AMONG THE BRAVE
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY… CAPTAIN (THEN LCDR) MICHAEL J. ESTOCIN, UNITED STATES NAVY
Congressional MEDAL OF HONOR
“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 20 and 26 April 1967 as a pilot in Attack Squadron 192, embarked in USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14). Leading a 3-plane group of aircraft in support of a coordinated strike against two thermal power plants in Haiphong, North Vietnam, on 20 April 1967, Captain Estocin provided continuous warnings to the strike group leaders of the surface to air missile (SAM) threats, and personally neutralized three SAM sites. Although his aircraft was severely damaged by an exploding missile, he re-entered the target area and relentlessly prosecuted a SHRIKE attack in the face of intense antiaircraft fire. With less than 5 minutes of fuel remaining he departed the target area and commenced an inflight refueling which continued for over one hundred miles. Three miles aft of Ticonderoga, and without enough fuel for a second approach, he disengaged from the tanker and executed a precise approach to a fiery arrested landing. On 26 April 1967, in support of a coordinated strike against the vital fuel facilities in Haiphong, he led an attack on a threatening SAM site, during which his aircraft was seriously damaged by an exploding SAM; nevertheless, he regained control of his burning aircraft and courageously launched his SHRIKE missiles before departing the area. By his inspiring and unswerving devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Captain Estocin upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.”
Mike Estocin did not fully depart the area and was killed in action on the mission. His body was never recovered and he rests today where he fell tenaciously fighting for his country with “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” on 26 April 1967… An appropriate monument to his memory in the form of a mounted A-4 bearing the colors of VA-192, “The World Famous Golden Dragons” is located in a park at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California…
