APRIL 28, 2025 – Navy Capt. Michael John Estocin flew many perilous missions in the early days of the Vietnam War, and a close call in April 1967 didn’t dissuade him from returning to the skies for combat. While he never came home from his last mission, he posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his bravery and devotion.
Estocin was born April 27, 1931, in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, to Michael and Mary Estocin. He grew up with four sisters and two brothers.
After high school, Estocin attended Slippery Rock State Teachers College, now Slippery Rock University, graduating in 1954. He then joined the Naval Aviation Cadet program, which started to increase the number of available military pilots following World War II, and earned his wings in 1955.
Estocin’s first assignment was with Attack Squadron 56 at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, which included a deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. He then served with two training squadrons before a stint aboard the carrier USS Ranger that ended in June 1965. Later that year, Estocin was assigned to Attack Squadron 192, known as the “Golden Dragons.” With them, he deployed to Vietnam on the Bon Homme Richard, then again on the USS Ticonderoga in 1967 after he’d attained the rank of lieutenant commander.
On April 20, 1967, Estocin led two other aircraft in a coordinated strike against two thermal power plants in Haiphong, North Vietnam. During the mission, he notified leaders of the positions of surface-to-air missiles — known as SAMs — protecting the plants. Estocin then destroyed three of them.
At one point, after his A-4 Skyhawk was hit by an exploding missile, Estocin ignored intense antiaircraft fire, flew back into the target area and used anti-radar homing missiles to finish off his targets. Afterward, he had less than five minutes of fuel remaining. Thankfully, a refueling tanker was nearby and was able to begin in-flight refueling, which kept him in the air for more than 100 miles.
When Estocin came within three miles of the Ticonderoga, he detached from the tanker and, knowing he didn’t have enough fuel for a second approach, expertly carried out a fiery landing on the carrier.
Estocin suffered burns during the landing, but a week later, he convinced his superiors he was OK to fly despite his injuries. On April 26, 1967, he went on another mission to Haiphong to strike more vital fuel facilities. Estocin and another pilot were sent ahead of a bombing squadron to neutralize enemy SAM sites.
The mission at the power plant went off without incident, but on the way back to safety, Estocin spotted an active SAM site that launched a missile that exploded near him, seriously damaging his aircraft. The burning plane went into a barrel roll before Estocin was able to recover.
According to a Veterans Affairs Department profile of Estocin, the second pilot, Navy Cmdr. John Nichols, followed Estocin’s aircraft and radioed for help. Estocin didn’t respond to radio calls, and Nichols noted he could see Estocin motionless in the cockpit with his head bent slightly forward. Soon after, Estocin’s aircraft crashed, with no evidence that he’d parachuted to safety before hitting the ground.
Estocin was initially presumed dead, but intelligence later suggested he may have survived and was taken prisoner. However, when all U.S. prisoners of war were released from Vietnamese custody in 1973, Estocin was not one of them.
According to the VA, a 1993 committee investigating missing Vietnam POWs determined that Estocin likely died when his aircraft crashed. North Vietnamese officials also insisted they had no record of him ever being held.
His remains have not been recovered.
Estocin’s courage and devotion were not forgotten. On Feb. 27, 1978, his widow, Quay Marie Estocin, and their three daughters received the Medal of Honor on his behalf during a ceremony at the Pentagon. Estocin was also posthumously promoted to captain.
In 1981, the guided-missile frigate USS Estocin was commissioned and served the Navy for more than two decades. In 2002, a highway interchange in western Pennsylvania, near where Estocin grew up, was named in his honor.
The Captain Michael J. Estocin Award is presented annually to the best strike-fighter squadron in recognition of outstanding achievements in naval aviation. Estocin’s alma mater, Slippery Rock University, offers a memorial scholarship in his name to incoming freshmen.
A memorial marker honors Estocin at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
By Katie Lange, DOD News