Ernest C. Brace
| Ernest C. Brace | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Ernie |
| Born |
August 15, 1931 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | December 5, 2014 (aged 83) Klamath Falls, Oregon |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1947–1961 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars |
Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Air Medal (with 3 stars) Distinguished Public Service Medal Prisoner of War Medal Navy Unit Commendation National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal (with 2 stars) United Nations Korea Medal Korean Presidential Unit Citation |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Emmons (divorced)
|
| Other work | Pilot, BirdAir Manager, Evergreen International Aviation Operations Lead, Sikorsky Aircraft |
Ernest Cary Brace (August 15, 1931 – December 5, 2014) was the longest-held civilian prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. A decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot and mustang, Brace was court-martialed in 1961 for attempting to fake his own death. He flew as a civilian contract pilot before being captured in Laos in 1965 while flying supplies for USAID. He spent almost eight years as a POW and upon his release received a Presidential Pardon in light of his good conduct.
Brace was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1931. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1947 at age 15 as an aviation radar and radio technician. He earned his Pilot's Wings and his commission as a Second Lieutenant from the Aviation Cadet School, graduating in August 1951. During his tour in the Korean War (April 1952 - March 1953), he flew more than 100 missions. While assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 121 in November 1952, Second Lieutenant Brace participated in a dive-bombing attack against a Korean hydroelectric plant. Brace received surface-to-air fire as he took low-altitude reconnaissance imagery of the bombing results. He was able to fly his damaged AD-3 Skyraider clear of the Korean Peninsula, crashing in the Sea of Japan where he was rescued by USS Kidd. For his courage and initiative, Brace was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Years later, Brace (then a captain) crashed his T-28 Trojan into a cornfield near the mouth of the Choptank River near Cambridge, Maryland during a training flight on 3 January 1961. He fled the scene but turned himself in ten days later once his empty flight-suit was found hidden in vegetation. Brace faced a court martial and was charged with deliberately crashing his aircraft and faking his death so that his wife Patricia could collect insurance money to pay off debts. Brace pleaded guilty to unauthorized absence and was acquitted of the deliberate destruction of his aircraft. The court martial ended his military career.
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Wikipedia