[2][3] By April 20, 1967, Estocin had reached the rank of lieutenant commander[3] and was an A-4 Skyhawk pilot[1] in Attack Squadron 192, operating off of the USS Ticonderoga in the Gulf of Tonkin.

[3] Six days later, on April 26, he supported another strike aimed at Haiphong's thermal power station, with John B. Nichols acting as his escort in an F-8 Crusader.

[3] In 1976, his parents ran him[clarification needed] as a write-in candidate for President of the United States to bring attention to prisoner of war/missing in action issues.

The award, originally sponsored by the McDonnell Douglas corporation, is a trophy with a polished black stone base and an 18-inch (46 cm) stainless steel ribbon topped with a stylized model of a strike fighter aircraft.

[5] Captain Estocin's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 20 and 26 April 1967 as a pilot in Attack Squadron 192, embarked in USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14).

Leading a 3-plane group of aircraft in support of a coordinated strike against two thermal power plants in Haiphong, North Vietnam, on 20 April 1967, Capt.

Although his aircraft was severely damaged by an exploding missile, he reentered the target area and relentlessly prosecuted a SHRIKE attack in the face of intense antiaircraft fire.

By his inspiring courage and unswerving devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Captain Estocin upheld the highest traditions of the U.S.