, and $500.
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