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Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Robinson Risner, at the microphone, express his thanks to the crowd and press upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. COL Risner was captured on 16 Sep 65 and released by North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Robinson Risner, at the microphone, waves his thanks to the crowd and press upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. 22nd Air Force Commander, MGEN John Gonge stands behind COL Risner. COL Risner was captured on 16 Sep 65 and released by North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Robinson Risner, at the microphone, express his thanks to the crowd and press upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. 22nd Air Force Commander, MGEN John Gonge stands behind COL Risner. COL Risner was captured on 16 Sep 65 and released by North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Raymond James Merritt at the microphone, thanks the crowd and press upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. COL Merritt was captured on 16 Sep 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Robinson Risner, (Captured 16 Sep 65) answer questions at a press conference. COL Risner was released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Robinson Risner, at the microphone, thanks the crowd and press prior to boarding the waiting C-141 Starlifter for the flight to the states. Standing behind COL Risner is LGEN William G. Moore, Commander 13th Air Force. COL Risner was captured on 16 Sep 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COL Robinson Risner, at the microphone, waves and thanks the crowd and press prior to boarding the waiting C-141 Starlifter for the flight to the states. Standing behind COL Risner is LGEN William G. Moore, Commander 13th Air Force. COL Risner was captured on 16 Sep 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force COLRobinson Risner, (Captured 16 Sep 65) answer questions at a press conference, in the background a Homecoming status board. COL Risner was released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. LCOL George Grigsby McKnight at the microphone, thanks the crowd and press upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. LCOL McKnight was captured on 6 Nov 65 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S.Air Force COL Robinson Risner, at the microphone, thanks the crowd and press upon arriving on a flight from Clark Air Base. COL Risner was captured on 16 Sep 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.

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former pow former pow robinson risner air force col robinson risner microphone thanks crowd press clark clark air base col risner sep hanoi california clark air base philippines air force vietnam war prisoners of war coming home exchange prisoners travis air force base colonel staff sergeant operation homecoming hanoi taxi philippines prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution force col robinson risner north vietnamese ssgt phillip us air force usaf air force base military uniforms 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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No known copyright restrictions

label_outline Explore Col Risner, Risner, Ssgt Phillip

During a commemorative ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base (AFB) Hangar 35, inside a US Air Force (USAF) C-17A Globemaster III, members of a joint honor guard prepare to carry the remains believed to be of unaccounted-for Americans, recovered in Vietnam and Papua New Guinea. The remains will be taken to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command's Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC CIL) where they will attempt to positively identify the remains so they can be returned to their families

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

Lime 02, an MC-130P Combat Shadow that refueled assault

Capt. Matt Crandall, 349th Air Refueling Squadron pilot,

Chief Navy Diver Chris Kerr, assigned to Mobile Diving

Members of the 179th Airlift Wing arrive home from

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

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

Longest held AF enlisted POW inspires Airmen at 59th MDW annual awards ceremony

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former pow former pow robinson risner air force col robinson risner microphone thanks crowd press clark clark air base col risner sep hanoi california clark air base philippines air force vietnam war prisoners of war coming home exchange prisoners travis air force base colonel staff sergeant operation homecoming hanoi taxi philippines prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution force col robinson risner north vietnamese ssgt phillip us air force usaf air force base military uniforms us national archives vietnam pow