This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Rutledge, Howard Elmer (Howie)(POW), CAPT.
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(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Captain Howard Elmer Rutledge (NSN: 9932091/506435), United States Navy, was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in Southeast Asia.
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Captain Howard Elmer Rutledge (NSN: 9932091/506435), United States Navy, was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in Southeast Asia.
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Captain Howard Elmer Rutledge (NSN: 9932091/506435), United States Navy, was awarded a Second Gold Star in lieu of a Third Award of the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in Southeast Asia.
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Captain Howard Elmer Rutledge (NSN: 9932091/506435), United States Navy, was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States while serving as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam.
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Legion of Merit to Captain Howard Elmer Rutledge (NSN: 9932091/506435), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Deputy Director of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from October 1976 to April 1978. Responsible for coordinating the administrative requirements and plans for all naval aircraft and air-launched weapons programs during a period of severe budgetary constraints, Captain Rutledge demonstrated perceptive judgment, superb managerial ability, and inspiring leadership in accurately assessing the relative costs and merits of each naval aviation project. His capacity to collate all available data, reduce it to a meaningful format, and utilize it as a basis for knowledgeable decision making enabled the Division to apply rational and realistic priorities to naval aviation programs. In addition, Captain Rutledge's decisiveness in deriving solutions to ad hoc problems requiring difficult trade offs to be made among naval aviation programs earned him the utmost respect of his superiors and peers. By his imaginative approach to problem solving, astute foresight, and selfless devotion to duty, Captain Rutledge contributed immeasurably to increased fleet combat readiness and to the definition of vital naval aviation requirements, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain [then Commander] Howard Elmer Rutledge (NSN: 9932091/506435), United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 28 November 1965, as a pilot of jet aircraft, serving with Fighter Squadron ONE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE (VF-191), embarked in U.S.S. BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA-31), during aerial combat operations. Captain Rutledge led a flight of three aircraft which were participating in a two-carrier strike against the Ha Chanh Bridge in North Vietnam. Prior to reaching the target, his flight was diverted to the alternate target, a railroad and highway bridge near Thanh Hoa. Overcast conditions in the area forced Captain Rutledge to descend into an area of heavy ground fire before commencing his attack. Without regard for his personal safety, he led his group in a dive bombing attack in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire, delivering his bombs squarely on the assigned target and inflicting severe damage. Captain Rutledge's courageous performance was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Action Date: November 28, 1965 Service: Navy Rank: Captain Company: Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191) Division: U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31)
Vietnam War/Tet Counteroffensive Campaign (68)/ Yankee Station, North Vietnam
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Description Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station. Carriers conducting air operations at Yankee Station were said to be "on the line" and statistical summaries were based on days on the line.
The name derived from it being the geographic reference point "Y", pronounced "Yankee" in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In turn the term Point Yankee derived from the launch point for "Yankee Team" aerial reconnaissance missions over Laos conducted in 1964. It was located about 190 km due east of Dong Hoi, at 17° 30' N and 108° 30' E.
During the two periods of sustained air operations against North Vietnam (March 2, 1965-October 31, 1968 and March 30, 1972-December 29, 1972) there were normally three carriers on the line, each conducting air operations for twelve hours, then off for twelve hours. One of the carriers would operate from noon to midnight, another from midnight to noon, and one during daylight hours, which gave 24-hour coverage plus additional effort during daylight hours, when sorties were most effective. However at the end of May, 1972, six carriers were for a short period of time on the line at Yankee Station conducting Linebacker strikes.
The first aircraft carrier at Yankee Station was USS Kitty Hawk, which was ordered there in April 1964 for the Yankee Team missions. Kitty Hawk was joined by Ticonderoga in May and Constellation in June, two months prior to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Ticonderoga and Constellation launched the first bombing missions from Yankee Station on August 5, 1964. Constellation was also the last carrier conducting operations at Yankee Station on August 15, 1973. USS Forrestal suffered a major accident while at Yankee Station when a series of fires and explosions on her deck killed 134 men and injured another 161.
A corresponding Dixie Station in the South China Sea off the Mekong Delta was a single carrier point for conducting strikes within South Vietnam from May 15, 1965 to August 3, 1966.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Dec 22, 2023
Personal Memories
Memories The Vietnam War escalation in early 1965 brought Bon Homme Richard into a third armed conflict, and she deployed on five Southeast Asia combat tours over the next six years. Her aircraft battled North Vietnamese MiGs on many occasions, downing several, as well as striking transportation and infrastructure targets. Occasional excursions to other Asian areas provided some variety to her operations.