Rep. August Pfluger introduced legislation on June 2 that would let officials consider Maj. Robert "Bob" Lodge for the Medal of Honor, despite deadlines that normally block awards filed this late. The proposal is a one-time exception tied to Lodge’s case, not a rewrite of the rules for other service members.
The measure focuses on a May 10, 1972 mission over North Vietnam, when Lodge was flying an F-4 Phantom during Operation Linebacker and his aircraft was hit in an engagement with enemy forces. His weapons systems officer, then-1st Lt. Roger Locher, ejected and survived, while Lodge stayed with the crippled jet and was killed when it crashed.
Lodge’s supporters say that choice was shaped by what he knew. Pfluger’s office and advocates backing the bill say he had extensive knowledge of classified tactics, intelligence capabilities and operational planning, including work with the highly classified Combat Tree identification system. Lodge served with the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, known as the Triple Nickel, and as chief of the Fighter Tactics Branch for the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, where he helped develop air-combat tactics used against North Vietnamese MiGs.
By the time he died more than 50 years ago, Lodge had already been awarded five Silver Stars, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Purple Heart and 37 Air Medals. Doug Sterner said Lodge was one of only two airmen to receive five Silver Stars. Locher later spent 23 days evading capture before being rescued.
Pfluger said Lodge knew he could not fall into enemy hands because of his access to highly classified intelligence sources and methods, and that he deliberately rode the damaged aircraft to his death to protect that information. He said he hoped to work with Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration, Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink to secure recognition for Lodge’s heroism. The open question now is whether lawmakers and military officials will agree to make the exception and reopen a case that has been closed by statute for decades.
