The Lance P. Sijan USAF Leadership Award was created in 1981 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in their jobs and in their lives. It has become one of the U.S. Air Force's most prestigious awards. Sijan, an Air Force captain and fighter pilot, died while a POW in Vietnam. Prior to his capture, the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

graduate and posthumous

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient evaded the

North Vietnamese North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

for six weeks after being shot down in November 1967. Recipients of the Sijan Award are entitled to wear the

Air Force Recognition Ribbon The Air and Space Recognition Ribbon (ASRR) is a military award of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force which was first created in October 1980 as the Air Force Recognition Ribbon. The ribbon is intended to recognize those who ...

. The award requirements and process is described in Air Force Instruction 36-2805, Special Trophies and Awards.United States Armed Forces

References

Awards and decorations of the United States Air Force {{award-stub