Commander George Coker was one of the “Alcatraz 11,” a group considered by the North Vietnamese to be the resistance leadership, even though he was a junior officer. The Alcatraz 11 were moved from Hao Lo to a separate facility “Alcatraz” in 1967. Among them were Jim Stockdale and Bob Shumaker. Like Shumaker, Coker was a key communications link in the command structure at Hao Lo and the other Hanoi prisons. He also has the
There are very few people who embody the American spirit quite like Major General John Borling. The 35 year Air Force veteran was shot down in Vietnam and spent the next 6 and a half years in a prison camp. See how he found the will to survive under the most impossible circumstances.
MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION PLACE: HOA LO PRISON, HANOI, NORTH VIETNAM MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 1969 RANK: REAR ADMIRAL (RANK AT TIME OF ACTION: CAPTAIN) CONFLICT/ERA: VIETNAM WAR – U.S. NAVY UNIT/COMMAND: ATTACK CARRIER AIR WING 16, U.S.S. ORISKANY MEDAL OF HONOR ACTION DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 1969 For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while senior naval officer in the prisoner-of-war
Robert “Bob” Jeffrey was born in 1939 in Los Angeles, California. After attaining Eagle Scout, he graduated from Northrop Institute of Technology, and then entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Air Force on January 25, 1960. Jeffrey was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings at Reese AFB, Texas, on May 12, 1961, and then completed F-102 upgrade training at Perrin AFB, Texas. His first assignment was as an F-102 Delta
