Leroy W. Stutz
Encyclopedia
Colonel Leroy W. Stutz was a U.S. Air Force officer, pilot and prisoner of war
for 2,284 days during the Vietnam War
.
for the 1959-1960 academic year. While a student at Washburn, Stutz was initiated into the Kansas Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta
. He subsequently received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy graduating in 1964. Prior to entering the service, Stutz was a Master Mason. Following his return from Vietnam he completed the Scottish Rite degrees.
Soon after graduation from the Air Force Academy, Stutz married his high school sweetheart, Karen Keirns. Their son, Brian, was born in 1965. The Stutzs have three grandchildren: Aaron, Austin, and Aimee.
flying the RF-4C Phantom II
.
During a reconnaissance mission in November 1966, Stutz was recognized for his bravery with his first Silver Star
. The citation reads:
Stutz’s 85th combat mission came on December 2, 1966. Stutz and his co-pilot, Captain Robert R. Gregory, were assigned a 55-minute photo reconnaissance mission over Hanoi
, North Vietnam
. During a pass over their target, their aircraft was hit by 57mm AAA ground fire and the two ejected as their aircraft crashed near Yen Bai 25 miles outside of Hanoi. After landing, the two established voice contact with each other, and both were captured.
Stutz reported that he saw Gregory several times the day of their capture, but Gregory was unconscious. Both men were transported to the Hanoi Hilton
in the same truck and arrived on the same day they were shot down. Stutz never saw Gregory again. In 1987, Life magazine published a story about Gregory who was still listed as missing in action. Three months later Vietnamese officials “discovered” Gregory’s remains returning them to his family 22 years after Stutz’s return.
In an interview in 2004, Stutz described what happened upon his capture. After being stripped of his clothes and having his arms tied behind him, they "beat hell" out of him. "They took me to three or four villages to let everyone see the ‘American aggressor,’” he recalled, adding villagers were encouraged to strike him too. "It was organized mayhem."
Stutz was routinely beaten, tortured and starved during the first four years of captivity. He was moved around to several POW camps in the North including New Guy Village, the Zoo, Little Las Vegas, the Power Plant, Heartbreak Hotel, Camp Hope (Son Tay)
and Skidrow. Army Special Forces raided Son Tay in Operation Ivory Coast
a rescue attempt but Stutz and his fellow POWs had been moved shortly before the raid.
During his first time at the infamous Hanoi Hilton
, an old French prison in downtown Hanoi, the North Vietnamese crowded 40 or 50 into each large cell. Stutz reported in 2004 that “We might have overstepped our bounds because they decided to ‘re-educate’ 36 of us. We were sent to a camp called Skid Row — solitary confinement, hotter than hell, no exercise,” he said. “From Skid Row, they brought me and some other guys back and put us in an eight-man cellblock called Heartbreak Hotel.”
About one year before their eventual release, the North Vietnamese took Stutz and 214 other prisoners to a camp on the Chinese border. They remained there until the peace agreement was signed.
In the documentary, "Return with Honor
" Stutz describes how his North Vietnamese captors tortured him. "I thought I was the toughest fighter pilot in the world. I found out real fast how wrong I was . . . When the screaming gets so bad they stuff a rag in your mouth so they don't have to hear you, all you can think is, "God, I don't want to die and nobody even knowing.'"
On March 4, 1973, Stutz, promoted during his time as a prisoner to captain, was released from Hanoi. Almost 600 Americans were freed during Operation Homecoming
. The years of deprivation and captivity took a toll on Stutz, who lost 68 pounds, dropping from 175 to 107 pounds. An injury suffered when he “tried to break the butt of a rifle with my head” grounded him medically when he was finally freed.
. He was then assigned to MacDill Air Force Base
as officer in charge of the 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit, maintenance supervisor, and later commander of the 56th Aircraft Generation Squadron and assistant deputy commander for maintenace.
Promoted to colonel in 1984, Stutz then attended the Air War College
at Maxwell Air Force Base
in 1984-1985. He returned to MacDill as Deputy Commander for Maintenance for the 56th Tactical Training Wing. He was next Deputy for Maintenance of the 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base
, Oklahoma
.
In July 1990 he reported to Chanute Air Force Base
, Illinois
where he became the vice wing commander and the chief of the operation division of the 3330th Technical Training Wing. Followed by assignment as commander of the 3360th Technical Training Group in February 1992, and the commander of the Training Wing in November 1992.
Colonel Stutz retired from the Air Force in June 1994 having completed 30 years on active duty. At the time of his retirement, he was a rated a pilot with over 750 flying hours in the T-37 Tweet, T-33, and RF-4C Phantom II.
He currently resides in Oklahoma, City.
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for 2,284 days during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Family and Education
Stutz grew up on farm in Northeast Kansas. He graduated from Atchison County Community High School where he an accomplished athlete. Following high school, he farmed with his brother-in-law for two years and joined the Kansas National Guard in 1957. Stutz attended Washburn UniversityWashburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
for the 1959-1960 academic year. While a student at Washburn, Stutz was initiated into the Kansas Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
. He subsequently received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy graduating in 1964. Prior to entering the service, Stutz was a Master Mason. Following his return from Vietnam he completed the Scottish Rite degrees.
Soon after graduation from the Air Force Academy, Stutz married his high school sweetheart, Karen Keirns. Their son, Brian, was born in 1965. The Stutzs have three grandchildren: Aaron, Austin, and Aimee.
