Col. James Kasler, ‘Indiana’s Sgt. York,’ was fighter, survivor

The Story Behind the Story: An Inside Look at the Extraordinary True Events that Inspired ‘Glory Denied’ (Floyd Thompson)

Glory Denied is about the cost of war, in this case the Vietnam War, to an American family. But in many ways, it is also the story of our country’s painful growth in the 1960s and 70s. United States Army Colonel Floyd “Jim” Thompson, the longest held prisoner of war (POW)

Pieces of history: POWs return to Oceana (Robert Randall, Brady, McDaniel, McCuistion)

Homecomings at NAS Oceana, such as the return of Carrier Air Wing 7 on July 2, have always been a very special occasion. But perhaps the most emotional homecoming on the Oceana flightline took place on March 7, 1973 when a C-9 Nightingale touched down at about 10 minutes after

Wells speaks about time spent as POW (Kenneth Wells)

During 16 months spent as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, former U.S. Air Force pilot Ken Wells said the thing that sustained him most was his faith and acceptance of God. On Friday evening, Wells spoke at Ohio Valley University before a group of students and visiting veterans

Utah’s Jay Hess survived more than 5 years in notorious Hanoi Hilton in Vietnam

Jay Hess was 14 years into his Air Force service. The fighter pilot, in the cockpit of an F-105 Thunderchief, was dropping 600 pound bombs in the heavily defended area around Hanoi, in north Vietnam. Hess finished the steep dive, released his bombs and began to pull out when his

Colonel Benjamin Purcell: 5 Years in Hell

Colonel Benjamin Purcell was executive commander of the 80th General Support Group in Vietnam when his helicopter was shot down on February 8, 1968. He and five other passengers were captured by the Viet Cong. Colonel Purcell was the highest ranking Army officer captured during the Vietnam War. He spent more