Cliff Cushman
Biography

Clifton E. Cushman was born in Cedarville, Michigan on June 2,1938. As a young child he lived in Ithaca, New York and Ypsilanti, Michigan, before moving to Ames, Iowa, at the age of five years. He attended his first two years of high school at Ames and his last two years at Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he graduated from Central High School in 1956. He attended the University of Kansas on a four-year track scholarship, and graduated in 1961 with a major in language arts and a minor in physical education. He received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from KU’s School of Education.

As a youth he progressed through all the Boy Scout ranks and was awarded scouting’s highest honor, the Eagle Scout, in September 1954, shortly after moving to North Dakota from Iowa. His athletic ability came to the attention of sports writers in Iowa when, in the state high school track meet, he set new records, placed first, and ran the mile in 4:27.5. According to the sports writers of the time, this was the fastest time ever run by a 15-year-old high school sophomore. At Grand Forks Central, his track success continued, where he specialized in the hurdles, the medium distances, the relays, and the broad jump. During his two years at Central he set many records, at least two of which still stand after 41 years. He won four first place medals in the state high school track meet in North Dakota as his team won the State Class A Championship.

At the University of Kansas he continued his track success and was most outstanding in the 400- meter and 440-yard intermediate hurdles. He was captain of the KU track team during his senior year, when the team won the NCAA Championship.

In 1960 Cliff earned a berth on the United States Olympic Track and Field Team and competed in the Olympic Games in Rome. He was awarded an Olympic silver medal for his second-place finish in the 400- meter hurdles. Four years later, when he once again attempted to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, it was his fall at the Olympic Trials in Los Angeles that inspired him to write his “Open Letter to Youth.” He completed the AFROTC program at the University of Kansas at Lawrence and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve upon graduation.

In 1961 he went to Craig Air Force Base at Selma, Alabama and received his jet pilot’s wings in October 1962. Following that, he spent six months in specialized training in the F-102 fighter interceptor, which he subsequently flew for three years with the Air Force Air Defense Command at Paine Field, Everett, Washington. In April 1966 he was sent to a specialized school for pilots in the F-105 Thunderchief at McConnell Air Force Base at Wichita, Kansas. He was married to Miss Carolyn Throop of Omaha, Nebraska, also a KU graduate and a public school music teacher, in June 1963. Their son Colin was born in November 1965.

In August 1966, after completing his training in the F-105 supersonic fighter bomber, he was sent to Korat Air Force Base in Thailand, where he flew F-105 missions over North Vietnam. On September 25, 1966, he was shot down somewhere northeast of Hanoi and was listed as missing in action.

In November 1975, after more than nine years in the MIA status, Major Clifton E. Cushman was officially declared by the Department of Defense as presumed killed in action. As a result of the gallantry, heroism, and professional skill he exhibited during his brief tour of duty in Southeast Asia, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Air Medals and the Purple Heart.