Colonel James D. Elmer, from North Little Rock, served with the US Air Force in Vietnam. His awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal with ten oak leaf clusters. During his 30-year career, Colonel Elmer accumulated over 9000 flying hours, with more than 860 of those hours being combat time in Southeast Asia. On December 22, 1969, while participating in aerial flight as a navigator, Colonel Elmer and his crew successfully extracted 70,000 lbs of urgently needed combat supplies using the low altitude parachute extraction system. He planned the route through extremely mountainous terrain and reported hostile fire areas, leading the mission to the drop zone despite poor weather and visibility. The aircraft arrived within four seconds of the scheduled arrival time, enabling ground personnel to recover the supplies without loss or casualty. These actions were consistent with military service traditions and reflect credit upon himself.