John McCain, the Arizona Senator who died on Saturday, lived much of his life in the public political eye — but Americans started to learn about his famous courage at a time he was notably absent.
The saga began 51 years ago. As TIME reported in 1967, North Vietnamese planes had, for the first few years of the war in Vietnam, posed relatively little risk to American pilots. That changed as the pace of war accelerated and the eyes on both sides turned to the skies.
The specially modified, intelligence-gathering C-47 plane lifted off from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, March 23, 1961, and headed north toward Xieng Khouangville, a Communist-held area. The experienced Air Force crew was accompanied by Army Maj. Lawrence R. Bailey, a Laurel resident serving as the assistant Army attache in Vientiane.
A 16 hour battle was raging as I, the officer in charge of the Armed Forces Radio and TV station [in Hue], and my men tried to stave off the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. Finally after an encounter with several Viet Cong, others appeared and set fire to
Retired Lt. Col. Frederick McMurray lands at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph after his ceremonial “fini” flight, piloted by Maj. Ryan “Popeye” Parrish.JESSICA PHELPS/San Antonio Express-News Retired Maj. Theodore “Ted” Sienicki, who was shot down over North Vietnam and was a prisoner of war, climbs out of a T-38C after his
The U.S. Navy’s Cold War Gallery, located at the Washington Navy Yard, pays tribute to the service and sacrifice of the men and women who served during the five tense decades of the latter half of the 20th century. In June, the Naval Historical Foundation cut the ribbon on a new
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