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First Name
William
Middle Name
A.
Last Name
Gauntt
Birthdate
Hometown
Greenville, TX
Rank
Colonel
Service Branch
Air Force
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Bill Gauntt was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force on June 5, 1968. He completed Undergraduate Pilot training and was awarded his pilot wings at Reese AFB, Texas, in August 1969. After completing pre-interceptor training, instructor pilot training and then serving as an instructor pilot at Tyndall AFB, Florida, Lieutenant Gauntt attended RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance training and combat crew training before deploying to Southeast Asia in October 1971. His next assignment was as an RF-4C pilot with the 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from October 1971 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on August 13, 1972.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Captain Gauntt was released during “Operation Homecoming” on March 27, 1973. He then served as an RF-4C instructor pilot with the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Bergstrom AFB, Texas.. His next assignment was as an RF-4C Stand/Eval Flight Examiner for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations with Headquarters 12th Air Force at Bergstrom , followed by an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to complete his master's degree at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Major Gauntt served as a Civil Engineering Staff Officer at Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB, Virginia, and then attended the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia. His next assignment was as Chief of the Airspace Management Branch with Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon, and then as a Legislative Liaison with the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force in the Pentagon. Lieutenant Colonel Gauntt next served as Deputy Commander and then Commander of the 26th Combat Support Group with the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Zweibruecken AB, West Germany, followed by service as Deputy Chief of the Airspace and Air Traffic Services Division with Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon from June 1988 until his retirement from the Air Force on September 1, 1990. Bill Gauntt died on February 24, 2022.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
- Bronze Star
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release