Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient. A veteran of three wars, he was honored for bravery while held Prisoner-of-War for five and a half years. Raised in western Iowa, he dropped out of school to join the United States Marine Corps in 1942, and served in the South Pacific. After the conflict, he graduated from Morningside College and the University of South Dakota Law School and was admitted to the Iowa Bar, simultaneously serving in the Iowa Army National Guard and then in the Air Force Reserve. Recalled for the Korean War, he remained in the Air Force and was nearing retirement when he volunteered for Vietnam duty in April of 1967. When his F-100 was shot down on August 26, 1967, Day evaded capture for two weeks but was finally taken by the Communists. Held until March 14, 1973, he was shifted from camp-to-camp, was kept for a time at the infamous Hanoi Hilton, was repeatedly beaten and tortured, numbered among his cell mates later Admiral James Stockdale and future Senator John McCain, and while held never gave his captors truthful information. After coming home, he returned to flight status, served as Deputy Commander at Eglin AFB, Florida, received the Medal of Honor from President Gerald R. Ford on March 4, 1976, and retired in 1977 with about 8,000 hours of flight time to his credit. Day was admitted to the Florida Bar, kept up a busy practice, and won a case against the Federal Government which established the right of military retirees to continue receiving health care after age 65. Active in Republican politics, he supported Arizona Senator John McCain for President in 2000 and in 2008 and in 2004 was part of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an anti-John Kerry group. At his death from the effects of advanced age, the Survival School at Fairchild AFB, Washington, the Sioux City Airport, an officers' barracks at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, and a section of highway near Eglin AFB carry his name. His awards include the Medal of Honor, the Air Force Cross, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, four Bronze Stars, and four Purple hearts. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on June 8, 2018.