Rank and
organization: Sergeant, U.S. Air Force, 3d Special
Operations Squadron. Place and date: Long Binh Army
post, Republic of Vietnam, 24 February 1969. New Haven, Conn. Born:
1 November 1945, Hartford, Conn.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at
the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt.
Levitow (then A1c.), U.S. Air Force, distinguished himself by
exceptional heroism while assigned as a loadmaster aboard an
AC-47 aircraft flying a night mission in support of Long Binh
Army post. Sgt. Levitow's aircraft was struck by a hostile
mortar round. The resulting explosion ripped a hole 2 feet in
diameter through the wing and fragments made over 3,500 holes
in the fuselage. All occupants of the cargo compartment were
wounded and helplessly slammed against the floor and fuselage.
The explosion tore an activated flare from the grasp of a
crewmember who had been launching flares to provide
illumination for Army ground troops engaged in combat. Sgt.
Levitow, though stunned by the concussion of the blast and
suffering from over 40 fragment wounds in the back and legs,
staggered to his feet and turned to assist the man nearest to
him who had been knocked down and was bleeding heavily. As he
was moving his wounded comrade forward and away from the
opened cargo compartment door, he saw the smoking flare ahead
of him in the aisle. Realizing the danger involved and
completely disregarding his own wounds, Sgt. Levitow started
toward the burning flare. The aircraft was partially out of
control and the flare was rolling wildly from side to side.
Sgt. Levitow struggled forward despite the loss of blood from
his many wounds and the partial loss of feeling in his right
leg. Unable to grasp the rolling flare with his hands, he
threw himself bodily upon the burning flare. Hugging the
deadly device to his body, he dragged himself back to the rear
of the aircraft and hurled the flare through the open cargo
door. At that instant the flare separated and ignited in the
air, but clear of the aircraft. Sgt. Levitow, by his selfless
and heroic actions, saved the aircraft and its entire crew
from certain death and destruction. Sgt. Levitow's gallantry,
his profound concern for his fellowmen, at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the
highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great
credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
The
President of the United States