A heroic connection (Charlie James)

It took her 44 years, but Morreen O’Reilly-Mersberger finally tracked down the prisoner of war whose name was on a bracelet that she purchased in college and kept to this day.

The 62-year-old Plymouth resident bought the item for $2 in the fall of 1970 from a student group on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls campus that was selling bracelets to commemorate Vietnam POWs. The bracelet listed the name of Cmdr. Charlie James Jr. and the date of his capture, May 18, 1968.

The bracelets were meant to encourage people to remember and honor those fighting for the U.S. during the Vietnam War despite the controversy surrounding the conflict, said O’Reilly-Mersberger.

Read more

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

POW Bill Mayall: The Air War in Vietnam

Chase Wakelin interviews Bill Mayall, a veteran who served as a navigator on the B-52 strategic bomber during the later years of the Vietnam War. Bill recounts the missions he flew and his experience as a POW in the Hanoi Hilton.

Read More »

Robert Shumaker: An extended stay at the Hanoi Hilton

Prior to his POW experience, Robert Shumaker had other memorable moments in the service. During one mission in the Mediterranean, multiple mechanical malfunctions forced him to freefall 2,000 feet before he could open his parachute. He was also one of the top 32 candidates for NASA’s Apollo program during the

Read More »

Former Vietnam POW Gaither ‘stood tall’ in captivity

Dozens attended a funeral service at Barrancas National Cemetery (BNC) onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola May 16 for retired Cmdr. Ralph Ellis Gaither Jr., a naval aviator well-known in the Pensacola community as a Vietnam veteran and Prisoner of War (POW) who had exemplified defiance while in enemy hands.

Read More »