A man died Monday in Franklin, North Carolina, as a result of wounds he received in Vietnam more than 40 years ago. None of you knew him, but we would like you to join us in honoring his memory.
His name was Nathan B. Henry. On July 12, 1967, Nat was serving with the U.S. Army Red Warriors, Fourth Infantry Division, 1st Battalion, Twelfth Infantry, when he and six other soldiers were part of a unit conducting a search-and-destroy mission along the Cambodian border in the Ia Drang Valley.
The North Vietnamese overran their position, and took these seven men prisoner, killing the remaining soldiers in the unit. Two of the seven soldiers taken prisoner were grievously wounded and would die soon after capture; the other five, including 19-year-old Private First Class Nathan Henry, would spend the next 5 1/2 years (more than 2,000 days) in various POW camps, including the infamous Hanoi Hilton. They were finally released on March 5, 1973.
