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.”
Three Navy pilots released after six years in prison in North Vietnam yesterday detailed the torture they said they received at the hands of their captors. At a news conference held at the Naval Hospital in St. Albans, Queens, the officers, all from New York State, spoke in strong support
On June 27, 1972, U.S. Air Force Capt. David E. Baker flew his O-2 Skymaster over Cambodia in an attack on North Vietnamese supply stashes. As a forward air controller during this Vietnam War mission, he traveled low and slow, marking targets and coordinating airstrikes in his prop-driven plane. The
On Oct. 25, 1967, now retired Lt. Col. Richard Smith and his wingmen had orders to bomb the Paul Doumer Bridge in North Vietnam; the bridge was a mile long and one of the most heavily defended positions in Southeast Asia. Smith said that leading up to the mission, he
During the Vietnam War, there were 725 U.S. Prisoners of War (POWs). Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that made the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam possible in 1973. The operation was divided into three phases; the first phase required the initial reception of prisoners
Spring Hill Memorial Funeral Home and the City of Spring Hill will host the 14th Annual Veterans Day Memorial Service at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8. Spring Hill Memorial Funeral Home is located at 5239 Main Street in Spring Hill. The event celebrates patriotism and community, and includes music