[23][24], The post-raid consolidation brought many prisoners who had spent years in isolation into large cells holding roughly 70 men each. SEHORN, Capt. Comdr. Hanoi Hilton. Leonard R., Jr., Malic esstot named in previous public lists. The mission included 54 C-141 flights between Feb. 12 and April 4, 1973, returning 591 POWs to American soil. Comdr. [12] One later described the internal code the POWs developed, and instructed new arrivals on, as: "Take physical torture until you are right at the edge of losing your ability to be rational. WALSH, Capt. Thirteen prisons and prison camps were used to house U.S. prisoners in North Vietnam, the most widely known of which was Ha L Prison (nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton"). Now he says when he hears Marie Osmond . GOODERMOTE, Lieut. The monument includes a water fountain with a large rotating sphere, as well as a statue of Van Loan based on a photo taken after he was released from the infamous Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war . WIDEMAN, Lieut. Last known alive. Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War, National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, the resumed bombing of North Vietnam starting in April 1972, "Vets, Flyers discuss ideology, time in POW camps", "John Dramesi's unflattering memories of his fellow POW John McCain", "Unshakable Will to Survive Sustained P. O. W.'s Over the Years", "Joseph Kernan, Vietnam P.O.W. "[14] Only a small number of exceptionally resilient prisoners, such as John A. Dramesi, survived captivity without ever cooperating with the enemy; others who refused to cooperate under any circumstances, such as Edwin Atterbury, were tortured to death. Cmdr, William M., Navy, Virginia Reach, Va captured December 1965. DOREMUS Lieut. Dismiss. Hanoi's list of Americans in captivity is as follows: Clodeon Adkins, Michael D. Benge, Norman J. Brookens, Frank E. Cins, Gary L. Davos, John J. Fritz Jr., Theodore W. Gosta, William H. Hardy, Alexander Henderson, Mihcael H. Kjome, Philip W. Manhard, Lewis E. Mayer, James A. Newingham, Robert F. Olsen, Russell J. Rodney A., Navy, Billings, Mont. Bob Shumaker noticed a fellow inmate regularly dumping his slop bucket outside. [21] Many POWs speculated that Ho had been personally responsible for their mistreatment. A handful of U.S. civilians were also held captive during the war. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured, and paraded in anti-American propaganda. Comdr. During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese did the same to American soldiers. As of 2016, he is the only person to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. NICHOLS, Lieut. [16] As John McCain later wrote of finally being forced to make an anti-American statement: "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. In 1968, Walter Heynowsk[de] and Gerhard Scheumann[de] from East Germany filmed in the prison the 4-chapter series Piloten im Pyjama[de] with interviews with American pilots in the prison, that they claimed were unscripted. It was also located near the Hanoi French Quarter. Cmdr. Conditions at the Briarpatch were notoriously grim, even by the standards of North Vietnamese prisons. [35] However, eyewitness accounts by American servicemen present a different account of their captivity. Multiple POWs contracted beriberi at the camp due to severe malnutrition. MARTIN, Comdr. The museum is a fantastic publicity enterprise with so little link to the horrors that . US Prisoners of War who returned alive from the Vietnam War Sorted by Name Military Service Country of Incident Name Date of Incident Date of Rank Return USAF N. Vietnam BEENS, LYNN RICHARD O3 1972/12/21 1973/03/29 USN N. Vietnam BELL, JAMES FRANKLIN O4 1965/10/16 1973/02/12 CIVILIAN S. Vietnam BENGE, MICHAEL 1968/01/28 1973/03/05 KROBOTH, First Lieut. [9] From the beginning, U.S. POWs endured miserable conditions, including poor food and unsanitary conditions. Weapons are not permitted including pocket knives and firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons. He mentions the last years of the prison, partly in fictional form, in Ha L/Hanoi Hilton Stories (2007). PROFILET, Capt. After reading about the gruesome conditions that awaited American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which first sparked the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese did the same to American soldiers. In the Hanoi Hilton, POWs were treated poorly, beaten and . But we did the best we could. [16] Although North Vietnam was a signatory of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949,[16] which demanded "decent and humane treatment" of prisoners of war, severe torture methods were employed, such as rope bindings, irons, beatings, and prolonged solitary confinement. William Kerr, Marines, not named in previous public lists. It is a tragic and heroic historical relic of the Vietnamese. After the