Five decades after surviving a year as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, the St. Joe’s graduate and former head of the Office of Veterans Services is being recognized for a lifetime of giving back.

Five decades after surviving a year as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, the St. Joe’s graduate and former head of the Office of Veterans Services is being recognized for a lifetime of giving back.


Fifteen Iowans who were held as prisoners of war will be honored with P-O-W medals in a ceremony this morning in northeast Iowa. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley will present the medals to the veterans or surviving family members in the 9-45 service at Rose Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg. Grassley says

In early 1966, while flying a combat mission over North Vietnam, Captain Render Crayton’s A4E Skyhawk was struck by anti-aircraft fire. The plane suffered crippling damage, with a resulting fire and explosion. Unable to maintain flight, Captain Crayton ejected over enemy territory. What happened next, though, demonstrates his character and

1,882 days; five and a half years. That’s how long Vietnam veteran Wayne Smith was a prisoner of war. “We were in pretty bad shape, we certainly were,” said Smith. He shared his story with us and dozens of people at Punta Gorda’s Military Heritage Museum. The Air Force captain’s

Retired Army Lt. Col. Dan Maslowski piloted a helicopter shot down in Cambodia on May 2, 1970 during the Vietnam War. He never met young Staff Sgt. Bunyan Durant Price Jr., of Belmont, who went by the name “Junior,” but he may have shared Price’s last minutes. Price was listed