USAF Lt. Col.(Ret.) Tim Ayres was born in 1945 in Los Angeles, California. He received his commission through the U.S. Air Force Academy on Jun 5, 1968, and completed pilot training in June 1969. Lt Ayres was then trained as an O-2A Milirole Forward Air Controller and was assigned to Quang Ngai, South Vietnam the same year. After a one-year tour as a Forward Air Controller, he trained in the F-4 Phantom II and was assigned to Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, for another one-year tour in Southeast Asia. During his second tour, he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on May 3, 1972. After spending 329 days in captivity, Capt Ayres was released during Operation Homecoming on March 28, 1973. He returned to flying the F-4, and later completed a tour as a Navy exchange pilot at NAS Miramar, California. He left active duty and went into the Air Force Reserve in 1978, and began flying as a commercial airline pilot with Continental Airlines. Tim later flew at People Express and finally with Southwest Airlines in 1987, retiring on January 1, 2005. Col Ayres also retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1995. Tim and his wife Sharon live in Texas and have two daughters, Natasha and Tiffany.
U.S. Veteran Describes Being Prisoner of War in Vietnam
During the Vietnam War many United States soldiers were captured and held as prisoners of war (POW). Many soldiers reported being regularly tortured, and some were used for military propaganda. This segment from Iowa Public Television’s Iowans Remember Vietnam includes archival footage and interviews with Iowa veteran Harold Johnson. Johnson describes his role as a military jet pilot, his experience being captured, his days in captivity and his eventual release.
