U.S. Air Force Capt. William R. Austin II and his aircraft commander, Maj. Ivan D. Appleby, had out-maneuvered certain death hundreds of times before they got hit. A fighter pilot with the storied “Triple Nickle” 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Austin had flown 80 combat missions over North Vietnam in the powerful F-4 Phantom II, despite the enemy’s relentless attempts to make each a one-way trip. By the time he landed his 80th mission in the fall of 1967, he’d earned a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 10 Air Medals.

POW comes marching home again and Lynnfield gets right in step (Lauren Lengyel)
POW comes marching home again and Lynnfield gets right in step By Marvin Olasky Globe Correspondent LYNNFIELD “Lauren Lengyel is OK in our books,” a sign at the public librayr proclaimed yesterday afternoon as Lengyel, an Air Force captain and six-year captive in North Vietnam, was honored by his neighbors