war, Risner wrote the book Passing of the Night detailing his seven years at the Hanoi Hilton. After President Lyndon Johnson initiated a bombing pause in 1968, the number of new captures dropped significantly, only to pick up again after his successor, President Richard Nixon, resumed bombing in 1969. Frank A. Sieverts, the State Department official charged with prisoner affairs, said that Hanoi apparently did not inelude any information on Americans captured or missing in Laos or Cambodia, despite the provision in the ceasefire agreement to account for all Americans throughout Indochina. [18], Regarding treatment at Ha L and other prisons, the North Vietnamese countered by stating that prisoners were treated well and in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. Conditions were appalling. Jeremiah Denton later said, They beat you with fists and fan belts. . The POWs made extensive use of a tap code to communicate, which was introduced in June 1965 by four POWs held in the Ha L: Captain Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, Lieutenant Phillip Butler, Lieutenant Robert Peel and Lieutenant Commander Robert Shumaker. LESESNE, Lieut. Although its explosions lit the night sky and shook the walls of the camp, scaring some of the newer POWs,[30] most saw it as a forceful measure to compel North Vietnam to finally come to terms. * Firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons, are specifically prohibited in Federal facilities in accordance with 18 USC 930 (c) During this later period, it was known to American POWs as the "Hanoi Hilton". After the war, Risner wrote the book Passing of the Night detailing his seven years at Ha L. Cmdr, Read Id., Navy, Old Greenwich, Conn. WILBER, Lieut. By Bernard Gwertzman Special to The New York Times. "It's easy to die but hard to live," a prison guard told one new arrival, "and we'll show you just how hard it is to live." He was the first living recipient of the medal.Risner became an ace in the Korean War and commanded a squadron of F-105 Thunderchiefs in the first missions of Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. This military structure was ultimately recognized by the North Vietnamese and endured until the prisoners' release in 1973. [15] The Hanoi Taxi was officially retired at Wright Patterson Air Force Base on May 6, 2006, just a year after it was used to evacuate the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Guards would return at intervals to tighten them until all feeling was gone, and the prisoners limbs turned purple and swelled to twice their normal size. James Eldon, Air Force, Forest Grove, Oregon, date of capture unknown. All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. Ralph E., LL Miami. It was first built in the late 1890s by Vietnam's French colonizers as a central prison (Maison Centrale) for Vietnamese criminals. If you have not read Bill Gately on LinkedIn: The Hanoi Hilton POW Exhibit at the American Heritage Museum Individuals are permitted to take their own photographs or videos while touring the museum. [9][16][17] When prisoners of war began to be released from this and other North Vietnamese prisons during the Johnson administration, their testimonies revealed widespread and systematic abuse of prisoners of war. Cmdr., Richard R., Navy, Aberdeen, S. D., cap. Windell B. Rivers, Navy, Oxnard, Calif. ROLLINS, Lieut, Comdr. The French called the prison "Maison Centrale" which was a common euphemism of prisons in France. American POW soldiers line up at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. Rio Helmi/LightRocket/Getty ImagesDuring the French colonial period, Vietnamese prisoners were detained and tortured at the Ha L prison. On February 12, 1973, the first of 591 U.S. prisoners began to be repatriated, and return flights continued until late March. And thats when we cheered.. It was introduced in June 1965 by four POWs held in the Ha L ("Hanoi Hilton") prison: Captain Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, Lieutenant Phillip Butler, Lieutenant Robert Peel, and Lieutenant Commander Robert Shumaker. Claude D., Navy, San Diego, Calif. JENKINS, Capt. Wikimedia CommonsJohn McCains alleged flight suit and parachute, on the display at the former Hanoi Hilton. Diego, Calif., captured Novent ber, 1967. The remaining 266 consisted of 138 United States Naval personnel, 77 soldiers serving in the United States Army, 26 United States Marines and 25 civilian employees of American government agencies. Usaf/Getty ImagesJohn McCain, leads a column of POWs released from the Hanoi Hilton, awaiting transportation to Gia Lam Airport. He had led aerial attacks from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. He flew a combined 163 combat, The Most Influential Contemporary Americans, Every Person Who Has Hosted 'Saturday Night Live', The Best People Who Hosted SNL In The '00s. [citation needed]. After the implementation