I Always Wanted to Fly: America's Cold War Airmen

14. Hambone 02

Chapter 14 Hambone 02 By direction of the President, the Purple Heart is awarded to Major Ralph L. Kuster Jr. for wounds received in action against a hostile force on 30 June 1967. The Distinguished Flying Cross and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th oak leaf clusters thereto are awarded Major Ralph L. Kuster Jr. for extraordinary achievement in aerial combat on 14 March, 8 May, 25 April, 30 June, and 7 July 1967. On the latter date Major Kuster was directed to strike at numerous flak sites surrounding Kep airfield. Undaunted when surrounded by exceptionally heavy ground fire, Major Kuster in a voluntary act of bravery, relentlessly pressed the attack and silenced the hostile guns. On the 30th of June Major Kuster, the element leader in a flight of F-105 aircraft, was directed to strike an intensely defended strategic rail yard. Despite his aircraft having received two direct hits during the attack, he pressed on with selfless disregard of his personal safety and delivered his ordnance on target, even though immediately thereafter he was forced to eject from his crippled aircraft over unfriendly territory. The professional competence, outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed repeatedly by Major Kuster reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. Major Ralph L. Kuster Jr. distinguished himself by gallantry in military operations against an opposing armed force over North Vietnam on 3 June 1967. On that date Major Kuster was a member of a flight of F-105 Thunderchiefs on a strike against a vital highway bridge 267 Vietnam, 1965 near Hanoi. After penetrating the intense flak and delivering his own bombs on the target, Major Kuster again jeopardized his life by voluntarily attacking and destroying a MiG that was threatening the remainder of the strike force. For Major Kuster’s gallantry and devotion to duty the President of the United States has awarded him the Silver Star for his conspicuous gallantry in action. This award signed: General William W. Momyer Commander, 7th Air Force Harold Brown Secretary of the Air Force Colonel Ralph L. Kuster Jr. Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross (5), Air Medal (9), Purple Heart In 1931 the Kuster family was struggling like many others, watching its pennies. It was not the best of years for the United States or for much of the rest of the world. Ralph was born on August 19 of that year. Fortunately, his father had a steady job as a draftsman at the McDonnell plant in St. Louis, Missouri. When Ralph was old enough to read, his interest was captured by a comic-strip character, Smiling Jack, a daring pilot and a U.S. marshal. Jack flew mostly in the West and landed his biplane in canyons and on top of mountain ridges to get his man. ‘‘I always enjoyed Smiling Jack,’’ Ralph said, sitting at his dining room table in Stillwater, Oklahoma, ‘‘I especially was fascinated by the way its creator depicted the airplanes Jack flew, and the way Jack skillfully avoided a rock on landing. After the war began in 1941, they put model airplanes into cereal boxes, and my brothers and I collected a whole series of Army Air Corps and navy airplanes. I couldn’t get airplanes out of my head.’’ ‘‘When I was fifteen, a friend and I got on our bicycles and cycled ten miles to Wise Airfield, outside of St. Louis. We had eight dollars between us. We asked one pilot after another if he would give us a ride in his airplane. We finally got one pilot to take our money, and he flew us around the airfield for twenty minutes. I enjoyed the ride immensely . From then on, I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. I 268 Hambone 02 wanted to understand what made those machines stay up. Aeronautical engineering was not a real option at the time, since there weren’t too many aeronautical engineering programs in the country. I eventually went to the Missouri School of Mines in mechanical engineering, but I took all the aero options they offered. In December 1952, when I was about to graduate, I walked past the library. A big sign out front proclaimed ‘Be tested to become an air force officer and a pilot.’ My friend and I happened to have a free hour or two, and I said to him, ‘It’s not going to cost anything to take...