During the French colonial period, Vietnamese prisoners were detained and tortured at the Ha L prison. Clarence R., Navy, not named in previous lists. The rule entailed that the prisoners would return home in the order that they were shot down and captured. Those listed as having died in captivity include the following: Gustav Hertz, Joseph Grainger, John S. Henry, Daniel L. Niehouse, Tanos E. Kalil, Henry F. Blood, and Betty Olsen. Unaware of the code agreed upon by the POWs, Kissinger ignored their shot down dates and circled twenty names at random. James Eldon, Air Force, Forest Grove, Oregon, date of capture unknown. The ultimate example of Ha L Prison resistance was performed by Denton. 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. It was directed by Lionel Chetwynd, and stars Michael Moriarty, Ken Wright and Paul Le Mat.Music was done by Jimmy Webb.. [1], The central urban location of the prison also became part of its early character. 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. Forty years later as I look back on that experience, believe it or not, I have somewhat mixed emotions in that it was a very difficult period, he said in 2013. Initially, this information was downplayed by American authorities for fear that conditions might worsen for those remaining in North Vietnamese custody. [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. [11][13] The goal of the North Vietnamese was to get written or recorded statements from the prisoners that criticized U.S. conduct of the war and praised how the North Vietnamese treated them. - Purses 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. John Owen, Air Force, Reading, Pa., captured February, 1967. Leonard R., Jr., Malic esstot named in previous public lists. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured, and paraded in anti-American propaganda. [We realize], over time, that we all fall short of what we aspire to be. SEHORN, Capt. The mission included 54 C-141 flights between Feb. 12 and April 4, 1973, returning 591 POWs to American soil. In addition all bags are subject to search and may be placed through an X-Ray machine. Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. PROFILET, Capt. A large number of Americans viewed the recently freed POWs as heroes of the nation returning home, reminiscent of the celebrations following World War II. LESESNE, Lieut. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. - Strollers The United States, in Paris, provided a list of 26,000 Communist prisoners held by South Vietnam in exchange. Cmdr. James M., Navy, Lemoore, Calif. HIGDON, Lieut. [21] Many POWs speculated that Ho had been personally responsible for their mistreatment. 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. It enabled prisoners to establish a command structure, keep a roster of captives, and pass information. Listen to how deeply they came to understand themselves, how terrible was the weight of that hell on them in both their bodies and their minds. [11] Rather, it was to break the will of the prisoners, both individually and as a group. Everett Alvarez Jr., Mexican American, US Navy pilot, the 2nd longest-held U.S. POW, enduring over 8 years of captivity. GOODERMOTE, Lieut. But we did the best we could. [14] Dennis A., Marines, not named in previous lists. (DoD April 1991 list) Hamilton, Roger D. USMC last known alive (DoD April 1991 list) Hamm, James E. USAF . Gordon R. Navy, hometown unlisted but captured Dec. 20, 1972. BATLEY, Lieut. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Vietnam War POW/MIA List. COLLINS, Major Thomas Edward, Air Force, Jackson, Mississippi, captured Oct. 1965. [14][24] At this time, the prisoners formally organized themselves under the 4th Allied POW Wing, whose name acknowledged earlier periods of overseas captivity among American military personnel in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. It turned out that when Henry Kissinger went to Hanoi after the first round of releases, the North Vietnamese gave him a list of the next 112 men scheduled to be sent home. 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. WALSH, Capt. The prison had no running water or electricity . Usaf/Getty ImagesJohn McCain, leads a column of POWs released from the Hanoi Hilton, awaiting transportation to Gia Lam Airport. Home. On March 26, 1964, the first U.S. service member imprisoned during the Vietnam War was captured near Qung Tr, South Vietnam when an L-19/O-1 Bird Dog observation plane flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and Captain Floyd James Thompson was brought down by small arms fire. * Firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons, are specifically prohibited in Federal facilities in accordance with 18 USC 930 (c) [35] However, eyewitness accounts by American servicemen present a different account of their captivity. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short of nine years in captivity, making him the longest-held POW in American history. [10]:80, The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the U.S. Department of State each had liaison officers dedicated to prepare for the return of American POWs well in advance of their actual return. 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. [6][7], Following the defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the 1954 Geneva Accords the French left Hanoi and the prison came under the authority of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. DAVIES, Capt. Among those acknowledged as prisoners in South Vietnam were Michael D. Ebge, Norman T. Brookens, and Richard W. Utecht, who worked for the Agency for International Development and were captured during the Tet offensive of 1968. The increased human contact further improved morale and facilitated greater military cohesion among the POWs. Comdr. Bruce R., Marines, Pensacola, Fla., captured March, 1968. 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. This Pentagon . William M., Navy, Center Hill, Fla. HICKERSON, Comdr. They eventually decided on using the tap code something that couldnt be understood by North Vietnamese forces. This would go on for hours, sometimes even days on end.. Comdr. [26] Others were not among them; there were defiant church services[27] and an effort to write letters home that only portrayed the camp in a negative light. After the war, Risner wrote the book Passing of the Night detailing his seven years at Ha L. American POW soldiers inside their jail cell at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. If you have not read Bill Gately on LinkedIn: The Hanoi Hilton POW Exhibit at the American Heritage Museum 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. WANAT, Capt. CHAPMAN, Lieut. [12] Nevertheless, the POWs obsessed over what they had done, and would years after their release still be haunted by the "confessions" or other statements they had made. By the time the Americans sent combat forces into Vietnam in 1965, the Ha L Prison had been reclaimed by the Vietnamese. Wikimedia CommonsJohn McCains alleged flight suit and parachute, on the display at the former Hanoi Hilton. March 29, 1973. That delightful day in 1973 would not be the last time that some of the prisoners would see the Hanoi Hilton. A total of 69 POWs were held in South Vietnam by the VC and would eventually leave the country aboard flights from Loc Ninh, while only nine POWs were released from Laos, as well as an additional three from China. Cmdr, Paul E Navy, Richmond, Va. NAUGHTON, Lieut. Cmdr. During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese did the same to American soldiers. It is a tragic and heroic historical relic of the Vietnamese. Cmdr, Read Id., Navy, Old Greenwich, Conn. WILBER, Lieut. The prison was built by the French in 1896, with the French name Maison Centrale. It was presumed, however, Mr, Sieverts said, that any Americans believed to be missing in South Vietnam, and not on the list, were probably dead. [26], At the "Hanoi Hilton", POWs cheered the resumed bombing of North Vietnam starting in April 1972, whose targets included the Hanoi area. Frederick C., Navy, San Marcos, Calif. BEELER, Lieut, Carrol R., Navy, Frisco, Texas, native Missourian, captured during the 1972 spring offensive. Duluth, Minn. WOODS, Lieut. Despite the endless torture, the American soldiers stayed strong the only way they knew how: camaraderie. Paul telling his story to the crowd at the Freedom Museum. 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. Charles G. Boyd, USAF pilot, POW for almost 7 years, retired general; the only Vietnam-era POW to reach a four-star rank. [10] The prison complex was sarcastically nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by the American POWs, in reference to the well-known Hilton Hotel chain.