Kevin McManus, 65; Vietnam War POW

Kevin McManus, 65, an Air Force pilot shot down over North Vietnam who spent nearly six years as a prisoner of war and later retired as a lieutenant colonel, died of lung cancer July 31 at his home in Oakton.

Two weeks before he was scheduled to leave Vietnam, and two months after a four-day honeymoon with his childhood sweetheart, then-Capt. McManus was shot down northeast of Hanoi on June 14, 1967. He and his co-pilot, Edward J. Mechenbier, parachuted to earth and were immediately captured, bound and marched as war criminals through villages leading to a Hanoi prison complex.
They remained in captivity for five years and eight months. Both were released in February 1973.
On his way home, Capt. McManus told reporters at Clark Air Base in the Philippines that he had no qualms about leaving Vietnam and returning to freedom. “I’ve talked to my wife and she hasn’t changed, and that’s what really counts,” he said. He also said they “decided to have 16 kids — after that it didn’t matter.”

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Pilot Killed in Crash at Sea Was POW in Vietnam War

Retired Navy Capt. Charles Gillespie Jr. of San Marcos, who was shot down over Vietnam and spent 5 1/2 years in the “Hanoi Hilton” POW prison, was identified Thursday as the pilot killed in a civilian plane crash, officials said. Gillespie, 60, was flying a turboprop plane 80 miles northwest

Read More »

James Lollar, Together We Served

Jim Lollar was born on August 23, 1945, in Kilmichael, Mississippi. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on March 26, 1967, and was trained in Weapons Maintenance. He served a double-tour at Phan Rang AB, South Vietnam, first in aircraft armament, and then as a door-gunner from August 1967

Read More »

POW Reunited with Family (Michael Kerr)

Travis AFB, Calif: USAF Capt. Michael S. Kerr embraces his children, Michele (L) and Rick, who holds US flag, as his wife Jerri wipes tears of joy from her eyes. The reunion was at planeside here 3/7, as Capt. Kerr, of Seqium, Wash., and 19 other POWs returned. Kerr was

Read More »