Douglas Hegdahl was born on September 3, 1946 in Clark, South Dakota. Being from a small town, Douglas once joked with a reporter that he’d “never been east of [his] uncles’ Dairy Queen stand in Glenwood, Minnesota or west of [his] aunt’s house in Phoenix, Arizona.” So when a military recruiter approached Douglas in the 1960s, he saw an opportunity to see the world, answered the call, and joined United States Navy.

Niece ensures uncle’s time as POW in Vietnam secured in D.C. so others can learn (John Stavast)
Kathryn Mann of Arvada knew the trove of wartime documents she found was special. But she didn’t know just what to do with the notes her uncle took in a Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp. Now, thanks to her, the details of the five years Air Force Col. John Stavast spent in