Vietnam
After flight training and reconnaissance photo training in Alabama and South Carolina, Stutz was promoted to First Lieutenant and assigned to Udorn, ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
flying the RF-4C Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
.
During a reconnaissance mission in November 1966, Stutz was recognized for his bravery with his first Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
. The citation reads:
First Lieutenant Leroy W. Stutz distinguished himself by gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force near Hanoi, North Vietnam on 23 November 1966. On that date, Lieutenant Stutz, despite extremely hazardous conditions, reconnoitered the Dap Cau Railroad and Highway Bridge near HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
. This night, low level mission imposed great demands upon the resources and capabilities of the pilot. Exposing himself for fifty-five minutes over hostile territory in a highly sophisticated and lethal anti-aircraft defense structure, Lieutenant Stutz displayed outstanding determination in successfully obtaining the required intelligence on their assigned target. This intelligence was instrumental in restricting the flow of vital materials transported on the railroad leading from Hanoi to Communist China. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Lieutenant Stutz has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Stutz’s 85th combat mission came on December 2, 1966. Stutz and his co-pilot, Captain Robert R. Gregory, were assigned a 55-minute photo reconnaissance mission over Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. During a pass over their target, their aircraft was hit by 57mm AAA ground fire and the two ejected as their aircraft crashed near Yen Bai 25 miles outside of Hanoi. After landing, the two established voice contact with each other, and both were captured.
Hanoi Hilton
Hỏa Lò Prison, later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War....
in the same truck and arrived on the same day they were shot down. Stutz never saw Gregory again. In 1987, Life magazine published a story about Gregory who was still listed as missing in action. Three months later Vietnamese officials “discovered” Gregory’s remains returning them to his family 22 years after Stutz’s return.
In an interview in 2004, Stutz described what happened upon his capture. After being stripped of his clothes and having his arms tied behind him, they "beat hell" out of him. "They took me to three or four villages to let everyone see the ‘American aggressor,’” he recalled, adding villagers were encouraged to strike him too. "It was organized mayhem."
Stutz was routinely beaten, tortured and starved during the first four years of captivity. He was moved around to several POW camps in the North including New Guy Village, the Zoo, Little Las Vegas, the Power Plant, Heartbreak Hotel, Camp Hope (Son Tay)
Operation Ivory Coast
Operation Ivory Coast was a failed rescue mission conducted in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War by United States Special Operations Forces and other elements of the U.S. Military....
and Skidrow. Army Special Forces raided Son Tay in Operation Ivory Coast
Operation Ivory Coast
Operation Ivory Coast was a failed rescue mission conducted in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War by United States Special Operations Forces and other elements of the U.S. Military....
a rescue attempt but Stutz and his fellow POWs had been moved shortly before the raid.
During his first time at the infamous Hanoi Hilton
Hanoi Hilton
Hỏa Lò Prison, later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War....
, an old French prison in downtown Hanoi, the North Vietnamese crowded 40 or 50 into each large cell. Stutz reported in 2004 that “We might have overstepped our bounds because they decided to ‘re-educate’ 36 of us. We were sent to a camp called Skid Row — solitary confinement, hotter than hell, no exercise,” he said. “From Skid Row, they brought me and some other guys back and put us in an eight-man cellblock called Heartbreak Hotel.”
About one year before their eventual release, the North Vietnamese took Stutz and 214 other prisoners to a camp on the Chinese border. They remained there until the peace agreement was signed.
In the documentary, "Return with Honor
Return with Honor
Return with Honor is a 1999 documentary film about American prisoners of war in the Vietnam War. Among those profiled is Senator John McCain. It is narrated by Tom Hanks....
" Stutz describes how his North Vietnamese captors tortured him. "I thought I was the toughest fighter pilot in the world. I found out real fast how wrong I was . . . When the screaming gets so bad they stuff a rag in your mouth so they don't have to hear you, all you can think is, "God, I don't want to die and nobody even knowing.'"
On March 4, 1973, Stutz, promoted during his time as a prisoner to captain, was released from Hanoi. Almost 600 Americans were freed during Operation Homecoming
Operation Homecoming
Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick...
. The years of deprivation and captivity took a toll on Stutz, who lost 68 pounds, dropping from 175 to 107 pounds. An injury suffered when he “tried to break the butt of a rifle with my head” grounded him medically when he was finally freed.
Air Force Career
Promoted to Major in 1974, Stutz was an Air Officer Commanding at the Air Force Academy and then the Commandant’s Executive for Honor and Ethics. He next attended the Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in 1977-1978. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1978, he attended Maintenance Officers School at Chanute Air Force BaseChanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training....
. He was then assigned to MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
as officer in charge of the 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit, maintenance supervisor, and later commander of the 56th Aircraft Generation Squadron and assistant deputy commander for maintenace.
Promoted to colonel in 1984, Stutz then attended the Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
at Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
in 1984-1985. He returned to MacDill as Deputy Commander for Maintenance for the 56th Tactical Training Wing. He was next Deputy for Maintenance of the 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
In July 1990 he reported to Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
where he became the vice wing commander and the chief of the operation division of the 3330th Technical Training Wing. Followed by assignment as commander of the 3360th Technical Training Group in February 1992, and the commander of the Training Wing in November 1992.
Colonel Stutz retired from the Air Force in June 1994 having completed 30 years on active duty. At the time of his retirement, he was a rated a pilot with over 750 flying hours in the T-37 Tweet, T-33, and RF-4C Phantom II.
He currently resides in Oklahoma, City.