of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, neither the United States nor its allies ever formally charged North Vietnam with the war crimes revealed to have been committed there. [22], Despite several escape attempts, no U.S. POW successfully escaped from a North Vietnamese prison, although James N. Rowe successfully escaped from North Vietnamese captivity. The increased human contact further improved morale and facilitated greater military cohesion among the POWs. Jose Jesus, Jr., Marines, Retlugio, Texas, captured January, 1970. James Howie, Marines, Ypsilanti, Mich. ANDERSON, Lieut. The prison was demolished during the 1990s, although the gatehouse remains as a museum. EASTMAN, Comdr. Lawrence Victor, Marines, Huron, S. D. MARVEL, Lieut, Col. Jerry Wen. HARDMAN, Comdr. Beginning in late 1965, the application of torture against U.S. prisoners became severe. . It was directed by Lionel Chetwynd, and stars Michael Moriarty, Ken Wright and Paul Le Mat.Music was done by Jimmy Webb.. John McCain, leads a column of POWs released from the Hanoi Hilton, awaiting transportation to Gia Lam Airport. WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (AP) Following are names of United States servicemen on a prisonerofwar list provided today by the North Vietnamese, It was compiled from Defense Department releases and reports of families who received confirmation their men were on the list from Pentagon officials. McCain spent five and a half years at the Hanoi Hilton, a time that he documented in his 1999 book "Faith of My Fathers." McCain was subjected to rope bindings and beatings during his time as a POW. Page, Benjamin H. Purcell, Douglas K. Ramsey, Donald J. [5], Conditions for political prisoners in the "Colonial Bastille" were publicised in 1929 in a widely circulated account by the Trotskyist Phan Van Hum of the experience he shared with the charismatic publicist Nguyen An Ninh. The museum is an excellent propaganda establishment with very little connection with the actual events that took place inside those walls.. TELLIER, Sgt. Mr. Sieverts said that Hanoi, when turning over its list in Paris, said it was complete, but the United States informed North Vietnamese officials that we reserve the right to study it and raise questions.. On February 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. [5], John L. Borling, a former POW returned during Operation Homecoming, stated that once the POWs had been flown to Clark Air Base, hospitalized and debriefed, many of the doctors and psychologists were amazed by the resiliency of a majority of the men. [14] Policy changed under the Nixon administration, when mistreatment of the prisoners was publicized by U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird and others. On January 27, 1973, Henry Kissinger (then assistant to President Richard Nixon for national security affairs) agreed to a ceasefire with representatives of North Vietnam that provided for the withdrawal of American military forces from South Vietnam. They even used this code to tell jokes a kick on the wall meant a laugh. Heynowski and Scheumann asked them about the contradictions in their self image and their war behavior and between the Code of the United States Fighting Force and their behavior during and after capture. [4][11][20] North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh had died the previous month, possibly causing a change in policy towards POWs. [19] The North Vietnamese also maintained that their prisons were no worse than prisons for POWs and political prisoners in South Vietnam, such as the one on Cn Sn Island. Senator John McCain tops our list. ESTES, Comdr. This Pentagon . William J., Navy, New Manchester, W. Va. McKAMEY, Comdr. [17], For the book and documentary about American service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s, see, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Museum of the United States Air Force, "Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs Marks 40 Years", "Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs marks 40 years", Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, "Vietnam era statistical report Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia", "See the Emotional Return of Vietnam Prisoners of War in 1973", "Operation Homecoming Part 2: Some History", "Vietnam War POWs Come Home 40th Anniversary", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Homecoming&oldid=1142559036, Repatriation of 591 American POWs held by the, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 02:59. Paul telling his story to the crowd at the Freedom Museum. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured, and paraded in anti-American propaganda. He was kept there for five and a half years. Some of the repatriated soldiers, including Borling and John McCain, did not retire from the military, but instead decided to further their careers in the armed forces.[6]. At the same time, the Defense Department began releasing, in batches, the names of the military prisoners in Communist hands who were on the list turned over in Paris along with the civilians. Collins H., Navy, San Diego. Prisoner Sam Johnson, later a U.S. representative for nearly two decades, described this rope trick in 2015: As a POW in the Hanoi Hilton, I could recall nothing from military survival training that explained the use of a meat hook suspended from the ceiling. After an early release, he was able to provide the names and personal information of about 256 fellow POWs, as well as reveal the conditions of the prisoner-of . John McCain was captured in 1967 at a lake in Hanoi after his Navy warplane was been downed by the North Vietnamese. The prison was built in Hanoi by the French, in dates ranging from 1886 to 1889[1] to 1898[2] to 1901,[3] when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. forces. John L. Borling, USAF pilot, POW for 6 12 years, retired major general. Newly freed prisoners of war celebrate as their C-141A aircraft lifts off from Hanoi, North Vietnam, on Feb. 12, 1973, during Operation Homecoming. "POW Camps In North Vietnam," Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C. U.S. By May 1973, the Watergate scandal dominated the front page of most newspapers causing the American public's interest to wane in any story related to the war in Vietnam. The prison was demolished in the 90s and is now the site of a historical museum. [28], "Hanoi Hilton" redirects here. They would have the shortest stays in captivity. March 29, 1973. Taken before TV cameras in order to film antiwar propaganda for the North Vietnamese, Denton blinked the work torture in Morse code the first evidence that life at the Hanoi Hilton was not what the enemy forces made it seem. [10]:79 No matter the opinion of the public, the media became infatuated with the men returned in Operation Homecoming who were bombarded with questions concerning life in the VC and PAVN prison camps. Hanoi Lists of P.O.W. But others were not so lucky. Dismiss. The prison continued to be in use after the release of the American prisoners. [8] These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue for years to come. HALL, Lieut. Robinson Risner and James Stockdale, two senior officers who were the de facto leaders of the POWs, were held in solitary for three and four years, respectively. The most prominent name on the civilian list was that of Philip W. Manhard of McLean, Va., a 52yearold career diplomat, who was taken prisoner in Hue, South Vietnam, when enemy forces seized the city in their 1968 Tet offensive. Col. Harlan P., Marines, Fremont, Calif. HELLE, Sgt. An official website of the United States government, National Museum of the United States Air Force. But at the same time the bonds of friendship and love for my fellow prisoners will be the most enduring memory of my five and a half years of incarceration.. The culture of the POWs held at the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison was on full display with the story that would come to be known as the "Kissinger Twenty". ALVAREZ, Lieut. David J Navy, San Diego, Calif. RUSSELL, Comdr, Kay, Navy, San Diego, captured in May, 1967. HUTTON, Comdr. - Knives In addition to extended solitary confinement, prisoners were regularly strapped down with iron stocks leftover from the French colonial era. LEWIS, Lieut. "[19], The North Vietnamese occasionally released prisoners for propaganda or other purposes. Dennis A., Marines, not named in previous lists. RIVERS, Capt. During the Vietnam War, he almost died in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. Notorious Hanoi prison held both Vietnamese and American prisoners By Michael Aquino Updated on 02/21/21 Prisoner diorama at Hoa Lo Prison ("Hanoi Hilton") in Vietnam. A portion of the original Hanoi Hilton prison has been transported and built in the museum. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. After visiting the Ha L Prison ("Hanoi Hilton") in Vietnam just last month, it is truly awe-inspiring to see the challenges these men had to overcome. (jg.) John McCains alleged flight suit and parachute, on the display at the former Hanoi Hilton. The United States, in Paris, provided a list of 26,000 Communist prisoners held by South Vietnam in exchange. FREEAdmission & Parking, Prison locations in North Vietnam. (U.S. Air Force), Shortly after the war, ex-POW Mike McGrath annotated this detailed map of Hanoi to show the location of prisons. andrew mcginley obituary; velocitation and highway hypnosis; ut austin anthropology admissions; colorado springs municipal court docket search; how much is anthony joshua worth 2021 list of hanoi hilton prisoners. HALYBURTON, Lieut. The men followed orders, but with the stipulation that no photographs were to be taken of them. In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has held the position that claims that prisoners were tortured during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S.