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Former POW and U.S. Navy LCMDR Frederick R. Purrington talks on the phone in the lounge. LCMDR Purrington was captured on 20 Oct 66 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy LCMDR Joseph Charles Plumb Jr. talks on the phone in the lounge. LCMDR Plumb was captured on 19 May 67 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy LCMDR Frederick R. Purrington with Navy officer in the lounge. LCMDR Purrington was captured on 20 Oct 66 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force CPT Darrel Edwin Pyle talks with escort officers and other POWs in the passenger lounge after his arrival from Clark Air Base, Philippines. CPT Pyle was captured on 13 Jun 66 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi 12 Feb 73

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

Former POW and U.S. Air ForceMAJ Robert Norland Daughtrey in the passenger lounge after his arrival from Clark Air Base, Philippines. MAJ Daughtrey was captured on 2 Aug 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy LCMDR Everett Alvarez (Captured 5 Aug 64) talks at the microphones to the public and press there to greet the plane load of former POWs flown in from Clark Air Base. LCMDR Alvarez was released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force CPT Kevin Joseph McManus talks to the press after his arrival from Clark Air Base, Philippines. CPT McManus was captured on 14 Jun 67 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy LCMDR Bradley Edsel Smith waves to the crowd of well wishers upon his arrival on the C-141 Starlifter from Clark Air Base, Philippines. LCMDR Smith was captured by the North Vietnamese on 25 Mar 66 and was released in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy LCMDR Porter Alex Halyburton talks on the phone in the passenger lounge after his arrival from Clark Air Base, Philippines. LCMDR Halyburton was captured on 17 Oct 65 and 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.

Nothing Found.

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Tags

former pow former pow navy lcmdr porter alex halyburton talks navy lcmdr porter alex halyburton talks phone passenger lounge passenger lounge clark clark air base philippines lcmdr halyburton hanoi california clark air base philippines air base vietnam war prisoners of war coming home exchange prisoners travis air force base staff sergeant operation homecoming hanoi taxi us navy prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution north vietnamese ssgt phillip us air force usaf navy 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/
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Copyright info

No known copyright restrictions

label_outline Explore Passenger Lounge, Lcmdr, Ssgt Phillip

An SH-60B helicopter from Helicopter Light Anti-Submarine Squadron 42 conducts an in-flight helicopter refueling operation with the guided missile frigate USS HALYBURTON (FFG 40) during Exercise BALTOPS '85

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

The aircraft carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67) battle group en route to the Mediterranean Sea. In the group are: the nuclear-powered attack submarines USS ALBUQUERQUE (SSN-706) and USS SEAHORSE (SSN-669); the guided missile cruisers USS GETTYSBURG (CG-64), USS LEYTE GULF (CG-55) and USS WAINWRIGHT (CG-28); the destroyer USS CARON (DD-970); the frigates USS CAPODANNO (FF-1093), USS HALYBURTON (FFG-40) and USS MCINERNEY (FFG-8); the destroyer tender USS PUGET SOUND (AD-38); the ammunition ship USS SANTA BARBARA (AE-28); and the replenishment oiler USS KALAMAZOO (AOR-6)

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

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

An SH-60B helicopter from Helicopter Light Anti-Submarine Squadron 42 conducts an in-flight helicopter refueling operation with the guided missile frigate USS HALYBURTON (FFG 40) during Exercise BALTOPS '85

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

Karen McCaslin and Dr. William Sloat stand next to

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins laughing

Ex-POW and U.S. Air Force COL James Helms Kasler (Captured 8 Aug 66) stands at the flight line microphones and thanks the people of Clark and the Press for their hospitality. Standing behind is13th Air Force Commander, LGEN William G. Moore Jr. To the left rear is COL John W. Ord, Commander, Clark Hosptial and COL Raymond G. Lawry, Deputy Site Commander, Joint Homecoming Reception Center. COL Kasler was released in Hanoi by North Vietnam on 4 Mar 73

Topics

former pow former pow navy lcmdr porter alex halyburton talks navy lcmdr porter alex halyburton talks phone passenger lounge passenger lounge clark clark air base philippines lcmdr halyburton hanoi california clark air base philippines air base vietnam war prisoners of war coming home exchange prisoners travis air force base staff sergeant operation homecoming hanoi taxi us navy prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution north vietnamese ssgt phillip us air force usaf navy base us national archives vietnam pow