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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
C-54s began service with the Army Air Forces in 1942, carrying up to 26 passengers. (Later versions carried up to 50 passengers.) The U.S. Navy also acquired the type, under the designation R5D. The C-54 was one of the most commonly used long-range transports by the U.S. armed forces in World War II. 515 C-54s were manufactured in Santa Monica, CA and 655 were manufactured in Chicago, Illinois.
After World War II, the C-54 continued to serve as the primary airlifter of the new United States Air Force and with the United States Navy.
The USAF Strategic Air Command had C-54 Skymasters in service from 1946 through 1975.
Model Douglas C-54A (R5D-1) Skymaster Length 93.83 ft | 28.60 m Width 117.49 ft | 35.81 m Height 27.49 ft | 8.38 m Engine(s) 4 x Pratt & Whitney E-2000-7 Twin Wasp radial engines generating 1,290hp each. Empty Weight 37,000 lbs | 16,783 kg MTOW 62,005 lbs | 28,125 kg Max Speed 265 mph | 426 km/h | 230 kts Max Range 3,899 miles | 6,275 km Ceiling 21,982 ft | 6,700 m | 4.2 miles Climb Rate Not Available Hardpoints 0 Armament None. Accommodations 6 + 86 Operators the United States of America
