This paper seeks to examine the experiences of Vietnam POWs, both those held in the
jungles of South Vietnam and those in the Hanoi prison camps of North Vietnam based
on POW narratives consisting of memoirs, autobiographies, and interviews. Early POW
history depicts great differences between the two groups of POWs, giving the impression
that Pilot POWS, who comprised the majority of prisoners in Hanoi camps, acted more
honorably while interned in comparison to enlisted army POWS, who spent the majority
of their captivity in the jungles of South Vietnam. This paper demonstrates the
similarities in their experiences through these narrative sources and how certain myths
regarding their varying performances solidified
The Tiger from the sky (William Austin)
U.S. Air Force Capt. William R. Austin II and his aircraft commander, Maj. Ivan D. Appleby, had out-maneuvered certain death hundreds of times before they got hit. A fighter pilot with the storied “Triple Nickle” 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Austin had flown 80 combat missions over North Vietnam in the
