Robert Certain took part in the massive aerial battle that effectively ended the Vietnam War. But it left a mark — the death of half his bomber crew, enemy capture, imprisonment and making his way as a Warrior in the peaceful calling of public ministry.
The official documentary of POWs release February 12, 1972. Awarded First Place Gold at the US International Film Festival 1973.
Vietnam War veteran Rod Knutson talks about his experiences. Knutson served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines. He was born and raised in Billings, Montana, graduating from Billings Senior High in 1956. He was one of about 651 prisoners of war who returned to the United States alive. Reports peg the number who died in prison at around 114. He spent 2,673 days as a prisoner of war — more than seven years —
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.
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
