Vietnam Prisoners of War recall their experiences and the inspirational story of how they not only survived their imprisonment, but found growth and gratitude afterwards. Their stories are juxtaposed with those of recent Naval Academy Midshipmen who are facing the COVID pandemic and applying those same foundational values to their own experiences.
Interviewee: Colonel William Austin, Airforce Commissioned: September 1960. Honorable Discharge: October 1988 Served: Vietnam 1967 – March 1973 Special Duties: RB47 Navigator, F4 Test Pilot, F4D “Phantom II” Navigator, Wild Weasel Hunter Prisoner of War
Admiral Jeremiah Denton Jr. used his eyes to blink the word “TORTURE” using Morse Code during his captivity in Vietnam. He was being filmed for propaganda purposes and this video was broadcast around the world. Naval Intelligence was able to decipher his “strange” blinking. He was awarded the Navy Cross, our Nation’s 2nd highest military honor for his heroism as a P.O.W.
There are very few people who embody the American spirit quite like Major General John Borling. The 35 year Air Force veteran was shot down in Vietnam and spent the next 6 and a half years in a prison camp. See how he found the will to survive under the most impossible circumstances.
Navy Capt (ret) Mike McGrath shares his account of being a Prisoner of War during the Vietnam War and the resiliency it took to endure the 6 year imprisonment.
