Holding on to hope: Polk County couple finally meets prisoner of war to return bracelet (David Reich)

Donald and Donna Rogers wore bracelets on their wrists for three decades, honoring prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Like millions of other Americans in the 1970s, they purchased bracelets with names of POW’s on them to keep their memory alive.

Devout patriots, the Rogers hoped that one day they would be able to give them to the soldiers upon their return home. That day has finally come.

“We wore them every day for more than 30 years,” Donald told FOX13’s Mark Wilson. “We bought them like many people to show our support, and we always wondered what happened to them,” he said. 

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Edwin A. ‘Ned’ Shuman, Navy aviator and POW, dies at 82

On Nov. 29, 1970, 43 U.S. servicemen gathered in the Hoa Lo prison compound, often called the “Hanoi Hilton,” and performed an act of retaliation— a church service. Nine days earlier, after a failed attempt by U.S. Special Forces to liberate the prisoners, the North Vietnamese captors had removed them

Read More »

Vietnam POW retells his tale (Donald Heiliger)

A prisoner of war for seven years, a University of Wisconsin alum spoke to a group of UW Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets Tuesday, telling a jarring tale of courage, honor and service. Originally trained as a navigator, Col. Don Heiliger became an official pilot when the Air

Read More »