Navy Federal Credit Union

On November 26, 1950, two American liaison men were trapped in North Korea and surrounded. Pilot James Carroll and his back-seat gunner Johnny Correy landed amid enemy fire to pick him up doubled in the back seat in the first T-6 Mosquito piggy-back rescue. John Enyart, flying without a back-seat gunner, also landed to pick up the second man. All three men were awarded the Silver Star. On August 29, 1951, while on a routine training mission at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, Enyard had to bail of out of his F-8E, and as he floated beneath his parachute to earth, he landed directly on top of the crashed wreckage of the plane he had exited before, which gained him admission to Ripley’s “Believe it or Not.”

Awards Received

  • Silver Star

    Service:

    United States Air Force

    Rank:

    First Lieutenant

    Regiment:

    66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group

    Division:

    Far East Air Forces

    Action Date:

    November 26, 1950

    Headquarters, Far East Air Forces, General Orders No. 105 (March 12, 1951)

    The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant John W. Enyart (AFSN: AO-2087627), United States Air Force, for gallantry in action against the enemy on 26 November 1950. While piloting an unarmed T-6 Mosquito Reconnaissance aircraft of the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, FAR EAST Air Forces, on reconnaissance over enemy territory in the vicinity of Tokchon, Korea, Lieutenant Enyart received an emergency call for air evacuation of a United Nations Ground Controller and his party who were completely surrounded by a superior number of enemy troops. Though visibility was greatly restricted by haze and smoke, and identification was difficult, Lieutenant Enyart skillfully directed a number of fighter type aircraft to the spot. These planes succeeded in temporarily halting the enemy’s advance. In response to a plea from the Ground Controller that an Air Evacuation Rescue Team be sent immediately to the area, Lieutenant Enyart, with complete disregard for his personal safety, landed his aircraft on a hazardous dirt strip located at the bottom of a steep valley. Exposed to heavy ground fire from the enemy, he successfully evacuated one member of the United Nations Forces, and immediately prepared to return for another. Despite almost zero visibility, and at great risk of his own life, Lieutenant Enyart approached the strip a second time but was prevented from landing by the enemy who had occupied it. The courage displayed by Lieutenant Enyart in the face of great danger was in keeping with the highest traditions of the service, and reflected great credit upon himself, the FAR EAST Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.