[35] Bi Tn, a North Vietnamese Army colonel-later turned dissident and exile, who believed that the cause behind the war had been just but that the country's political system had lost its way after reunification,[36] maintained in 2000 that no torture had occurred in the POW camps. Col. Arthur T., Marines, Lake Lure, N. C., cap. Overall, the POWs were warmly received as if to atone for the collective American guilt for having ignored and protested the majority of soldiers who had served in the conflict and already returned home. Joseph E., Navy, Washington, D.C., caplured in Spring 1972. The prison had no running water or electricity . Harry T Navy, Lemoore, Calif. KERNAN, Lieut. Of the POWs repatriated to the United States a total of 325 of them served in the United States Air Force, a majority of which were bomber pilots shot down over North Vietnam or VC controlled territory. They asked Kissinger to select twenty more men to be released early as a sign of good will. [29] The old-time POWs cheered even more during the intense "Christmas Bombing" campaign of December 1972,[29][30] when Hanoi was subjected for the first time to repeated B-52 Stratofortress raids. The ultimate example of Ha L Prison resistance was performed by Denton. - Camera bags Then, bowed or bent in half, the prisoner was hoisted up onto the hook to hang by ropes. James M., Navy, Lemoore, Calif. HIGDON, Lieut. GLOWER, Cmdr. The name originated from the street name ph Ha L, due to the concentration of stores selling wood stoves and coal-fire stoves along the street in pre-colonial times. - Service animals tured March 1966. Correspondingly, Richard Nixon and his administration began to focus on salvaging his presidency. They eventually decided on using the tap code something that couldnt be understood by North Vietnamese forces. The Alcatraz Gang was a group of eleven POWs who were held separately because of their particular resistance to their captors. The prison was built by the French in 1896, with the French name Maison Centrale. Additionally, soon after the raid all acknowledged American prisoners in North Vietnam were moved to Ha L so that the North Vietnamese had fewer camps to protect and to prevent their rescue by U.S. WANAT, Capt. The agreement included the negotiated release of the nearly 600 prisoners of war being held by North Vietnam in various prisons and camps including the Hanoi Hilton. Albert R., Navy, San Diego, captured Spring 1972. [3] A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600. Aubrey A., Navy, listed previously as Texan. (U.S. Air Force photo), DAYTON, Ohio - Recreated POW cells in the Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia exhibit in the Southeast Asia War Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo), DAYTON, Ohio - Typical bowls, plate and spoons issued to POWs. The most notorious POW camp was Hoa Lo Prison, known to Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton." In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has had the position that claims that prisoners were tortured at Ha L and other sites during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S.[24] Tran Trong Duyet, a jailer at Ha L beginning in 1968 and its commandant for the last three years of the war, maintained in 2008 that no prisoners were tortured. [26] Other parts have been converted into a commercial complex retaining the original French colonial walls. dell, Marines, Newport, N. C. MILLER, Lieut. The POWs held at the Hanoi Hilton were to deny early release because the communist government of North Vietnam could possibly use this tactic as propaganda or as a reward for military intelligence. Synonymous in the U.S. with torture of American pilots captured during the Vietnam War . The agreement also postulated for the release of nearly 600 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam and its allies within 60 days of the withdrawal of U.S. [8], U.S. prisoners of war in North Vietnam were subjected to extreme torture and malnutrition during their captivity. It would hang above you in the torture room like a sadistic tease you couldnt drag your gaze from it. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The Hanoi Hilton is a 1987 Vietnam War film which focuses on the experiences of American prisoners of war who were held in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi during the 1960s and 1970s and the story is told from their perspectives. He served as President of the Naval War College from October 1977 until he retired from the Navy in 1979. One of them died from the torture which followed his recapture. He was finally released in 1973, although his war time injuries have caused permanent damage to his right arm. [37] Tin stated that there were "a few physical hits like a slap across the face, or threats, in order to obtain the specific confessions," and that the worst that especially resistant prisoners such as Stockdale and Jeremiah Denton encountered was being confined to small cells. MOORE, Lieut. Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. en-route to Hanoi. [2] It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution. [4] The last POWs were turned over to allied hands on March 29, 1973 raising the total number of Americans returned to 591. The name Hoa Lo refers to a potter's kiln, but loosely translated it means "hell's hole" or "fiery furnace." [10]:845 The former prisoners were slowly reintroduced, issued their back pay and attempted to catch up on social and cultural events that were now history. It was originally deliberated to hold Vietnamese . Indeed, a considerable literature emerged from released POWs after repatriation, depicting Hoa Lo and the other prisons as places where such atrocities as murder; beatings; broken bones, teeth and eardrums; dislocated limbs; starvation; serving of food contaminated with human and animal feces; and medical neglect of infections and tropical disease occurred. The prison was originally built by the French colonial government in the late 1800s and was . The plane used in the transportation of the first group of prisoners of war, a C-141 commonly known as the Hanoi Taxi (Air Force Serial Number 66-0177), has been altered several times since February 12, 1973, to include its conversion (fuselage extension) from a C-141A to a C-141B. (j.g.) Wikimedia CommonsThe Hanoi Hilton in 1970. Extradition of North Vietnamese officials who had violated the Geneva Convention, which they had always insisted officially did not bind them because their nation had never signed it, was not a condition of the U.S. withdrawal from South Vietnam and ultimate abandonment of the South Vietnamese government. David Hume Kennerly/Getty ImagesAmerican POW soldiers inside their jail cell at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. These liaison officers worked behind the scenes traveling around the United States assuring the returnees' well being. During the Vietnam War, Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force, awarded the first for valor in aerial combat and the second for gallantry as a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese for more than seven years. The code was based on two-number combinations that represented each letter. The final phase was the relocation of the POWs to military hospitals.[2]. BROWN, Capt. [19] As another POW later said, "To this day I get angry with myself. In 1967, McCain joined the prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton after his plane was shot down. Fred R., Navy, North Dartmouth, Mass. GILLESPIE, Miramar, Capt. MILLER, Lieu, Edwin F., Navy, Franklin Lakes, N. J. MOBLEY, Lieut, Joseph S., Navy, Manhattan Beach, Calif. MOLINARE, Lieut. The rule entailed that the prisoners would return home in the order that they were shot down and captured. Operation Homecoming was the return of 591 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Home. One of the prerequisites for and provisions of the accords was the return of all U.S. prisoners of war (POWs). This created the "Camp Unity" communal living area at Ha L. The prisoners returned included future politicians Senator John McCain of Arizona, vice-presidential candidate James Stockdale, and Representative Sam Johnson of Texas. COLLINS, Major Thomas Edward, Air Force, Jackson, Mississippi, captured Oct. 1965. KAVANAUGH, Sgt. [15], In the end, North Vietnamese torture was sufficiently brutal and prolonged that nearly every American POW so subjected made a statement of some kind at some time. Everett Alvarez Jr., Mexican American, US Navy pilot, the 2nd longest-held U.S. POW, enduring over 8 years of captivity. Frederick C., Navy, San Marcos, Calif. BEELER, Lieut, Carrol R., Navy, Frisco, Texas, native Missourian, captured during the 1972 spring offensive. [37] Tran Trong Duyet, a jailer at Hoa Lo beginning in 1968 and its commandant for the last three years of the war, maintained in 2008 that no prisoners were tortured. American POWs gave them nicknames: Alcatraz, Briarpatch, Dirty Bird, the Hanoi Hilton, the Zoo. It enabled prisoners to establish a command structure, keep a roster of captives, and pass information. [25], Nevertheless, by 1971, some 3050percent of the POWs had become disillusioned about the war, both because of the apparent lack of military progress and what they heard of the growing anti-war movement in the U.S. and some of them were less reluctant to make propaganda statements for the North Vietnamese. Far from a luxury hotel, here the prisoners of war were kept in isolation for years on end, chained to rat-infested floors, and hung from rusty metal hooks. As of 26 July 2019 the Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency listed 1,587 Americans as missing in the war of which 1,009 were classified as further pursuit, 90 deferred and 488 non-recoverable.