Bud Day
Bud Day is a skinny 17-year-old in late 1942 when he quit high school and nagged his parents into letting him join the Marine Corps. Tough as the Marines were, Day had known tougher times.1
He served in the Pacific during World War II, and later became a fighter pilot. Bud Day, a legendary “full-blooded jet-jock” as one recent account dubbed him, would see service in all three wars as a sanctified whole: For him the concept of the “long war” was something he had built his life around in the middle decades of the 20th century.2
This paper explains that Medal of Honor winner, Colonel George “Bud” Day, who served America in three wars during his 34-year military career, survived 67 months of captivity during Vietnam War. The author points out that Day, having more than 50 combat awards, including the Medal of Honor, is the most highly decorated officer since Gen. Douglas MacArthur.3
Robert Coram has tried to remedy this by placing upfront his own example of a Vietnam-era hero. His pick — Col. George “Bud” Day — is not well-known, but seems worthy of the honor.4
The event was held in a private hangar of the Sioux Gateway Airport/Col. Bud Day Field, which was designated in honor of the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veteran in December 2002.5
Now began Bud Day?s greatest epic, five and a half years of torture and resistance, refusing to cooperate with his captors. Now Bud Day?s ability to bear adversity came to the fore.6