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Leon Vance went to high school in his hometown and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in June 1939. He was in the Infantry briefly but took flying training at Tulsa, Okla., and Randolph and Kelly Fields, Texas, getting his wings in June 1940.
He was assigned at Randolph as a flying instructor and promoted to first lieutenant in September 1940. In February 1941, he went to Goodfellow Field at San Angelo, Texas, as a squadron commander. In April 1942, he was promoted to captain and in July advanced to major. That December, he went to Strother Field, Kan., as Director of Flying for nine months. Colonel Vance next attended four-engine transition training at Fort Worth, Texas.
In September 1943, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned to Wendover Field, Utah as Deputy Commander of the 489th Bomb Group, which he helped train and take to Europe in April 1944. On his second mission, while leading his bomb group against the enemy, on June 5, Colonel Vance was severely wounded in action over Wimereux, France, suffering a traumatic amputation of the right foot from enemy aircraft fire. For conspicuous gallantry on that mission he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
While being evacuated to the United States, the aircraft on which Colonel Vance was a passenger went down somewhere between Iceland and Newfoundland on July 26, 1944, and no trace of it was ever found. On July 7, 1949, Enid Army Air Base, Okla. Was redesignated Vance AFB in his honor.
See the full citation at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website.
Air Force Historical Studies Office, Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, DC.