Honor Pike and U.S. POWs and MIAs (Lenard E. Daugherty)

“The National Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) Recognition Day Observance Program honors our current MIAs, and past and current POWs around the nation,” said Post 197’s Bryan Richardson. 

Currently, Pike County has four known MIAs: Seaman 2nd Class David E. Ledford, Staff Sergeant Joel M. Matthews, and Private Marion B. Smoot from WWII, and Chief Petty Officer Willie L. King from the Vietnam War. Pike County has six known former POWs. Now deceased from WWII are Major Marvin H. Campbell, and Private James J. Dickerson from the Meansville area, Private Herman Nelson from Zebulon and Corporal John N. Scott and Private Marion B. Smoot from the Molena area; and former POW Specialist Sixth Class Lenard E. Daugherty from the Vietnam War who currently resides in Williamson.  

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POW: James Latham

Brigadier General (Ret.) James Latham is an Air Force veteran who served for more than 27 years, from March 1969 to August 1997. He was a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours to include 383 combat missions in Southeast and Southwest Asia. On October 5th, 1972, while operating

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Robert Shumaker: An extended stay at the Hanoi Hilton

Prior to his POW experience, Robert Shumaker had other memorable moments in the service. During one mission in the Mediterranean, multiple mechanical malfunctions forced him to freefall 2,000 feet before he could open his parachute. He was also one of the top 32 candidates for NASA’s Apollo program during the

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Former POW shares story with NCOA (Melvin Pollack)

“I may be older, but I’m a fighter pilot,” he said, smiling, as he shared his story of perseverance before a crowd of Kisling NCO Academy students, Sept. 12, 2016. Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Melvin Pollack, Vietnam War veteran, was flying his 78th mission when he was shot down

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