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First Name
Hector
Middle Name
M.
Last Name
Acosta
Birthdate
Hometown
San Antonio ,TX
Rank
Lieutenant Colonel
Service Branch
Air Force
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Hector Acosta graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio and then entered Officer Training School at Lackland AFB, Texas, receiving his commission as a 2d Lt on August 18, 1970. Lieutenant Acosta later completed Undergraduate Navigator Training, receiving his Navigator Wings in September 1971. Lieutenant Acosta deployed to Southeast Asia where he served with the 14th TRS at Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from July 1972 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam on December 9, 1972. He was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War the next day, December 10, 1972.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Hector Acosta was released during “Operation Homecoming” on March 29, 1973. Captain Acosta received an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to New Mexico State University, where he received his Master's Degree in Experimental Psychology in June 1981. Major Acosta then served as Chief, Experimental Testing Function, in the Manpower and Personnel Division of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory at Brooks AFB, Texas, from June 1981 to August 1984, followed by Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, from August 1984 to June 1985. Colonel Acosta served as Chief of the Research and Technology Development Division with Headquarters Air Training Command from February 1989 to April 1992, and then as a Scientific Manager at Armstrong Laboratory until his retirement from the Air Force on August 31, 1998. After retiring from the Air Force, Hector Acosta earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Psychology in May 2004 from New Mexico State University, and worked for Northrop Grumman Information Technology.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Distinguished Flying Cross (2)
- Bronze Star
- Purple Heart (2)
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release