Wilkes County native Wilson Denver “Denny” Key was a prisoner of war in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” in North Vietnam during essentially the same 5½-year period Sen. John McCain, who died Saturday, was held there.
McCain, being remembered this week for his bravery and resolve as a POW, was captured by the North Vietnamese in October 1967, and Key was captured a month later. Both were released from captivity on March 14, 1973, along with 589 other Americans.
For nearly 20 years, former Army Capt. Johnnie Ray remained grateful that Oklahoma had eased his return as a Vietnam prisoner of war by granting free college tuition to his children. But when he tried to get free tuition at his own alma mater, Oklahoma State University, for his daughter,
On September 9, 1965, Navy Cmdr. James Bond Stockdale was flying his A-4 Skyhawk on a mission over North Vietnam, just days after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, when his plane took fire and hurtled down. Forced to eject with seconds to spare, he landed with severe injuries: his left
What’s the measure of a man? Is it how he handles power or where he stands in moments of great challenge and despair? The Bible says God measures a person by their heart (1 Samuel 16:7), not their position, wealth, looks, education or success. The heart of a person is
Debbie Haney first saw George McSwain when she was five. Haney was watching a 1973 newscast of Operation Homecoming when she saw McSwains face flash across the television screen. She remembers asking her father why the man looked so angry. He told her that McSwain had been a prisoner of
Ret. U.S. Air Force Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris, former Vietnam prisoner of war, was honored with the dedication of a lounge room in his name at the American Legion Post #49 in Tupelo, Mississippi on September 18, 2020. He was honored for his exceptional service during the Vietnam War and