On the morning of September 16, 1965, on an "Iron Hand" mission, Risner flew F-105D Thunderchief 61-0217 as the "hunter" element of a Hunter-Killer Team searching for a SAM site in the vicinity of Tuong Loc, 80 miles south of Hanoi and 10 miles northeast of the Thanh Hoa Bridge. Risner's aircraft was at very low altitude flying at approximately 600 mph, approaching a site that was likely a decoy luring aircraft into a concentration of AAA. Heavy ground fire struck Risner's F-105 in its air intakes when he popped up over a hill to make his attack. Again he attempted to fly to the Gulf of Tonkin, but ejected when the aircraft, on fire, pitched up out of control. He was captured by North Vietnamese while still trying to extricate himself from his parachute. He was on his 55th combat mission. He was held as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from September 16, 1965 until his release on February 12, 1973. He retired as an Air Force Brigadier General on August 1, 1976.
