Jeffrey Feinstein

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title: "Jeffrey Feinstein" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-vietnam-war-flying-aces", "united-states-air-force-officers", "united-states-air-force-academy-alumni", "recipients-of-the-distinguished-flying-cross-(united-states)", "recipients-of-the-silver-star", "recipients-of-the-air-force-cross-(united-states)", "living-people", "recipients-of-the-air-medal", "recipients-of-the-legion-of-merit", "recipients-of-the-meritorious-service-medal-(united-states)", "united-states-air-force-personnel-of-the-vietnam-war", "1945-births", "military-personnel-from-chicago", "aviators-from-illinois", "united-states-air-force-personnel-of-the-gulf-war"] description: "Career officer of the United States Air Force" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Feinstein" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Career officer of the United States Air Force ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox military person"]

Field	Value
name	Jeffrey S. Feinstein
image	Captain Jeffrey Feinstein beside F-4 Phantom.jpg
caption	Captain Jeffrey Feinstein poses beside his F-4 Phantom II at Udorn Air Base, Thailand, in September 1972
nickname	Jeff
birth_date
birth_place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
allegiance	United States of America
branch
serviceyears	1963–1996
rank	[[File:US Air Force O5 shoulderboard rotated (1949–1999).svg
unit	432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
battles	Vietnam War
Gulf War
awards	Air Force Cross
Silver Star (4)
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross (5)
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal (23)
::

|name= Jeffrey S. Feinstein |image= Captain Jeffrey Feinstein beside F-4 Phantom.jpg |image_size= |alt= |caption= Captain Jeffrey Feinstein poses beside his F-4 Phantom II at Udorn Air Base, Thailand, in September 1972 |nickname= Jeff |birth_date= |birth_place= Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |death_date= |death_place= |placeofburial= |allegiance= United States of America |branch= |serviceyears= 1963–1996 |rank= [[File:US Air Force O5 shoulderboard rotated (1949–1999).svg|25px]] Lieutenant Colonel |unit= 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing |commands= |battles= Vietnam War Gulf War |awards= Air Force Cross Silver Star (4) Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross (5) Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal (23) |relations= |laterwork= Jeffrey S. Feinstein (born January 29, 1945) is a retired career officer of the United States Air Force (USAF). During the Vietnam War, Feinstein was a weapon systems officer, an integral part of two-man aircrews with the emergence of air-to-air missiles as the primary weapons during aerial combat. Flying aboard F-4 Phantom IIs, Feinstein downed five enemy aircraft, thereby becoming a flying ace, the last of five U.S. aviators to become aces during that conflict and to date still the most recent aviator to achieve ace status in the U.S. military.

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 29, 1945, Feinstein enlisted in the USAF in 1963 to attend the United States Military Academy Preparatory School. He subsequently entered the United States Air Force Academy in 1964 and graduated in 1968.

Military career

Feinstein was rejected from pilot training due to excessive myopia. He then underwent Undergraduate Navigator Training and he graduated.

While assigned to the 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron, he was detached to the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, part of the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, based at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. His actions, for which he received multiple awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star for his first four kills and the Air Force Cross for his fifth kill, took place prior to and during Operation Linebacker in 1972, making him a flying ace.

His nickname/tactical callsign was "Fang." Having originally been designated as an Air Force Navigator, he was given a vision waiver after Vietnam (Feinstein wore glasses to correct mild nearsightedness to 20/20).

Reassigned to the 9th Air Force staff at Shaw AFB, South Carolina in the 1990s, Feinstein also flew as Airborne Command Element Director aboard E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm from August 1990 to February 1991.

Lieutenant Colonel Feinstein retired from the U.S. Air Force on 1 July 1996.

Awards and decorations

In addition to his Command Pilot wings, Navigator wings, and Parachutist wings, Feinstein was awarded the Air Force Cross, Silver Star (4 awards), Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat "V" (5 awards), Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (23 awards), Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and numerous unit, expeditionary and service awards.

::data[format=table]

Vietnam Campaign Medal	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
::

Air Force Cross citation

:Feinstein, Jeffrey S., :Captain, U.S Air Force :13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand :Date of Action: October 13, 1972

:Citation:

::quote The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain Jeffrey S. Feinstein, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as an F-4D Phantom Weapon Systems Officer in the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, [[432d Wing ::

MiG kill summary

::data[format=table]

Date (1972)	TFS	Pilot	Weapon systems officer	Acft	Tail code	Call sign	Wpn	Kill
April 16	13	Major Edward D. Cherry	Capt Jeffrey S. Feinstein	F-4D 66-7550	PN	Basco 3	AIM-7	MiG-21
May 31	13	Capt Bruce G. Leonard Jr.	Capt J.S. Feinstein	F-4E 68-0338	ED	Gopher 03	AIM-9	MiG-21
July 18	13	Lt Col Carl G. Baily	Capt J.S. Feinstein	F-4D 66-0271	OY	Snug 01	AIM-9	MiG-21
July 29	13	Lt Col Carl G. Baily	Capt J.S. Feinstein	F-4D 66-0271	OY	Cadillac 01	AIM-7	MiG-21
October 13	13	Lt Col Curtis D. Westphal	Capt J.S. Feinstein	F-4D 66-7501	OC	Olds 01	AIM-7	MiG-21
::

References

References

1. (March 2006). "MiG Killers: USAFA grads prove lethal to enemy pilots". United States Air Force Academy.
2. "Jeffrey Feinstein - Recipient -".
3. "Veteran Tributes".
4. "Jeffrey Feinstein - Recipient -".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::