Hero Card 78, Card Pack 7
Photo from Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund: The Wall of Faces

Hometown: Tipton, MO
Branch: U.S. Air Force
Unit: 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, Seventh Air Force
Military Honors: Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: April 28, 1968 - KIA in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam
Age: 26
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

James Franklin “Jim” Lang grew up in Tipton, Missouri, the fourth of nine children. His siblings recall that he was always fascinated with aviation, the skies, and the stars—and that he was able to point out all the constellations. He was a member of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church.

After graduating from Tipton High School in 1959, Lange attended San Diego State College for a year, then the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he graduated in June of 1963. While at UM-C, he was introduced to the U.S. Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), where he became a Cadet First Lieutenant, took flying lessons, and was appointed Squadron Administrative Officer.

After college graduation, Lang was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and continued his flight training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. He earned his wings as an Air Force pilot in 1964.

After flying fighter jets in Florida, Lang was transferred to Biggs Air Force Base in El Paso, Texas. While there he met and married Alice Cordero in January of 1966, and the couple soon welcomed a son, Gregory, to the family.

Lang received his commission as an Air Force Captain on March 2, 1967 and was transferred to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan, where he trained on B-52 bombers.

He received orders and was deployed to Vietnam, beginning his tour on February 5, 1968. Lang was assigned to Da Nang Air Base with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group.

In Vietnam, Capt. Lang flew solo reconnaissance missions in a small twin-engine Cessna O-2A Skymaster. The Cessnas were unarmed aircraft, specifically designed for easy ground observation.

During a night mission—less than three months into Capt. Lang’s tour, on April 28, 1968—his small plane was hit by enemy ground fire. Lang’s family was notified that the pilot was missing in action, and the Air Force later confirmed that he had been killed in action. His remains were returned to the family for burial at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.

Capt. James F. Lang is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., with his name inscribed on Panel 52e, Line 39. In 1988, in his hometown of Tipton, Missouri, the local VFW named the Capt. James F. Lang Post 5085 in his honor. In 2018, the town honored Lang by dedicating a monument in Tipton City Park.