Vietnam Prisoner of War Major Joe Crecca
Major Joe Crecca, a Vietnam Prisoner of War, shared his story with airmen on Ramstein for POW/MIA week. Major Crecca was help prisoner in Hanoi, Vietnam for 2,280 days.
Major Joe Crecca, a Vietnam Prisoner of War, shared his story with airmen on Ramstein for POW/MIA week. Major Crecca was help prisoner in Hanoi, Vietnam for 2,280 days.
On May 10, 2024, Capt. Guy D. Gruters (USAF-ret) delivered the Gathering of Eagles Gen Jumper Award Presentation at the USAF Air University. In his talk, Captain Gruters emphasized the importance of the Military Code of Conduct, sharing insights as a top-secret F-100F “Misty-29” Fast FAC (Forward Air Controller) and fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. He also highlighted the significance of the Son Tay Raid, the role of his personal faith, and the profound
Commander George Coker was one of the “Alcatraz 11,” a group considered by the North Vietnamese to be the resistance leadership, even though he was a junior officer. The Alcatraz 11 were moved from Hao Lo to a separate facility “Alcatraz” in 1967. Among them were Jim Stockdale and Bob Shumaker. Like Shumaker, Coker was a key communications link in the command structure at Hao Lo and the other Hanoi prisons. He also has the
U.S. Air Force captain Gary Sigler recounted the story of his near-death and survival through captivity in the Hanoi Hilton.
Vietnam is often called “the war that won’t go away”, largely because of the continuing controversy of the POW/MIA (Prisoners Of War / Missing In Action) issue. Families of those who were POW/MIA in Vietnam organized an activist movement which went on to pursue a question which still haunts America nearly decades later: were soldiers left behind in captivity after the Vietnam War? Once the exclusive domain of a select fraternity of soldiers’ wives, the