August 25, 1972 dawned hot and muggy in Vietnam. Pilots of Fighter Squadron 161, stationed aboard USS Midway (CV 41), readied their aircraft and went over the day’s flight plan. Their mission was an early evening MiG combat air patrol over North Vietnam. Lt. John “Jack” Ensch would serve as a radar intercept officer in an F-4B Phantom.

The P.O.W.’s Show Pride and Gratitude (Shankel, Risner, Brunstrom)
As the first group of returning prisoners arrived on the American mainland here this week, a sketchy picture began to emerge of their years in captivity and their plans. They came home feeling pride, gratitude and a deep need to believe that the years torn out of their lives were


