Michael Thomas Burns was fulfilling a lifelong dream of flying jets in the Air Force when he was shot down over Vietnam during a combat mission July 5, 1968.
Burns was captured and later transferred to the infamous Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war camp. After spending 1,714 days in captivity, Burns was released during Operation Homecoming on March 14, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.
While spending part of his newfound freedom at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Burns, on East Sheridan Street in Warsaw, Burns and his family graciously consented to his being interviewed. Burns looked tanned and extremely healthy following a vacation in the Bahamas. He talked openly about all aspects of his imprisonment during the two-hour interview.
