Sijan awards presented at Pentagon

  • Published
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The four Airmen selected to receive the 2005 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award were presented their awards at the Pentagon June 13.

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, Air Force assistant vice chief of staff and director of staff, presented the awards to:

-- Lt. Col. Gerald Ven Dange, Defense Contract Management Agency West at Redondo Beach, Calif.

-- Capt. William Dains, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. 

-- Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, Kirtland AFB, N.M.

-- Senior Airman Grailin Blamer, Fort Lewis, Wash.

The Sijan award was first given in 1981. It was named in honor of the first U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor. Captain Sijan was shot down over Vietnam on Nov. 9, 1967, and evaded capture for 45 days despite severe injuries. After being captured, he overpowered a guard and crawled into the jungle, but was recaptured. He later died while in a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp. He was presented the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism.