Vet has no regrets about Vietnam (Thomas Collins)

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.”

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

The Heroism of Charles G. Boyd

Charles G. Boyd, who died on Wednesday at eighty-three years old, was a true American hero and patriot. Chuck, as he liked to be called, was the sole prisoner of war (POW) from Vietnam, where he was held captive for almost seven years, to attain the rank of four-star general. Throughout his

Read More »

3 Freed P.O.W.’s Return; Dispute Flares Over Leave (Ed Elias,

The three American pilots freed by North Vietnam and their escort of antiwar leaders arrived from Copenhagen last night at Kennedy International Airport, and the three — after a 25‐minute shouting match aboard the parked Scandina vian Airlines System plane— were taken by Defense Depart ment officials to military hos

Read More »