Habersham County is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northeastern Georgia. The population today is only about 42,000. Fifty years ago, it was much less, but despite that, seven of Habersham's sons lost their lives in the faraway war in Vietnam. One of them, Hilliard Almond Wilbanks, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Growing up...
A good student who he loved football...
Growing up in the small town of Cornelia, Georgia, he was a good student who always did his best. He delivered newspapers on his bicycle, played the piano at his church and played right guard on the football team.
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Family Hilliard Almond Wilbanks was born at the family home on Maple Street in Cornelia on July 26, 1933, the firstborn son of Travis and Ruby Wilbanks. He had two brothers: Edwin was born in 1935 and Norman in 1937. When he was almost 15 a sister, Patricia, was born.
  The family at brother Edwin's wedding in 1955 |
 Hilliard in 2nd row - # 15 |
 1949-50 Cornelia High School Football Team - Hilliard is in back row: 2nd from right |
1950 Cornelia High School Graduation Ceremony at the Grand Theater on Main Street - Hilliard is in middle row, 2nd from right
Upon graduation from Cornelia High School in 1950, he enlisted in the United States Air Force at the age of 17. He became an air policeman and served nearly four years in the Strategic Air Command. In 1954, he qualified and was accepted as into Aviation Cadets and began flight training. He received his wings and commission as a distinguished graduate in June 1955 with the Class of 55-P at Laredo AFB, Texas.
The first four enlisted years...
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Aviation Cadet Officer Candidate Training...Class of 55-P
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 First Solo Flight - July 19, 1954 in a Piper Cub - Above is the 2nd plane he learned to fly, a T-6 Trainer - A/C Wilbanks in front seat; his instructor in back.  Aviation Cadets Patch  The GOAL - Wings...The long awaited reward |
 Hondo AB, Texas - Squadron # 2 - Fireball - 1  L to R: 2/Lt Sampsel, 2/Lt Wakefield, 1/Lt Young, 2/Lt Spencer, and 2/Lt Wilbanks |
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 Married Rosemary Arnold in 1956 |
Wilbanks receives his captain bars in 1961 from Major Welborn, chief of maintenance division of the 5010th Maintenance and Supply Group.
His first duty as an officer, 1955 - 1959, was a T-33 instructor pilot with the 3506th Pilot Training Squadron at Greenville AFB, Mississippi . There he met and married Rosemary Arnold of Glen Allan in 1956. In February 1959 they moved to Chanute AFB, Rantoul, Illinois for Maintenance Officer School. In late 1959, he received orders for America's "Farthest North" Air Force Base, Eielson AFB, Alaska. While at Eielson AFB on October 15, 1961, he was promoted to Captain. He qualified as a F-86 Sabre test pilot and served as an aircraft maintenance officer. His love for the outdoors took him fishing and hunting. In May 1962, he received orders for Nellis AFB, Nevada where he was a Flight Line Maintenance Officer on the F-105 fighter-bomber "Thunderchief".
During those two duty assignments, his family was blessed with two children, a boy and a girl. Shortly before leaving for the next assignment in Southeast Asia on March 30, 1966, they found out that twins were on the way and they were born just two weeks after he left.
During those two duty assignments, his family was blessed with two children, a boy and a girl. Shortly before leaving for the next assignment in Southeast Asia on March 30, 1966, they found out that twins were on the way and they were born just two weeks after he left.
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The Southeast Asia assignment came with orders for Vietnam to serve as a Forward Air Controller flying the Bird Dog, a small Cessna type aircraft. His FAC training was at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
By Feb. 24, 1967, Wilbanks had flown 487 combat missions. He had already received the Distinguished Flying Cross and 17 Air Medals. He was scheduled to finish his tour and leave Vietnam in March. He was eager to see his wife and four children. He had survived almost eleven months of dangerous duty.
The forward air controllers (FACs) flew low and slow in small spotter airplanes, conducting visual reconnaissance in the same area every day. They became familiar with the terrain and would notice if any big changes took place. They knew the places where enemy forces might hide. To help pilots put their ordnance on target and to lessen the risk of hitting allied forces and civilians, the rules of engagement required that all ground attack strikes in South Vietnam be directed by a forward air controller.
The Bird Dog could reach 150 mph in an emergency, but the normal cruising speed was 104 mph. The plane had two seats, but FACs usually flew alone. The Bird Dog carried no ordnance except four white phosphorous smoke rockets, used to mark targets. Small-arms fire from the ground could easily penetrate the cockpit. His only weapon was his M-16 that he carried for self-defense in case his airplane was shot down and he had to defend himself on the ground.
