8-year POW recalls return home 45 years later (Smitty Harris)

Stepping off the bus, recently freed American prisoners of war formed up from the tallest to shortest, stiff at attention facing Capt. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris and with a salute they defied their Vietnamese captors one final time.

Proving their grit and American pride could outlast any amount of torture or pain. They stood tall in defiance as a C-141 Heaven cargo aircraft in front of them prepared to bring the men home.

The now-retired Col. Harris recalled the moment he and his fellow POWs were released from captivity by American troops; and the moment seemed surreal to him.

Read more

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Always Out Front (Donald Rander)

During the night of January 31, 1968, a Villa in Hue occupied by the 135th MI Group regional team came under attack.   The shelling awakened Sergeant Donald Rander, assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Hue Regional Headquarters.   Grabbing flak jackets and weapons, the members grouped on the second floor.  They remained there

Read More »

Life Lessons From Retired Colonel John Clark

Earlier this year I traveled with 14 students from my AP Human Geography and International Law classes to Atlanta, to attend a luncheon and lecture hosted by the Atlanta Council on International Relations where we had the chance to hear from Vietnam War veteran Colonel John Clark, USAF (Ret.), an American hero. 

Read More »

This Day in History: Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence

On this day in 2005, retired Navy Vice Admiral William “Bill” Lawrence passes away. Decades earlier, Lawrence had been a prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton. He was one of the highest-ranking members of our military to be held in that infamous prison. Trouble began in June 1967. Lawrence

Read More »