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Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she is naming the state’s new $33.8 million veterans health care center in Rocky Hill for a Connecticut native son and one of only two Air Force enlisted men ever awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor – Sgt. John Lee Levitow. Levitow was cited for conspicuous gallantry in action in 1969 for saving the lives of his eight crew members after being critically injured as a loadmaster on a mortar-attacked, AC-47 gunship while flying a night combat mission over South Vietnam. A lifelong resident of Glastonbury and Rocky Hill, Levitow worked on veterans issues for over 22 years with both the U.S and Connecticut Departments of Veterans’ Affairs, including years of service as assistant to Connecticut’s commissioner of veterans’ affairs. He died on the grounds of the State Veterans Home in November 2000 after a long battle with cancer. “John Levitow is a true Connecticut hero and treasure,” said Governor Rell “It is the totality of his life – most especially his loyal and tireless service to Connecticut veterans after he left the military – that make this tribute so fitting. Despite his enormous courage, he was a very unassuming, humble public servant who always put others first. I think he would be very proud of this beautiful facility that will forever bear his name on a campus that he loved so very much.” Governor Rell, joined by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield, will officially dedicate the new Sgt. John L. Levitow Veterans Health Center on May 22nd. The long-term health care facility is the first new construction at the State Veterans Home in over 60 years and replaces the outdated veterans’ hospital built between 1937 and 1940. The state-of-the-art design includes 50-two-person rooms and 25-single rooms, a dedicated Alzheimer’s unit, and hospice and respite care areas. The building also features a central dining room, recreation room, physical therapy center, courtyards, chapel, canteen, library, and barber shop. Veteran residents are expected to move into the Levitow Health Center later this summer. Levitow is one of only 17 men to have received the Medal of Honor since the Air Force’s inception in 1947 and for many years had the honor of being the lowest ranking airman to ever receive the nation’s highest military honor. President Richard M. Nixon presented the then 24-year-old Levitow with the Medal of Honor in a special Armed Forces Day ceremony at the White House on May 14, 1970. “This quiet, generous hero contributed much to the lives of veterans in our state and nation,” said Dr. Linda S. Schwartz, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs. “He served for years as a model and mentor to thousands in the enlisted ranks of the United States Air Force. His deeds and actions on that night long ago continue to inspire and enrich our nation.” Levitow was born in Hartford and attended Glastonbury High School, originally planning to join the United States Navy. He changed his mind and joined the Air Force in 1966 – and would become one of the most respected and famous airman in U.S. history. After flying on C-130s out of McGuire, Levitow deployed to Vietnam as part of the Air Force’s 3rd Special Operations Squadron. On February 24, 1969, he was asked to fill in for the regular loadmaster on an armed AC-47, codenamed “Spooky 71,” on a night combat support mission over Long Binh, Vietnam. The crew was deploying magnesium flares that burn upon ignition to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit to provide illumination for ground troops when the aircraft was hit by a mortar round from the North Vietnamese, sending thousands of pieces of shrapnel through the aircraft fuselage. The entire cabin crew was hit with shrapnel, including Levitow who suffered 40 wounds in his legs, side and back. Despite his extensive injuries and severe loss of blood, he rescued a fellow crew member from near the open cargo door and then noticed a loose, ignited flare that was rolling around on the cargo floor amid ammunition cans that contained over 19,000 rounds of live ammunition. Levitow threw himself upon the burning flare and hugging it tight to his body, dragged himself to the back of the aircraft where he was able to hurl it through the open door – saving the aircraft and its crew from certain destruction. Levitow spent two-and-a-half months in a hospital recovering from his wounds before returning to Vietnam for a second tour of duty and another 20 combat missions. He left the Air Force as a sergeant in 1974 before beginning his long career as a veterans advocate. For the Federal Veterans Administration (VA) in Connecticut he served as a congressional liaison and chief of medical administration for the Newington VA Medical Center. In 1991, he joined the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs as director of planning before advancing to become the senior assistant to the commissioner. Sgt. Levitow’s gallantry and profound concern for his crew are legendary within the U.S Air Force and continue to set the example for today’s airmen and noncommissioned officers. The “John L. Levitow Award” is the highest award presented to the top graduate of every Air Force professional military education course. © Copyright by StamfordPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of StamfordPlus.com, Stamford Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. Related Articles: Bysiewicz to honor Trumbull World War II veterans - Sep 19, 2008 - 4:58 PM Bysiewicz applauds U.S. House of Representatives passage of Veterans Voting Support Act - Sep 18, 2008 - 4:15 PM Bysiewicz to honor North Haven World War II veterans - Sep 15, 2008 - 5:33 PM Bysiewicz to honor Bristol World War II veterans - Sep 15, 2008 - 10:47 AM Bysiewicz to honor Enfield World War II veterans - Sep 12, 2008 - 10:02 PM CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
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