Monument resident, a former Vietnam POW speaks at 50th anniversary of Operation Homecoming (Mike McGrath)

Ex-Vietnam POW brings fallen comrades home (Edward Mechenbier)

Piloting the same plane that rescued him 31 years ago, a former American prisoner of war returned to Vietnam on Friday on his last military mission to bring home remains thought to be fallen comrades. Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier stood in his flight uniform saluting two aluminum

From the Moon to Hanoi (Theodore Stier)

Many people will write tributes today to the Apollo 11 astronauts on the fortieth anniversary of man’s first steps on the moon, including a lot of “where were you?” memoirs (I was thirteen, and glued to our television set, trying to decipher the fuzzy images being transmitted over CBS to

James Vincent Di Bernardo 1st Lt, USMC – The Account of His Capture

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

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

Five Vietnam War POWs Honored at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference

The Air & Space Forces Association recognized American prisoners of war during its 2023 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, as part of the association’s ongoing commemoration of the end of the Vietnam War. Of some 170 individuals who appeared on stage throughout the three-day conference in National Harbor, Md., five