Richard Bates, POW

On this date in 1973, the Viet Cong released First Lieutenant Richard Bates of the U.S. Air Force. While flying a mission nearly 6 months before, he was shot down over North Vietnam and taken prisoner. Bates was from Plaza, ND, and was 24 when he was captured.

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Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

A Heroic Connection (Charlie James)

It took her 44 years, but Morreen O’Reilly-Mersberger finally tracked down the prisoner of war whose name was on a bracelet that she purchased in college and kept to this day. The 62-year-old Plymouth resident bought the item for $2 in the fall of 1970 from a student group on

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Avenue Of Heroes Banner Recipient … Captain Render Crayton, USN

In early 1966, while flying a combat mission over North Vietnam, Captain Render Crayton’s A4E Skyhawk was struck by anti-aircraft fire. The plane suffered crippling damage, with a resulting fire and explosion. Unable to maintain flight, Captain Crayton ejected over enemy territory. What happened next, though, demonstrates his character and

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3 Freed P.O.W.’s Return; Dispute Flares Over Leave (Ed Elias,

The three American pilots freed by North Vietnam and their escort of antiwar leaders arrived from Copenhagen last night at Kennedy International Airport, and the three — after a 25‐minute shouting match aboard the parked Scandina vian Airlines System plane— were taken by Defense Depart ment officials to military hos

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POW leaves his mark (George McSwain)

Debbie Haney first saw George McSwain when she was five. Haney was watching a 1973 newscast of Operation Homecoming when she saw McSwain’s face flash across the television screen. She remembers asking her father why the man looked so angry. He told her that McSwain had been a prisoner of

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