Former POW Ralph Galati ’70 Found Purpose in Service

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.

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

FORMER VIETNAM POW VISITS COLD WAR GALLERY (Robert Naughton)

Captain Bob Naughton, USN (Ret), a former prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, poses for a photo with the prison camp model of the “Zoo,” where he spent time during his captivity, just a few miles outside of the city of Hanoi in North Vietnam. Captain Naughton visited the

‘Nothing like freedom’: Vietnam POW says it’s ‘Not our job to erase history’ (Orson Swindle)

Retired United States Marine Corps Lt. Col. Orson Swindle III spent 2,305 days as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam where he was tortured, beaten, interrogated and isolated. The fighter pilot was shot down in his F8 Crusader on Nov. 11, 1966, while flying his last mission (of more

Loren Torkelson, POW

First Lieutenant Loren Harvey Torkelson was from Crosby and was a month shy of his 26th birthday when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam. He was in his second tour of duty as an Air Force F4 Phantom pilot with the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron when it happened.

Col. Thomas H. Kirk Jr. ’50B: Most Decorated Living VMI Alumnus

On Oct. 28, 1967, 38-year-old Thomas H. Kirk Jr. ’50B left Takhli Air Base in Thailand flying an F-105 Thunderchief aircraft. He was heading for Hanoi, the most heavily defended city in the world. Kirk led 48 bombers, plus supporting aircraft, in the largest air attack on Hanoi during the