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.

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

George E. Smith, Vietnam Veteran and Prisoner of War

I had the honor of photographing George E. Smith, a Vietnam Veteran and former Prisoner of War for 614 Magazine. The Vietnam War has resurfaced in the American consciousness lately thanks in large part to the documentary by Ken Burns. The documentary tells the story of the Vietnam War through

Burer was POW in Vietnam almost 7 years (Arthur Burer)

Arthur Burera retired Air Force colonel who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1966 and spent 83 months as a prisoner of war, has died. The highly decorated war hero, who was held for a time in Hanoi with a pilot named John McCain, was 77. Burer had Alzheimer’s disease.

Did Hanoi Jane Pass Notes Handed to Her by US POWs to Vietnamese Captors? (Larry Carrigan)

Those of you who caught me on The O’Reilly Factor last night might be wondering that very question, as it became the sticking point between the Big O and yours truly. Here’s the discussion of the matter from the widely hailed and authoritative site Snopes.com: The most serious accusations…, that Fonda turned over

Charles Everett Southwick Oral History. Phantom in the River

Charles Everett Southwick discusses his life with Ron Carrico. Southwick was a Navy pilot in Vietnam and was a POW for 6 years. From the archives of the San Diego Air and Space Museum

Col. Hall- P.O.W. Veteran at the Hanoi Hilton

One of the most honored occasions that I’ve ever experienced was meeting a Vietnam War Veteran and P.O.W., who was held at the infamous Hanoi Hilton in North Vietnam for seven-and-a-half-years. I had just concluded a meeting with a major supplier (ALCOA) at the Hattiesburg Country Club in south Mississippi,