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Contact Info
Home Town North Barnstead, New Hampshire
Date of Passing Mar 31, 1984
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Wall/Plot Coordinates Section N70W, Row 37, Site 2
He served in WWII but didn't see combat. He participated in the Berlin Airlift from Jun 1948 to Jan 1949. Between Feb 1968 and Aug 1970, he flew 643 combat missions in Southeast Asia. He also served in several instructional and advisory positions and flew a variety of aircraft.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Lieutenant Colonel William Boyd, Jr. (AFSN: 0-16690), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as a C-130 pilot of the 50th Tactical Airlift Squadron, 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan, in action at Kham Duc, Republic of Vietnam on 12 May 1968. On that date, Colonel Boyd flew an emergency evacuation mission into Kham Duc Airfield as it was being overrun by hostile forces. Realizing that the friendly ground forces and Vietnamese civilians remaining at Kham Duc had virtually no chance for survival except evacuation by his aircraft, Colonel Boyd, without regard for his personal safety, flew through a veritable hail of hostile fire into the besieged field and successfully evacuated more than one hundred troops and civilians. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Lieutenant Colonel Boyd reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Aircraft/Missile Information
Convair F-102A Delta Dagger Length 68.37 ft | 20.84 m Width 38.12 ft | 11.62 m Height 21.19 ft | 6.46 m Engine(s) 1 x Pratt & Whitney J57-P-25 turbojet engine delivering 17,200 lbs of thrust. Empty Weight 19,026 lbs | 8,630 kg MTOW 31,500 lbs | 14,288 kg Max Speed 825 mph | 1,328 km/h | 717 kts Max Range 1,350 miles | 2,173 km Ceiling 54,003 ft | 16,460 m | 10.2 miles Climb Rate 17,400 ft/min (5,304 m/min) Hardpoints 6 Armament 6 x air-to-air missiles 24 x 2.75in unguided rockets (pod x2)
Nuclear Capable Accommodations 1
Major Variants
? XF-92A - Experimental Test Study Aircraft from which the YF-102 is derived from. ? YF-102 - Prototype Model Designation (Model 8-80); fitted with 9,700lb Pratt & Whitney J57-P-11 turbojet engine. ? YF-102A - Redesigned "Whitcomb Area Ruled" airframe. ? F-102A - Initial Production Model Designation ? TF-102A - Tandem Seat Trainer Conversion Models ? F-102B - Improved Development on base F-102; redesignated and produced as the F-106 Delta Dart. ? YF-106A - F-106 Prototype Model Designation of which two were produced. ? F-106A - Single Seat Model Designation ? F-106B - Two-Seat Model Designation