Louis J. Sebille

Early in the war, these aircraft were used primarily to conduct raids and gather intelligence on North Korean ground targets, focused on disrupting North Korean supply to the front lines. However, as soon as UN forces retreated to Pusan Perimeter following the Battle of Taejon, the Naval aircraft were immediately re purposed for close-air support and airstrikes against North Korean ground troops on the front. These missions were significantly more risky and the aircraft suffered much higher losses due to North Korean ground fire. On August 1, Sebille and his squadron moved to Ashiya Air Field and began conducting missions in support of the ground forces in Korea. By August 5, Sebille had accrued over 3,000 hours of flying time over the course of his career. During this time, the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron operated primarily out of Ashiya but also used airfields at Taegu and Pusan.

Sebille was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at March Air Force Base in Riverside County, California, on August 24, 1951. Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt Vandenberg presented the medal for him to his widowed wife and their son, who was 19 months old at the time. The ceremony was also attended by his former wingman in Korea, Martin Johnson, who made a speech calling Sebille "a remarkable friend, a fine commander and a very brave man."

Sebille commanded the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at the outbreak of the Korean War, flying P-51 Mustangs in close air support and air strike missions. On August 5, 1950, he attacked a North Korean armored column advancing on United Nations military units. Though his aircraft was heavily damaged and he was wounded during the first pass on the column, he turned his plane around and deliberately crashed into the convoy at the cost of his life.

With the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950, the United Nations voted to send troops into South Korea to aid it against the North Korean Army to prevent the country from collapsing. Sebille's unit was among those sent to assist the UN ground forces operating in Korea. By the end of July, the US had shipped a large number of aircraft of all types to Korea. On July 30, the Far East Air Forces had 890 planes; 626 F-80s and 264 F-51s (previously designated P-51 until 1947) but only 525 of them were in units and available and ready for combat.

Sebille was the first person in the U.S. Air Force to be awarded the Medal of Honor since the branch's beginning in 1947, and the 31st MOH recipient of the Korea War. The four U.S. Air Force members including Sebrille who received the medal in that war were pilots who were killed in action. They were the only USAF members to receive the Army version of the medal (the Air Force version was first awarded during the Vietnam War).

After the end of the war, Sebille left active duty with the Air Force and began work as a commercial airline pilot. However he returned to the Air Force in July 1946 after he was offered a commission as a First Lieutenant. He held several positions, first as a staff officer with the Ninth United States Air Force headquarters at Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss, Texas. Shortly thereafter, Sebille was assigned as an P-51 Mustang and P-80 Shooting Star instructor pilot, teaching other pilots how to transition from conventional fighter aircraft to newer jet engine powered models. Sebille then attended Air Tactical School at Tyndall Field, Florida. He was then assigned to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in 1948. During this time, he flew an P-51D named Nancy III (tail number 44-74112). In November 1948, Sebille was once again promoted to major and made the commanding officer of the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, a component of the Fifth United States Air Force stationed in Japan for post-World War II occupation duties. In November 1949, the squadron began receiving new P-80's but continued to fly a mix of P-80 and P-51 aircraft. Eventually, the squadron transitioned entirely to P-80s, then back to P-51s. During this time, Sebille was known to spend time in his squadron's Quonset hut. He frequently discussed fighting and death, including sentiments supporting suicide attack, at one point saying "If you have to die, then take some of the enemy with you." During this time Sebille worked mostly administrative duty as the squadron absorbed new aircraft and pilots in Japan.

Deployed to England in January 1943, Sebille flew bombing missions in the European theatre. The 322nd Bombardment Group, the first unit to fly the B-26 Marauder, was sent on its first mission on May 14, a low-altitude attack on an electrical power plant in the Netherlands under the control of Nazi Germany. The mission was Sebille's first sortie, and the group suffered one plane lost and 10 damaged. Three days later a second attack was assigned on the same target, however, Sebille was not on the mission list. Of the planes that flew the mission, one aborted and the rest did not return. Sebille advanced to flight leader and then was promoted to squadron operations officer with a temporary rank of major. By the end of the war, Sebille had flown 68 combat missions with 245 combat hours. In the war he had been awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and twelve Air Medals. His unit returned to the United States in March, 1945.

Sebille enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan. He began flight training in January 1942, in spite of being two months older than the cutoff age of 26, as the desperate need for pilots combined with Sebille's skills as a pilot allowed him to waive the age restriction. During that time he was described as an outstanding pilot and leader, and his maturity was helpful for the younger flight trainees. After completing flight training, Sebille was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to the 450th Bombardment Squadron, 322nd Bombardment Group 3rd Bombardment Wing at MacDill Field, Florida. Sebille flew B-26 Marauder aircraft.

Born in Michigan, Sebille worked as a master of ceremonies in Chicago, Illinois before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Sebille flew B-26 Marauder bombers over Europe from 1943 to 1945. He flew 68 combat missions and accrued more than 3,000 hours of flying time. Sebille briefly became a commercial airline pilot after the war before he was offered a commission as a first lieutenant and reentered the service in July 1946.

Louis Joseph "Lou" Sebille (November 21, 1915 – August 5, 1950) was a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and later the United States Air Force during the Korean War. He rose to the rank of major and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on August 5, 1950 in South Korea during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.

Sebille was born on November 21, 1915 in Harbor Beach, Michigan. He attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. After his graduation from the university in the 1930s he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he worked as a Master of Ceremonies in several Chicago nightclubs under the nickname "Lou Reynolds." He was described as "a handsome glib master of ceremonies who used to wow the customers with his own parody of My Blue Heaven." Sebille married and his wife gave birth to a son in December 1949.