Strength from Service – Gary Guggenberger

Staff Sergeant Gary John Guggenberger, United States Army, was held as a Prisoner of War in South Vietnam and Cambodia from January 14, 1969 until his release on February 12, 1973.

Gary was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, The Purple Heart, and two Bronze Stars. After his release in 1973, Gary went on to work for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, he is now retired and lives in Bemidji Minnesota with his wife Pam where he continues to serve by speaking to youth groups and organizations as well as serving as the head of the Bemidji Vietnam Memorial Project.

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Silver Star Recipient, Vietnam POW Speaks to Online History Class (Franke, Doremus)

When a CM junior found out his great-grandmother wrote to American POWs in Vietnam, he shared the discovery with Mr. Bradley. West Roxbury, Mass.– As Catholic Memorial School junior Kevin Pumphret held the letter in his hands and read the words of Navy captain Bill Franke, his mind returned to a discussion from his American War in Vietnam course – the experience of prisoners of war.

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“I may be older, but I’m a fighter pilot,” he said, smiling, as he shared his story of perseverance before a crowd of Kisling NCO Academy students, Sept. 12, 2016. Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Melvin Pollack, Vietnam War veteran, was flying his 78th mission when he was shot down

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