Born on Nov. 1, 1945, in Hartford, Connecticut, John Lee Levitow planned to join the Navy in 1966 after high school. But when he arrived at the Navy recruiting office in New Haven, the recruiters were busy. Growing impatient, Levitow went next door and joined the Air Force instead.

After training, Levitow was assigned to the Third Special Operations Squadron as a C-130 loadmaster and sent to Vietnam. On Feb. 24, 1969, Airman 1st Class Levitow was asked to fill in for the regular loadmaster on a Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship, known to her crew as “Spooky 71.”

That evening, Spooky 71 took flight and was later ordered to the Bien Hoa area, about 30 kilometers east of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). American forces in the area were under attack by North Vietnamese soldiers, who had used the cover of darkness to come out of the jungle. Flying about 1,000 feet above the battle, Spooky 71’s crew launched 27-pound MK-24 flares, each capable of burning at 3,000 degrees and creating two million candelas of luminous intensity, out of the cargo door to light up the sky. U.S. forces on the ground used the light to spot the enemy, while Spooky 71’s crew sprayed 6,000 rounds a minute at the North Vietnamese with the gunship’s 7.62-millimeter mini guns.

As the battle raged, Spooky 71 flew into the path of a North Vietnamese 82-millimeter mortar round. The shrapnel tore up the wing and the plane’s body, causing her pilot to struggle to maintain control. All five crewmen in the hold were hit; Levitow had been struck by more than 40 shell fragments on his right side. To make matters worse, one of the crewmembers had been about to throw a flare when he was hit, knocking him backwards and causing the flare to bounce around the hold.

Although the plane was gyrating, and despite being numb on his right side, Levitow managed to grab hold of one of the gunners and pull him back into the plane just as he was about to fall out of the cargo door. Levitow then went after the flare, knowing it could detonate at any moment and cause the ammunition aboard Spooky 71 to explode. The plane bucked and tossed Levitow from side to side; twice the flare escaped his grip. On a third try, he dropped on top of the flare and cradled it to his body as he crawled toward the cargo door. He then heaved it out the door a split second before it exploded.

After Spooky 71 landed, the pilot was able to figure out what happened by observing the blood trail Levitow left on the floor. The aircraft itself had more than 3,500 holes in its wings and fuselage.

Levitow was promoted to sergeant and recovered during a brief hospital stay. He flew another 20 missions in Vietnam before his tour of duty ended later in 1969.

On May 14, 1970, President Richard Nixon awarded Levitow the Medal of Honor. He was the first enlisted man in U.S. Air Force history to receive the medal and the lowest ranking Air Force member to receive it.

Levitow was discharged in 1970. Along with the Medal of Honor, he also received a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals and the Air Force Presidential Unit Citation, among other awards.

After his service, Levitow spent years developing and designing veteran programs in Connecticut. He passed away on Nov. 8, 2000, in Glastonbury, Connecticut, one week after his 55th birthday. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Levitow has been honored in several ways. He was inducted into the Airlift-Tanker Association Hall of Fame and has had a C-17 Globemaster III, “The Spirit of John L. Levitow,” named in his honor. The 737th Training Group Headquarters building at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas was also named in his honor, and the Levitow Honor Graduate Award is presented to the top graduate from the various Air Force Airman Leadership Schools.