Thomas Collins III would like to clarify one point about his bombing missions in Vietnam, and the more than seven years he spent as a prisoner of war:
It was not a mistake, not a waste, not a failure.
“We needed to stop communism,” says Collins, 74, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. “It was a good mission. We needed to nip that in the bud, and we did. Actually, Vietnam was successful. We stopped communism.”
The Communists freed 49 more American prisoners in Hanoi yesterday, including a charter pilot held since 1965, one of the civilian American prisoners held Iongest by the Vietcong. Also among the men freed were nine Americans and Canadian missionary captured in Laos. Two big flying hospitals brought the men from
In his 21-year career as a pilot for the United States Air Force, Maj. James Marrott logged more than 7,000 flying hours. During a yearlong tour in Vietnam alone, he flew 108 combat missions. But the flight he remembers best, the one that means the most, hands down, had nothing
I was hiding under a log. Doing my best to masquerade as North Vietnam terrain, I’d pulled branches on top of me, smeared mud on my face, and arranged leaves and other foliage to stick out of my clothes. I was 20 miles behind enemy lines, having parachuted out of
[00:00:12.10] JOSE ANZALDUA: I come from a little town by the name of Refugio, Texas. And it’s in Southeastern Texas. Grew up in a traditional family, two sisters and a brother. Just had what I would consider a normal childhood. Did high school sports. [00:00:30.98] Senior year in high school,
“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