Vice Adm. Joseph Mobley, the U.S. military’s last Vietnam prisoner of war still on active duty, stepped down Thursday as commander of the Atlantic Fleet’s Naval Air Force. Mobley, 59, turned over command during a ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. He will retire May 1 after 35 years in the service. “I’ve had a great time in the Navy, seen so many places, done so many things,” Mobley told the 400 invited guests. He made no mention of his five years as a POW and refused all interview requests. Cmdr. Roxie Merritt, a Navy spokeswoman, said he is the last Vietnam POW on active duty in any branch of the U.S. military.
Strength through endurance: from POW to Ohio farmer (Paul Kari)
A story of survival, endurance, and overcoming obstacles for your Memorial Day. Lt. Col. Paul Kari spent nearly eight years as a POW after being shot down over North Vietnam. What happened afterward also tested his limits. Kari and I walked the land on his pristine spread in West Liberty.
