Published Jun 8, 2026, 11:58 AM EDT
Maj. Bob Lodge, a Vietnam veteran, died more than five decades ago. His service could be honored due to a change in rules.
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Published Jun 8, 2026, 11:58 AM EDT
More than 50 years after U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert "Bob" Lodge was killed over North Vietnam, lawmakers are backing an effort that supporters hope will ultimately result in the award of the Medal of Honor. Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), a decorated fighter pilot and retired Air Force colonel, introduced legislation on June 2 tied specifically to Lodge's case that would authorize an exception to the statutory deadlines that normally govern Medal of Honor awards, allowing officials to consider whether Lodge's actions on May 10, 1972, merit the nation's highest military decoration despite the passage of more than five decades. The measure, as first reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine, would not change the rules for other service members. "As a fighter wing weapons officer with knowledge of highly classified intelligence sources and methods, Maj. Lodge knew he could not fall into enemy hands," Pfluger said in a statement upon the bill's introduction. "He made the ultimate sacrifice, deliberately choosing to ride a crippled aircraft to his death to protect that information.
