Robert Harper Shumaker is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy who went on to serve as rear admiral and naval aviator in the U.S. Navy. Shumaker is best known for his resilience as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, and for coining the phrase ‘Hanoi Hilton,’ in reference to the notorious North Vietnamese prison. During his captivity, Shumaker was instrumental in the implementation of the ‘tap code’ that the prisoners used to communicate with each other. After eight years of captivity, on February 12, 1973, he was finally released. After returning home to his family and country, he continued to serve in the Navy until he retired in 1988.
Vietnam War U.S. Prisoners Of War Return With Honor
This extraordinary, declassified U.S. Air Force documentary “Return With Honor” pays tribute to those servicemen who became prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. The film focuses on first hand accounts by POWs who describe their methods of resistance, maintaining mental toughness, and most incredibly the innovative communication techniques they developed and used while held captive. The circa 1973 picture opens with General John P. Flynn (mark 00:20), who spent five years as a POW
