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 Cookie Caper” In Honor of Col Robert B. “Percy” Purcell, Prisonerof War: North Vietnam (July 1965 – February 1973)
The 42nd Air Base Wing renamed its courtroom in honor of a former prisoner of war, retired staff judge advocate and frequent speaker at Air University schools at a dedication ceremony held Oct. 25, 2017. Retired Col. Henry “Hank” Fowler was on hand to formally dedicate The Fowler Courtroom, located on
In 1967, there was a “unit” of approximately 300 Americans fighting the Vietnam War from within a Hanoi prison. The unit—later named the 4th Allied POW Wing—was located in the drab North Vietnamese capital. Within this unit, every man had the same job: prisoner of war. All—except three enlisted airmen—were
The U.S. Air Force Starlifter touched down at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines on Feb. 12, 1973. The eyes of the nation looked on as 115 prisoners of war returned to the United States military facility. Near the front of the pack stood Raymond Vohden, a 42-year old
Like a lot of men who turned 18 during World War II, Richard Paul Keirn signed up to do his duty with the U.S. military. His choice was the U.S. Army Reserve in his native Ohio. He joined in November 1942, but within three months, he was accepted to the