The campaign to award a Medal of Honor to a retired Air Force colonel took another step after the County of Santa Barbara adopted a resolution recognizing Col. Philip Conran and his actions during the Vietnam War.
On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a resolution honoring Conran, who helped save the lives of eight Americans and 46 Lao soldiers during a six-hour gunfight with North Vietnamese Army troops.
“I thank you very much for this resolution, and hopefully it will help,” Conran told the board.
In his comments, Conran thanked Supervisors Roy Lee and Bob Nelson, who brought the resolution to the board. He then thanked Supervisor Laura Capps and asked her to pass on his thanks to her mother, Lois Capps– who he credited as starting the campaign to upgrade his Air Force Cross to a Medal of Honor 13 years ago.
The campaign to upgrade Conran’s medal has received attention from other local politicians, including Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-California. Carbajal introduced a bill, HR 2330, that would authorize the president to upgrade Conran’s cross to the Medal of Honor.
Conran was not originally eligible for the Medal of Honor due to the Nixon Administration’s statements that there were no American troops in Laos.
Lee thanked Conran for retelling his story.
“I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your service to our country, for our people, (and for) working for our community,” Lee said.
He then encouraged the public to write to their congressman and advocate on behalf of Conran.
On Oct. 6, 1969, Conran conducted an operation to rescue downed personnel in Laos, the resolution said.
“Despite being wounded and under relentless assault from the NVA, Colonel Conran’s leadership, tactical experience, and selfless bravery allowed his unit to withstand the intense firefight for over six hours, providing critical support that enabled the successful recovery of his comrades.”
Conran lives in Santa Barbara and has spoken at local Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day events.