By Feb. 24, 1967, Wilbanks had flown 487 combat missions. He had already received the Distinguished Flying Cross and 17 Air Medals. He was scheduled to finish his tour and leave Vietnam in March. He was eager to see his wife and four children. He had survived almost eleven months of dangerous duty.
The forward air controllers (FACs) flew low and slow in small spotter airplanes, conducting visual reconnaissance in the same area every day. They became familiar with the terrain and would notice if any big changes took place. They knew the places where enemy forces might hide. To help pilots put their ordnance on target and to lessen the risk of hitting allied forces and civilians, the rules of engagement required that all ground attack strikes in South Vietnam be directed by a forward air controller.
The Bird Dog could reach 150 mph in an emergency, but the normal cruising speed was 104 mph. The plane had two seats, but FACs usually flew alone. The Bird Dog carried no ordnance except four white phosphorous smoke rockets, used to mark targets. Small-arms fire from the ground could easily penetrate the cockpit. His only weapon was his M-16 that he carried for self-defense in case his airplane was shot down and he had to defend himself on the ground.
 Capt. Wilbanks at the MACV Compound at Bao Loc
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 O-1E Bird Dog - 'My Bird'  Capt. Westby, Capt. Wilbanks, Airman Lee |
Capt. Wilbanks was assigned to the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron at Nha Trang, but he worked for the Air Liaison Officer (ALO) for the southern Central Highlands provinces, Lt. Col. Norman Mueller, who was also a FAC. He was attached to the US Army advisory team working with the South Vietnamese 23rd Division, headquartered at Ban Me Thuot. Mueller and his FACs were responsible for the southern half of II Corps, the largest of the four military regions in South Vietnam. In February, only twelve FACs were assigned to that area as replacements were slow in arriving. Normally there would have been about 30 FACs in the area. They flew numerous missions every day.
On Feb. 22, a North Vietnamese Army battalion arrived in the area of Di Linh. The NVA regulars joined forces with the local Viet Cong. On Feb. 23, the communists captured a large tea plantation and forced the owners and workers to help them build an ambush site on the two hills overlooking the road that ran north from Saigon to Dalat. They had worked through the night digging hundreds of foxholes and several machine gun emplacements among the tea bushes, all carefully camouflaged.
The next morning, unaware of the ambush, a company of local RF/PF (Regional Forces/Popular Forces) headed out of Bao Loc in search of a suspected VC tax collection post set up along the road way. They walked into the ambush at the tea plantation and were all but annihilated. Later two ARVN Ranger companies (with their U.S. Ranger advisers) set out to see what had happened as the ambush had not been reported. Several sorties were flown by the FACs searching for the missing ARVN company and the enemy unit but they did not locate them. Col. Mueller called Capt. Wilbanks (Walt 51) to help in the search. He scanned the familiar slopes of the hills overlooking the road, looking for signs of change. He noticed lots of them, including the camouflaged emplacements among the tea bushes. He had found the enemy force. He radioed a warning that the Rangers were walking into an ambush. He fired a white phophorous smoke rocket to mark the target for both the Rangers and the approaching helicopter gunships (which were responding to Col. Mueller's earlier emergency call for air support) as the whole hillside erupted with fire.
As the gunships neared the ambush area, one had lost its hydraulics to ground fire a few miles out and had to withdraw; the other two pressed their assault on the main enemy, stopping their attack on the Rangers. During the lull, Capt. Wilbanks released the remaining two to escort the disabled one back to base. However, when the NVA saw the gunships depart, they resumed their attack on the Rangers. With no fighters yet available, Capt. Wilbanks began firing his remaining three smoke rockets at them, and the NVA turned their fire onto his small Bird Dog. With rockets gone, the only weapon he had was his M-16 rifle. Ignoring his own safety, three times he swept low over the enemy force, firing his rifle out a side window. It was enough to slow the enemy, but the U.S. Rangers on the ground could hear bullets hitting his aircraft. After his third M-16 firing pass, he began to fly erratically and ultimately crashed between the Rangers' and NVA positions. Two U.S. Rangers managed to extricate him from his wrecked aircraft, but they were pinned down by enemy fire.
Meanwhile, Col. Mueller had recalled the two gunships, but they and another "slick" helicopter were driven off by heavy ground fire during their own multiple rescue attempts - even as they held the NVA at bay. Finally, Col. Mueller managed to fly a distracting pattern while a "Dustoff" medevac helicopter picked up Wilbanks and the U.S. Rangers. Fighters arrived as the gunships were running out of ammunition, and they continued to strike the enemy well into the night. Unfortunately, Capt. Wilbanks did not survive his rescue flight. He died enroute to the medical facility at Bao Loc on Feb. 24, 1967. He saved more than 130 U.S. and Vietnamese lives, but at the cost of his own.
