
John Wayne Addresses Vietnam POWs Upon Their Return
May 24, 1973: John Wayne thanks the President for his services to his country and warmly welcomes America’s POWs home at a historic White House dinner.

May 24, 1973: John Wayne thanks the President for his services to his country and warmly welcomes America’s POWs home at a historic White House dinner.


Colonel Bob Waggoner (Ret), a towering but gentle man and fly fishing guide, was shot down over North Vietnam and spent 6 ½ years as a POW, including time at the Hanoi Hilton with John McCain. This is his story from an interview my son did for a History Day Project in 2009.


One of the most remarkable stories to come out the Vietnam War involved American pilots who picked up their lives after brutal imprisonment in North Vietnam. NBC special correspondent Tom Brokaw joins them for a reunion in San Diego.