Texas veteran shot down in Vietnam on 7 years as POW at ‘Hanoi Hilton’ prison camp: ‘You keep faith’ (James Lamar)

Five decades ago, Col. James Lamar was playing poker against fellow prisoners of war with cards made of toilet paper and chips made of matchsticks at the “Hanoi Hilton” in North Vietnam on the tail end of his nearly 7-year stint at the notorious prison camp. 

Today, 94-year-old Lamar enjoys playing Texas Hold ’em against a rotating cast of college students, tech bros, retirees and fellow veterans who frequent Texas Card House in the state capital of Austin. 

Lamar detailed the day he got shot down in Vietnam and his experience as a prisoner of war in an interview with Fox News Digital at the card house. 

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Documentary honors Vietnam War Veteran Daniel H. Hefel

After 14 years of gathering war stories, Tim Breitbach created a documentary depicting his cousin’s life, Daniel Hefel, a Vietnam War veteran. The film was shown for free March 30 during a public gathering at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, which was attended by a diverse audience of college students,

Read More »

David Everett ’65, Former POW, Visits STA

Ever-vigilant, our archivist pursued the lead and discovered that Everett was a 1965 graduate of St. Albans. Wilkerson found his phone number and gave him a call, and they had a long conversation. Soon Upper School history teachers Ben Labaree and Robert Shurmer were exchanging emails with Everett, leading to

Read More »