» Sijan memorial:
An F-4 Phantom jet like the one Air Force Capt. Lance Sijan flew over Vietnam is moved to the memorial plaza that bears his name next to the S. Howell Ave. entrance to Mitchell International Airport.
For a fighter jet that could fly 1,400 miles an hour, it was a mighty slow ride to its new home early Tuesday. Piggybacked on a flatbed truck, the F-4 Phantom moved through a steady rain to what will be the Capt. Lance Sijan Memorial Plaza next to the S. Howell Ave. entrance to Mitchell International Airport.
Police escorted the jet for the 1.2mile trip at 4 a.m. The height of the aircraft made for a tight fit through a tunnel where a runway goes over Howell.
The jet is like the one Air Force Capt. Sijan flew over Vietnam and is painted to match his aircraft. It has been on display since 1996 along College Ave. on the airport’s south edge, even after it was orphaned by the departure of the Air Force Reserve 440th Airlift Wing a decade ago.
Sijan is a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient who grew up in Bay View. In 1967, he ejected from his disabled jet over North Vietnam, eluded capture for weeks even though seriously injured, and died in captivity in 1968 after refusing to divulge information to the enemy, even when tortured. He was 25.
Sijan’s sister, Janine Sijan-Rozina, of Bay View, has been chasing the dream of a new and better spot in Lance’s honor for the past nine years. She set out to raise $200,000 for the project, and that effort continues. She also courted local contractors who have donated time and materials. She calls them “the heroes behind the hero.”
Last week, a crane lifted the fighter jet from its tall pedestal on College Ave. and carefully placed it on the truck. The wingtips were folded and a gas tank was removed for the coming road trip.
Janine stood and watched the impressive scene.
“Believe it or not, that 26,000pound aircraft was held on by four bolts on a mounting plate. They took three off and the aircraft started to pivot on the fourth. I thought, my gosh!” she said.
But the crane had the jet in its grip, so all was well. Standing alongside Janine was Robb Schleck, principal at A.E. Burdick School not far from the airport. He appeared in my column in 2014 when he offered to give the F-4 fighter jet a new home on his school playground as a dramatic history lesson. He has since become friends with Janine and has deferred to her wishes.
Next week, the same 60-foot crane will lift the aircraft onto a pedestal that was erected in November at the new location. Benches and landscaping will be added, along with parking for half a dozen vehicles. Sijan’s story will be told on markers, including how the Vietnamese returned his body along with a headstone in 1974. He is buried at Arlington Park Cemetery in Greenfield.
At the center of the circular plaza will be a concrete star with blue accents to capture the design and colors of the Medal of Honor, America’s highest personal military decoration for valor.
“Lance would be the first to say he doesn’t stand alone in that group. There are so many who have given the ultimate, which is their lives,” Janine said.
A dedication ceremony is planned for May 26, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.