Col. ‘Bud’ Day honored as Class of ’17 Exemplar

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Heather Stanton
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Class of 2017 honored their chosen exemplar during a dinner Sept. 26 in Mitchell Hall here.

The Cadet Exemplar Program is an avenue for each Academy class to honor and identify with a past military giant. The selected class exemplar becomes the cadets' honorary class leader, and the namesake and identity of that particular class. The hero chosen epitomizes the personal characteristics each class seeks to emulate.

"The Exemplar for the Class of 2017 is Colonel George Everett 'Bud' Day," said Cadet 3rd Class Andrew Barto, Cadet Squadron 16. "We chose Colonel Day for his constant love of country and his example of the triumph of the human spirit. Combined with his qualities of moral courage and resilience, he is undoubtedly the archetype of leadership for our class."

Day was one of the most decorated Airmen in Air Force history. He received nearly 70 medals and awards, including the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross, throughout a career spanning three wars and four decades. 

He began his career in 1942 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17. Day spent three years in the South Pacific during World War II before returning home to get a law degree.

In 1950, Day joined the Air National Guard and was called to active duty a year later, when he completed pilot training and became a fighter pilot in the Air Force and flew sorties during the Korean War.

But it was during the Vietnam War that Day made his mark on history. In 1967, Maj. Day commanded Det. 1, 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, an F-110 unit, with the top secret mission to fly over Vietnam and Laos as a forward air controller. On Aug. 26, Day's plane was hit by ground fire, and as he plummeted to Earth, he ejected and smashed against the fuselage, breaking his arm in three places.

Day was initially captured, taken to an underground shelter, and was threatened with a mock execution after refusing to answer the enemy's questions. After five days, he escaped. In spite of his serious injuries and missing his boots, he traveled more than 25 miles. During his travel, he ate only local fruit and raw frogs, and was further injured when a bomb went off nearby. After 10 days, Day made it across the Ben Hai River into South Vietnam and a few days later he was two miles away from the Marine base at Con Thien. Viet Cong insurgents discovered Day and shot him in the left thigh and left hand.

He was taken to the "Hanoi Hilton," where his wounds were left untreated. He suffered from malnutrition and was constantly tortured. Day endured years of agonizing treatment. Many of his injuries did not heal properly, and his weight dropped to about 100 pounds. Still, Day remained defiant. In the spring of 1968, he was taken to the "Zoo," a punishment camp for "hard resisters." There, he was beaten so hard his vision became blurred. After Ho Chi Minh died in the fall of 1969, the POWs' situation improved somewhat, but Day was still singled out for especially harsh treatment.

In 1971, guards burst in with rifles when some of the prisoners gathered for a forbidden religious service. Day defiantly stared the guards down and began to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in protest. Other prisoners, including the prison's top ranking officer, James Stockdale, joined him.

In 1973, after 67 months in captivity, he was released. The damage by the enemy permanently scarred Day's body, but he fought to get well. A year later he was back on flight status, and qualified as an F-4 pilot. Day retired from active service in 1976. He died July 27, 2013, in Shalimar, Fla., at 88.

The Exemplar dinner, attended by the Class of 2017, as well as Day's grandson, 1st Lt. Josh Day, included a video presentation about Day, the unveiling of a display case decorated with memorabilia in memory of him, and remarks by retired Maj. Gen. Donald Shepperd and retired Col. Paul Robinson, "MISTY" pilots who flew with Day.

"We are honored by the presence of a member of the Day family, and both of our guest speakers knew Colonel Day personally and can attest to his outstanding character and leadership," Barto said.

Members of the Class of 2017 are inspired by Day and hope to exemplify him throughout their time at the Academy, and in the operational Air Force as commissioned officers, said Cadet 3rd Class Samuel Rouleau, CS-14.

"My hope is that all of my classmates are able to look to Colonel Day and be inspired by his example," Rouleau said. "Colonel Day's example does not only apply to our time at the Academy, but also to our military career and life after the military. Although some of us will never experience what Colonel Day went through, we can look to him during our own challenges, whether in our military or personal lives, and use him as an inspiration."

Past class exemplars include Gen. Carl Spaatz, Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell and Capt. Lance P. Sijan.

(Air Force News Service contributed to this article)