This F-4 Phantom II stands as a gate guardian memorial to Captain Lance P. Sijan, a Milwaukee native and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate who was shot down over Laos in 1967. Despite severe injuries, Sijan evaded capture for six weeks before being taken prisoner; he died in North Vietnamese custody in 1968 without ever revealing information to his captors. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first Air Force Academy graduate to receive the nation's highest military decoration. Project: 218972