The Nixon Library will host three former Vietnam War POWs for a panel discussion celebrating the 50th anniversary of their emotional return home to the United States. These decorated veterans will reflect on their harrowing experiences of survival while imprisoned in North Vietnam and share their perspectives on the past fifty years of freedom. The panelists, all of whom were imprisoned in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison camp, will discuss the challenges they faced during their captivity, including physical and emotional torture, as well as the bonds of brotherhood and faith that helped them to endure. They will reflect on their homecoming experiences and how their time as POWs shaped their lives. Panelists are U.S. Navy Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., U.S. Navy Captain Jack Ensch, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel Tom Hanton.
Through the Valley: My Captivity in Vietnam by Dr. William S. Reeder, Jr.
In 1972, as the Paris Peace Accords drew to a conclusion, young William Reeder, Jr. was a Captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to an AH-1G Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam. For many servicemen and women, the Vietnam War was over for the U.S. military. Reeder was afraid he missed the opportunity to see combat as a Cobra gunship pilot. The North Vietnamese had other plans, however, and the Easter Offensive changed Reeder’s life forever.
