50 Years Ago
■Mrs. Mary Cutter, 211 Elm St., grandmother of Capt. James Cutter, prisoner of war in North Vietnam, reported this morning that she has learned her grandson will be among the last prisoners to be returned to the U.S. “He hasn’t been there (as a POW) as long as some,” Mrs. Cutter conceded. “He’s only been there about a year.”
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
The North Vietnamese captors of American servicemen were adamant. No writing on the pri son walls. No noise. No dis courtesy to the guards. Regulations issued by the North Vietnamese in 1969 pro mised a reward for prisoners who informed about violations and punishment for those who tried to oppose
Staff Sergeant Gary John Guggenberger, United States Army, was held as a Prisoner of War in South Vietnam and Cambodia from January 14, 1969 until his release on February 12, 1973. Gary was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, The Purple Heart, and two Bronze Stars. After his release in
It was late in the day, William Byrns sat in an old bomb crater, covered in leaves and mud from the surrounding Vietnamese jungle. Byrns clutched his radio tightly, waiting for a response. When the response finally came, it was not what he wanted to hear, “We can’t get you
Retired Lt. Col. Frederick McMurray lands at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph after his ceremonial “fini” flight, piloted by Maj. Ryan “Popeye” Parrish.JESSICA PHELPS/San Antonio Express-News Retired Maj. Theodore “Ted” Sienicki, who was shot down over North Vietnam and was a prisoner of war, climbs out of a T-38C after his