Carl Mitchell graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1950. Captain Vincent Hickman, Major Mitchell’s Navigator, was also posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for the same mission in which Carl Berg earned the Air Force Cross. Because there was not a formal declaration of war by Congress, Mitchell and Hickman were listed by the Defense Department as non-combat deaths. At the time, Air Force personnel in Vietnam were there in the role of advisors and, as such, a Vietnamese observer was with them on this mission and was also lost in action. The remains of neither American airman has been recovered.
Sponsored by:
Carl
Berg
Mitchell
MIA (RVN) KIA
September 2, 1928
–
January 14, 1964
Cemetery:
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Courts of the Missing)
Awards Received
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Air Force Cross
-
Distinguished Flying Cross
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
MajorBatallion:
1st Air Commando SquadronRegiment:
34th Tactical GroupDivision:
Bien Hoa Air Base, VietnamAction Date:
Vietnam War
(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: Major Carl Berg Mitchell (AFSN: 0-20290), United States Air Force, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in Southeast Asia.
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Air Force Cross
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
MajorBatallion:
1st Air Commando SquadronRegiment:
34th Tactical GroupDivision:
Bien Hoa Air Base, VietnamAction Date:
January 14, 1964
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pride in presenting the Air Force Cross (Posthumously) to Major Carl Berg Mitchell (AFSN: 0-20290), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as an Advisor-Pilot of a B-26B aircraft in the 1st Air Commando Squadron, 34th Tactical Group, Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, in action on 14 January 1964. On that date, Major Mitchell voluntarily exposed himself and his aircraft during low level flights over hidden Viet Cong machine gun installations. Despite heavy machine gun fire, which repeatedly struck his aircraft, Major Mitchell aggressively continued his efforts to locate and destroy the machine gun installations until his badly damaged aircraft crashed and burned. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Major Mitchell reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.