Vietnam POW and Michigan native Donald ‘Digger’ Odell

Donald E. “Digger” Odell, an Air Force fighter pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than five years after being shot down in 1967, died Thursday in Michigan. He was 86.

“Lt. Col. Odell was an American hero and inspiration to several generation of Airmen,” said Brig. Gen. Rolf E. Mammen, commander of the 127th Wing and Selfridge Air National Guard Base. “He was always a friend to those who wear our nation’s uniform.”

Odell made Mount Clements his home in his native Michigan after retiring from the Air Force. He went on serve for 12 years as a Selfridge Air Base civilian public affairs officer.

EX-INDIANA GOV. KERNAN, WHO WAS A VIETNAM POW, DIES AT 74

Odell enlisted in the Air Force in 1952 and earned his commission and wings as a pilot in 1955, He was on his 17th mission in the war when he was shot down near Hanoi.

Read more

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Behind Barbed Wire: A POW’s Story (Ed Leonard)

I arrived at Udorn RTAFB in early May, 1967, to fly A-1E and A1-H Skyraider with the 602nd Fighter Squadron (Commando). I was to fly 247 combat missions during three consecutive tours and participated in the rescue of 18 aircrew members. On May 31, 1968, going for number 19, I

Read More »

Documentary honors Vietnam War Veteran Daniel H. Hefel

After 14 years of gathering war stories, Tim Breitbach created a documentary depicting his cousin’s life, Daniel Hefel, a Vietnam War veteran. The film was shown for free March 30 during a public gathering at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, which was attended by a diverse audience of college students,

Read More »

LIVING LEGENDS OF ALEXANDRIA (Eugene McDaniel)

The word “hero” is used far too often. So is the word “courage.” In the case of Capt. Eugene “Red” McDaniel, neither word accurately describes the horrors he endured as one of the most brutalized prisoners of war in Vietnam. When his A-6 Intruder aircraft was shot down over North

Read More »