George Coker: A story of perseverance

It was supposed to be a routine mission, a “milk run” in the words of George Coker, who was serving on his 55th missions in Vietnam as a bombardier/navigator. Usually, his missions consisted of flying over Vietnam from the aircraft carrier USS Constellation and bombing strategic points like bridges and roads. This mission was no different.

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Former Vietnam POW Gaither ‘stood tall’ in captivity

Dozens attended a funeral service at Barrancas National Cemetery (BNC) onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola May 16 for retired Cmdr. Ralph Ellis Gaither Jr., a naval aviator well-known in the Pensacola community as a Vietnam veteran and Prisoner of War (POW) who had exemplified defiance while in enemy hands.

Honoring the late James “Duffy Hutton, Vietnam war hero

A local war hero is about to be laid to rest. Retired Navy Captain James “Duffy” Hutton spent years of his service as a prisoner of war in Vietnam before he settled down here in San Diego. Patrick Park, a retired captain of the U.S. Navy knew Captain

The Greatest American Heroes: A Friendship Forged During 5 Years as Prisoners of War (Isaiah McMillan)

On Saturday, when President Donald J. Trump passed on celebrating American war heroes because … rain, it immediately reminded me of stories I was told during a couple of cookouts I attended. The first was when I visited one of my best friends. He was a soldier in the U.S.

Vet has no regrets about Vietnam (Thomas Collins)

Thomas Collins III would like to clarify one point about his bombing missions in Vietnam, and the more than seven years he spent as a prisoner of war: It was not a mistake, not a waste, not a failure. “We needed to stop communism,” says Collins, 74, a retired U.S.

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.