Thomas M. Madison

Thomas Madison was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force through the Air Force ROTC program on November 25, 1952, and went on active duty beginning January 1, 1953. Lieutenant Madison next completed pilot training in January 1954, and C-119 Flying Boxcar training in June 1954. He served as a C-119 pilot from June 1954 to March 1956, and then served as a Special Weapons Instructor with the 3525th and 4530th Combat Crew Training Groups at Williams AFB, Arizona, from April 1956 to August 1960. Captain Madison next served as an Academic Instructor and Instructor Pilot with the 4516th, 4517th, and 4521st Combat Crew Training Squadrons at Luke AFB, Arizona, from August 1960 to February 1964, followed by F-105 Thunderchief Combat Crew Training from February to April 1964. His next assignment was as an F-105 pilot with the 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany, from May 1964 to February 1967, and then as an F-105 Wild Weasel pilot with the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from February 1967 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on April 19, 1967.