James Robinson “Robbie ” Risner was an American military pilot, a double recipient of the Air Force Cross and a hero of the Korean and Vietnam War. Born on January 16th, 1925, to a poor Arkansas family, Risner struggled throughout his childhood, working from an early age, to contribute to his household. He soon moved with his family to Oklahoma.
By the time he was in high school, Risner already had a string of jobs, working in newspapers delivery, errand boy, assistant in a drug-store, a welder. When his father managed to develop a business selling used cars, Risner helped polish them. He received a religious upbringing as a member of the 1st Assembly of God Church.
In his youth, James Risner was fascinated with two things ― horses and motorcycles. Both of these passions will play an important role further in his life. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1943, finishing his training in 1944 with the rank of a 2nd Lieutenant. After flight school, Risner was transferred to Panama, to serve as part of the 30th Fighter Squadron. In 1946, while pursuing his passion for motorcycles, he had an off-duty accident, which landed him in an Army hospital. There he met Kathleen Shaw, a nurse that took care of him. The two were discharged from the Army and got married soon afterwards.
During his civilian life, James Risner didn’t have much luck in keeping a job. He joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard, where he could fly frequently, using the Air National Guard’s P-51 Mustang Plane, which kept him in flying shape. On one occasion, he was caught up in a hurricane and was forced to land, only later realising that he landed on Mexican territory. He had a brief encounter with some bandits, which ended well for him and he managed to fly back to the States. He received an unofficial rebuke from the American embassy for flying an armed fighter into the sovereign territory of a foreign nation, but for diplomatic reasons the flight was officially ignored.
Korean War
When the Korean War broke out, he was happy to join the Air Force once again. Risner got a recall to active duty in February 1951 and was attached to the 185th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Oklahoma. He was subsequently trained to use F-80 Shooting Star, the first American operational jet fighter, designed during WWII, but used actively in Korea. On the last day before going overseas,
Risner fell off a horse and broke his arm ― once again, faith interfered with his passion. James Robinson didn’t let the injury stop him from seeing action, so he concealed the wound that would get him grounded. He managed to convince a surgeon that the wound had healed, even though he took the cast off himself, to fly his first combat mission.
On May 10, 1952, Risner was assigned to Kimpo base as part of the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron. In June the 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was looking for experienced pilots, so James found an opportunity to finally fly a fighter jet and participate in combat. Risner became known for his F-86E-10 jet which featured Bugs Bunny as its nose art.
The aircraft was nicknamed Ohio Mike and Risner flew his most successful missions in it. First off, he saw no combat in the new unit and took a three-day leave to Japan. Upon his return, he immediately sat on a plane in the middle of the night, for there was a report of MiG activity in the area. Four F-86 Sabre jets were attacked by fourteen MiG 15 fighters. He flew to the F-86s aid and managed to down one of the MiGs. This was his first aerial victory which happened on August 5th, 1952.
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