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Former POW and U.S. Army SSG Bobby Louis Johnson (Captured 25 Aug 68), is greeted by MGEN John Gonge, 22nd Air Force Commander and BGEN William Deitrich, Vice Commander, 22nd AF upon his arrival on the C-141 Starlifter from Clark Air Base, Philippines. SSG Johnson was in the group of POWs captured in South Vietnam and released on 12 Feb 73 by the Viet Cong at Loc Ninh, South Vietnam

William A. Robinson, a STAFF Sergeant and Flight Engineer on a U.S. Air Force HH-43B Huskie at the time, spent seven and a half years as a POW during the Vietnam War, today speaks to the audience about his experiences during a POW/MIA luncheon on Sept. 24, 2004, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lisa Norman, CIV) (Released)

Former POW and U.S. Air Force MAJ Richard Eugene Bolstad (Captured 6 Nov 65) is greeted on his arrival, via C-141 Starlifter, by GEN Paul Carlton, Commander, Military Airlift Command. LCOL Daniel James Doughty (Captured 2 Apr 67) at the microphones talks to the people who cames out to greet the returning former POWs on their nighttime arrival at Scott. MAJ Bolstad and LCOL Doughty were released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Marine LCOL Edison Wainright Miller (Captured 13 Oct 67) is greeted by MGEN John Gonge, Commander 22nd Air Force and BGEN William Deitrich, 22nd AF Vice CO on his arrival from Clark Air Base. LCOL Miller was released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on12 Feb 73

Ex-POW and U.S.Navy CMDR James Glenn Pirie (Captured 22 Jun 67), at the flight line microphone, thanks the crowd of well wishers and press before departing for the United States on the C-141 Starlifter in the background. 13th Air Force Commander, LGEN William G. Moore Jr., stands in background near the ambulance bus that brought the ex-POWs to the flight line. CMDR Pirie was released in Hanoi by North Vietnam on 18 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Army SGT Kenneth Wallingford (Captured 7 Apr 72) waves to the crowd of well wishers upon his arrival on the C-141 Starlifter from Clark Air Base, Philippines. In the background MGEN Daniel "Chappie" James await the next returnee to deplane. SGT Wallingford was in the first group of POWs captured in South Vietnam, and released on 12 Feb 73 by the Viet Cong at Loc Ninh, South Vietnam

U.S. Air Force LT. COL. Lance Bodine, Commander of the 551st Special Operations Squadron, escorts Yvette Plumhoff, widow of MAJ. Steven Pumhoff, to his squadron after the base dedicated a street sign in honor of her late husband at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., on Nov. 29, 2004. MAJ. Plumhoff, an MH-53 Pave Low helicopter pilot, was killed along with four others; Air Force STAFF SGT. Thomas A. Walkup Jr., TECH.SGT. Howard A. Walters, TECH. SGT. William J. Kerwood and U.S. Army SGT. MAJ. Philip R. Albert, in an MH-53 crash in Afghanistan on Nov 23, 2003. (PHOTO by Todd Berenger, CIV) (Released)

U.S. Air force MASTER SGT. Jeff Gentry and AIRMAN 1ST Class Bruce Conat, both assigned to the 48th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, render salutes after laying a wreath of flowers during the 60th Anniversary of the Air Battle over the Ore Mountains Celebration, held to honor both the German and American Airmen killed over the skies of Kovarska, Czech Republic on September 11, 1944. The Celebration is being held on Sept. 11, 2004. (U.S. Air Force PHOTO by AIRMAN Christopher Walkenhorst) (Released)

Former POW and U.S. Air Force CPT Larry James Chesley is greeted by 22nd Air Force Vice Commander, BGEN William Deitrich and BGEN Ralph Saunders upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. CPT Chesley was captured on 6 Nov 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Army CWO-2 Daniel F. Maslowski (Captured 2 May 70) waves to the public and press who were there to greet the plane load of former POWs flown in from Clark Air Base. In the background MGEN John Gonge, Commander 22nd Air Force and BGEN William Deitrich, 22nd AF Vice Commander greet former POW and U.S. Air Force SMSGT Arthur Cormier (Captured 6 Nov 65). CWO-2 Maslowski and SMSGT Cormier were released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

description

Summary

The original finding aid described this photograph as:

Subject Operation/Series: HOMECOMING

Base: Travis Air Force Base

State: California (CA)

Country: United States Of America (USA)

Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Phillip M. Porter

Release Status: Released to Public

Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files

On January 27, 1973, the United States agreed to a ceasefire with North Vietnam allowing withdrawal of American military forces from South Vietnam. The agreement also included the release of about 600 American prisoners of war. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi". From February 12 to April 4, there were 54 C-141 missions flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POWs home, the total number of returned was 591. The return of the nearly 600 POWs increased the polarization of the public and media. A majority of the POWs returned in Operation Homecoming were bomber pilots shot down while carrying out the campaign waged against civilian targets located in Vietnam and Laos. Many viewed the freed POWs as heroes, while others questioned if treating these men as heroes served to distort and obscure the truth about the war. Some felt these men deserved to be treated as war criminals or left in the North Vietnamese prison camps. Many worried that Homecoming hid the fact that people were still fighting and dying on the battlefields of Vietnam and caused the public to forget about the over 50,000 American lives the war had already cost. Veterans of the war had similar thoughts concerning Operation Homecoming with many stating that the ceasefire and returning of prisoners brought zero sense of an ending or closure. Operation Homecoming has been largely forgotten by the American public.

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former pow former pow army cwo army cwo daniel maslowski waves press plane load plane load clark clark air base gonge background mgen john gonge commander air force bgen deitrich bgen william deitrich vice af vice commander smsgt arthur cormier air force smsgt arthur cormier smsgt cormier hanoi california clark air base philippines vietnam war prisoners of war coming home exchange prisoners travis air force base brigadier general senior master sergeant major general staff sergeant us air force us army operation homecoming hanoi taxi philippines prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution pows army cwo 2 daniel cwo 2 maslowski north vietnamese ssgt phillip usaf air force base us national archives vietnam pow
date_range

Date

01/02/1973
collections

in collections

Hanoi Taxi

Operation Homecoming
place

Location

create

Source

The U.S. National Archives
link

Link

https://catalog.archives.gov/
copyright

Copyright info

No known copyright restrictions

label_outline Explore Deitrich, Cormier, Gonge

LCOL Daniel James Doughty (Captured 2 Apr 67) at the microphones talks to people who came out to greet the returning POWs on their nighttime arrival at Scott. LCOL Doughty was released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Warrant Officer Brian W. Ruzin, a student of graduating

Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Slowik, assistant engineering

Former POW and U.S. Air Force LCOL Lewis Wiley Shattuck (Captured 11 Jul 66) salutes the American Flag upon his arrival on the C-141 Starlifter from Clark Air Base, Philippines. In the background MGEN John Gonge, 22nd Air Force Commander and MGEN Daniel "Chappie" James await the next returnee to deplane. LCOL Shattuck was in the first group of POWs released on 12 Feb 73 by the North Vietnamese government in Hanoi

Limited Duty Officer/Chief Warrant Officer (LDO/CWO)

Returned POW U.S. Navy LCMDR Everett Alvarez (Captured 5 Aug 64) looks at a letter in his room at the base hospital. LCMDR Alvarez was held longer by the North Vietnamese than any other American POW. He was released on 12 Feb 73 in Hanoi

Cormier, V - Age [Blank], Year: [Blank] - Eighteenth Infantry, Br - C - Louisiana

Former POW and U.S. Air Force LCOL James Quincy Collins Jr. talks with escorts and other POWs in the passenger lounge after his arrival from Clark Air Base, Philippines. LCOL Collins was captured on 2 Sep 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Ex-POW and U.S. Air Force MAJ Hubert K. Flesher (Captured 2 Dec 66) shakes hands with 13th Air Force Commander, LGEN William G. Moore Jr., after arriving on bus, in background, and prior to his flight to the United States. COL John W. Ord, Commander, Clark Hospital and COL Raymond G. Lawry, Deputy Site Commander, Joint Homecoming Reception Center are in the background. MAJ Flesher was released in Hanoi by North Vietnam on 18 Feb 73

A view of the welcome home sign prepared to greet recently released from a prisoner of war home from Vietnam

US Marine Corps (USMC) GUNNERY Sergeant (GYSGT) James Johnson (foreground) scans the horizon for targets as CHIEF Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) Todd Baker, prepares to test fires the M2.50 caliber machine gun aboard a USMC CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, while in flight over the target range just outside of Al Asad, Iraq, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Both Marines are assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron Seven Seven Four (HMM-774)

US Marine Corps (USMC) CHIEF Warrant Officer (CWO) Lewis Shemery, Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214), is greeted by family members, upon his return to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona (AZ), following a recent deployment in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

Topics

former pow former pow army cwo army cwo daniel maslowski waves press plane load plane load clark clark air base gonge background mgen john gonge commander air force bgen deitrich bgen william deitrich vice af vice commander smsgt arthur cormier air force smsgt arthur cormier smsgt cormier hanoi california clark air base philippines vietnam war prisoners of war coming home exchange prisoners travis air force base brigadier general senior master sergeant major general staff sergeant us air force us army operation homecoming hanoi taxi philippines prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution pows army cwo 2 daniel cwo 2 maslowski north vietnamese ssgt phillip usaf air force base us national archives vietnam pow