On Friday, March 3, 1967, funeral services were held at Glen Allan Methodist Church, Glen Allan, MS with interment at Fayette Methodist Cemetery, Fayette, MS.
On Feb. 22, a North Vietnamese Army battalion arrived in the area of Di Linh. The NVA regulars joined forces with the local Viet Cong. On Feb. 23, the communists captured a large tea plantation and forced the owners and workers to help them build an ambush site on the two hills overlooking the road that ran north from Saigon to Dalat. They had worked through the night digging hundreds of foxholes and several machine gun emplacements among the tea bushes, all carefully camouflaged.
The next morning, unaware of the ambush, a company of local RF/PF (Regional Forces/Popular Forces) headed out of Bao Loc in search of a suspected VC tax collection post set up along the road way. They walked into the ambush at the tea plantation and were all but annihilated. Later two ARVN Ranger companies (with their U.S. Ranger advisers) set out to see what had happened as the ambush had not been reported. Several sorties were flown by the FACs searching for the missing ARVN company and the enemy unit but they did not locate them. Col. Mueller called Capt. Wilbanks (Walt 51) to help in the search. He scanned the familiar slopes of the hills overlooking the road, looking for signs of change. He noticed lots of them, including the camouflaged emplacements among the tea bushes. He had found the enemy force. He radioed a warning that the Rangers were walking into an ambush. He fired a white phophorous smoke rocket to mark the target for both the Rangers and the approaching helicopter gunships (which were responding to Col. Mueller's earlier emergency call for air support) as the whole hillside erupted with fire.
As the gunships neared the ambush area, one had lost its hydraulics to ground fire a few miles out and had to withdraw; the other two pressed their assault on the main enemy, stopping their attack on the Rangers. During the lull, Capt. Wilbanks released the remaining two to escort the disabled one back to base. However, when the NVA saw the gunships depart, they resumed their attack on the Rangers. With no fighters yet available, Capt. Wilbanks began firing his remaining three smoke rockets at them, and the NVA turned their fire onto his small Bird Dog. With rockets gone, the only weapon he had was his M-16 rifle. Ignoring his own safety, three times he swept low over the enemy force, firing his rifle out a side window. It was enough to slow the enemy, but the U.S. Rangers on the ground could hear bullets hitting his aircraft. After his third M-16 firing pass, he began to fly erratically and ultimately crashed between the Rangers' and NVA positions. Two U.S. Rangers managed to extricate him from his wrecked aircraft, but they were pinned down by enemy fire.
Meanwhile, Col. Mueller had recalled the two gunships, but they and another "slick" helicopter were driven off by heavy ground fire during their own multiple rescue attempts - even as they held the NVA at bay. Finally, Col. Mueller managed to fly a distracting pattern while a "Dustoff" medevac helicopter picked up Wilbanks and the U.S. Rangers. Fighters arrived as the gunships were running out of ammunition, and they continued to strike the enemy well into the night. Unfortunately, Capt. Wilbanks did not survive his rescue flight. He died enroute to the medical facility at Bao Loc on Feb. 24, 1967. He saved more than 130 U.S. and Vietnamese lives, but at the cost of his own.
On Friday, March 3, 1967, funeral services were held at Glen Allan Methodist Church, Glen Allan, MS with interment at Fayette Methodist Cemetery, Fayette, MS.
 Military Honors included a 21-Gun Salute and Taps |
 Fayette Methodist Cemetary in Fayette, Mississippi |
Grave marker in Fayette, Mississippi
On Jan. 24, 1968, the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to Capt. Wilbanks for his actions in this engagement. The Medal of Honor is the highest award our nation can confer, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Wilbanks was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 19 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
Air Force Medal of Honor
Honors...
In 1984, the United States Air Force presented the town of Cornelia a reproduction of the Wilbanks' Medal of Honor portrait that hangs in the Pentagon. It was placed on display in the town library.
In 2000, the Forward Air Controller Memorial was dedicated at Hurlburt Field, honoring the 219 FACs who were killed in action in Vietnam. Wilbanks is recognized by a bronze plaque on a pedestal near an O-1E Bird Dog aircraft. Only two 'slow FACs' received the Medal of Honor.
In 2001, Wilbanks was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in Warner Robins, GA. His commanding officer in Vietnam, Lt. Col. Norman Mueller, spoke at the enshrinement banquet, recounting Wilbanks' story.
