CAVWV pushes Medal of Honor recognition for Air Force veteran Philip Conran

By AI, Created 5:08 AM UTC, May 19, 2026, /AGP/ – This Memorial Day, CAVWV is spotlighting retired Air Force Col. Philip J. Conran, 89, whose 1969 Laos rescue mission earned the Air Force Cross but not the Medal of Honor. The campaign ties his case to the newly resolved James Capers case and argues that decades-old recognition gaps for Secret War veterans can still be corrected.

Why it matters: - The CAVWV campaign is pushing for formal recognition of Secret War veterans whose valor was documented but not fully honored. - Col. Philip J. Conran’s case underscores how politics and classification can shape military awards long after the combat ends. - The effort also aims to widen recognition to Southeast Asian allies whose service has been overlooked in U.S. public memory and law.

What happened: - CAVWV used Memorial Day to highlight retired Air Force Col. Philip J. Conran, 89, and his push for recognition. - Conran is an inductee in the Air Commando Hall of Fame. - In 11 months of combat flying over Southeast Asia in 1969, Conran received six valor awards. - His final combat award, a Purple Heart, ended his flying status. - CAVWV linked Conran’s case to the case of Maj. James Capers, Jr., USMC (Ret.), whose Medal of Honor was finally approved 59 years after his actions at Phu Loc, Vietnam. - Justin LeHew, past national commander of the Legion of Valor, has encouraged recognition of Air Force special operations veterans and the 56th SOW community as a Memorial Day priority. - Craig Duehring, Raven 27 and former assistant secretary of the Air Force, is in dialogue with CAVWV about next steps for community recognition.

The details: - On Jan. 19, 1969, Conran received the Airman’s Medal after returning through exploding rounds and the risk of igniting fuel to carry an immobile crewmember from a burning aircraft at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base. - On Feb. 7, 1969, Conran earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for infiltrating indigenous personnel deep into hostile territory and exfiltrating them with minimal fuel under heavy fire. - On Feb. 14, 1969, Conran earned a second Distinguished Flying Cross after flying a helicopter to tree-top level in heavily defended territory to deliver classified ordnance and then diverting to rescue two missing indigenous personnel. - On May 5, 1969, Conran earned a fourth Distinguished Flying Cross for a clandestine infiltration of a Forward Reconnaissance Team despite poor weather, hostile forces and ground fire. - On June 3, 1969, Conran earned a third Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” after leading an eight-ship formation on a deep infiltration mission and then returning under automatic weapons fire to rescue the team from a large hostile force. - On Oct. 6, 1969, Conran’s CH-3E was shot down at Moung Phine, Laos. - Conran assumed command on the ground, organized the defense of the crash site and held it for six hours until all 54 survivors were extracted, including eight American airmen and 46 Lao allies. - Conran’s commanding officer recommended him for the Medal of Honor for the Oct. 6 action. - The recommendation was downgraded to the Air Force Cross after the Vice Commander of Pacific Air Forces told Conran the Medal of Honor could not proceed because President Nixon had publicly said no American military operations were ongoing in Laos. - Conran accepted the Air Force Cross. - The citations for his awards refer to Southeast Asia or classified locations and do not name Laos. - CAVWV says the language used in the citations reflects the official understatement that surrounded the Secret War. - Conran said, “America didn’t forget these men. America never knew them. There is a difference, and it means there is still time to do something about it.” - CAVWV said the organization is dedicated to recognition of American veterans and Southeast Asian allies, including Vietnamese (Kinh), Montagnards, Lao Loum, Lao Theung, Lao Sung, Nung, Khmer and others.

Between the lines: - The Conran case mirrors the Capers case in structure: a recommendation was made, then blocked or downgraded by process and politics rather than merit. - The difference is geography, not principle, and CAVWV is arguing that the same correction now applied to Capers should be possible for Conran. - The push also reflects a broader effort to restore visibility to the Secret War, where official records often obscured where combat occurred and who carried the burden.

What’s next: - CAVWV is seeking media coverage and broader recognition for Conran and other Secret War veterans. - Conran is available for media interviews through Tom Briggs at cavwv.president@gmail.com. - The organization says it will continue working on recognition for veterans and allied forces whose contributions were minimized in official channels.

The bottom line: - Conran’s supporters want Memorial Day to become a catalyst for correcting a decades-old awards failure and for naming the people and places that the Secret War kept off the record.