My Dad Raymond D. Franke saved Air Force Brigadier General William W. Spruance’s life back in 1961, pulling him out of a swamp as he sank badly burned. I never researched the General until now, but it altered the course of his life’s mission:
“After surviving a near-fatal crash as a passenger in a T-33 aircraft in 1961, resulting in extensive burns, he began a lifelong and legendary safety mission that took him to dozens of bases in the U.S. and around the world to make over 2,000 presentations on flying safety and crash survival. He was the first reserve officer awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal for one of his three trips to Vietnam when he gave 100 presentations to over 10,000 people, at 58 bases, in 60 days.”
166th Airlift Wing