In 2001, the Habersham County Community came together to erect and dedicate a six-foot-tall, two-sided, black granite memorial marker on the grounds of the Cornelia Community House to honor the county's only Medal of Honor recipient (picture above). The dedication ceremony was held on July 29 and was highlighted with an Air Force "Missing Man" Fly-over by Shaw AFB, South Carolina and also a Bird Dog Fly-over by four members of the the International Bird Dog Association. Colors were presented by the Robins Air Force Base Honor Guard and Capt. Wilbanks' children unveiled the memorial. Numerous dignitaries, military, former associates of Capt. Wilbanks, high school friends, family members and community were there to honor Wilbanks. Lt. Col. Norman Mueller, Air Liason Officer and Hilliard's commanding officer, was the keynote speaker. Col. Jonathan Myer USAF, a former forward air controller who trained with Capt. Wilbanks, performed his original ballad, "Willie Wilbanks' 'One-Man War'". Col. Benjamin Purcell, a POW of the Vietnam War, gave the benediction.
In 2001, the 17th Air Support Operations Squadron Building at Ft. Benning, GA was dedicated to Wilbanks. Mrs. Wilbanks was presented the Vietnamese Ranger Badge on behalf of the US Ranger advisors.
In 2003, USAF Pilot Training Class 55-P, of which Wilbanks was a member, sponsored a granite bench with his name on it at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH.
In 2008, the Joseph Habersham Chapter of the SAR began a yearly remembrance of Wilbanks. They also set up the Hilliard Wilbanks Scholarship Fund.
In 2009, "Tribute: Expressions of Loss and Remembrance" by Vietnam Veterans was produced by the National Vietnam War Museum, Mineral Wells, Texas and presented at the Fort Worth Community Art Center June 5 - 26, 2009.
In 2011, the Habersham County Board of Education voted unanimously to name their new school in Demorest, GA , the Hilliard A. Wilbanks Middle School.
In 2011, the Hilliard A. Wilbanks Foundation was formed to perpetuate his memory through higher education.
In 2000, the Forward Air Controller Memorial was dedicated at Hurlburt Field, honoring the 219 FACs who were killed in action in Vietnam. Wilbanks is recognized by a bronze plaque on a pedestal near an O-1E Bird Dog aircraft. Only two 'slow FACs' received the Medal of Honor.
In 2001, Wilbanks was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in Warner Robins, GA. His commanding officer in Vietnam, Lt. Col. Norman Mueller, spoke at the enshrinement banquet, recounting Wilbanks' story.
In 2001, the Habersham County Community came together to erect and dedicate a six-foot-tall, two-sided, black granite memorial marker on the grounds of the Cornelia Community House to honor the county's only Medal of Honor recipient (picture above). The dedication ceremony was held on July 29 and was highlighted with an Air Force "Missing Man" Fly-over by Shaw AFB, South Carolina and also a Bird Dog Fly-over by four members of the the International Bird Dog Association. Colors were presented by the Robins Air Force Base Honor Guard and Capt. Wilbanks' children unveiled the memorial. Numerous dignitaries, military, former associates of Capt. Wilbanks, high school friends, family members and community were there to honor Wilbanks. Lt. Col. Norman Mueller, Air Liason Officer and Hilliard's commanding officer, was the keynote speaker. Col. Jonathan Myer USAF, a former forward air controller who trained with Capt. Wilbanks, performed his original ballad, "Willie Wilbanks' 'One-Man War'". Col. Benjamin Purcell, a POW of the Vietnam War, gave the benediction.
In 2001, the 17th Air Support Operations Squadron Building at Ft. Benning, GA was dedicated to Wilbanks. Mrs. Wilbanks was presented the Vietnamese Ranger Badge on behalf of the US Ranger advisors.
In 2003, USAF Pilot Training Class 55-P, of which Wilbanks was a member, sponsored a granite bench with his name on it at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH.
In 2008, the Joseph Habersham Chapter of the SAR began a yearly remembrance of Wilbanks. They also set up the Hilliard Wilbanks Scholarship Fund.
In 2009, "Tribute: Expressions of Loss and Remembrance" by Vietnam Veterans was produced by the National Vietnam War Museum, Mineral Wells, Texas and presented at the Fort Worth Community Art Center June 5 - 26, 2009.
In 2011, the Habersham County Board of Education voted unanimously to name their new school in Demorest, GA , the Hilliard A. Wilbanks Middle School.
In 2011, the Hilliard A. Wilbanks Foundation was formed to perpetuate his memory through higher education.
"F.A.C. Tea Party"
An original painting by Stewart Wavell-Smith depicts Capt. Wilbanks' heroism.
An original painting by Stewart Wavell-Smith depicts Capt. Wilbanks' heroism.