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Former POW and U.S. Navy CMDR James G. Pirie answer questions from the press after arriving, via C-141 Starlifter, with fellow POWs from Clark AB, Philippines. CMDR Pirie was captured on 22 Jun 67 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Air Force MAJ James Robert Berger walks away from the C-141 Starlifter, that transported him and fellow POWs from Clark AB, Philippines. MAJ Berger was captured on 2 Dec 66 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 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

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. Navy LCMDR Wendell Reed Alcorn shakes hands with BGEN William Dietrich, Vice Commander, 22nd Air Force upon his arrival on the C-141 Starlifter from Clark Air Base, Philippines. LCMDR Alcorn was captured by the North Vietnamese on 22 Dec 65 and was released in Hanoi on 12 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy CMDR Raymond Arthur Vohden (Captured 3 Apr 65), on crutches, salutes MGEN John Gonge, 22nd Air Force Commander and MGEN Daniel "Chappie" James, upon his arrival on the C-141 Starlifter from Clark Air Base, Philippines. CMDR Vohden was in the first group of POWs released on 12 Feb 73 by the North Vietnamese government in Hanoi

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

Former POW and U.S. Air Force MAJ Hubert Kelly Flesher kisses his wife at the ramp of the C-141 Starlifter, that transported him and fellow POWs from Clark AB, Philippines. MGEN John Gonge, 22nd Air Force Commander, 22nd AF looks on. MAJ Flesher was captured on 2 Dec 66 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 Feb 73

Former POW and U.S. Navy CPT Jeremiah Andrew Denton (Captured 18 Jul 65) stands at the microphones and talks to the crowd of well wishers and press 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 look on. CPT Denton was in the first group of POWs released on 12 Feb 73 by the North Vietnamese government in Hanoi

Former POW and U.S.Navy CMDR James Glenn Pirie walks away from the C-141 Starlifter, that transported him and fellow POWs from Clark AB, Philippines, with MGEN John Gonge, 22nd Air Force Commander, BGEN William Deitrich, Vice Commander, 22nd AF in the background. CMDR Pirie was captured on 22 Jun 67 and released by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 18 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: SGT Morawski

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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Tags

former pow former pow navy cmdr glenn pirie navy cmdr james glenn pirie starlifter fellow fellow pows clark clark ab gonge mgen john gonge commander air force commander bgen deitrich bgen william deitrich vice vice commander cmdr pirie hanoi california air force coming home prisoners of war exchange prisoners c 141 starlifter travis air force base brigadier general major general operation homecoming hanoi taxi vietnam war prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution cmdr james glenn pirie north vietnamese sgt morawski us air force usaf air force base 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/
copyright

Copyright info

No known copyright restrictions

label_outline Explore Deitrich, Mgen John Gonge, Pirie

Commander Robert B. Pirie, USN (covered)

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

Philippine Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Rodney H. Agulan

US Air Force (USAF) 6th Operations Group (OG) Commander (CO) Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Bobby Fowler (front left), briefs the 18th Air Force Commander (AFCOM), Lieutenant General (LGEN) William Welser, all aspects of the KC-135R Stratotanker air-to-air refueling aircraft during the General's visit to the 6th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) and MacDill Air Force Base (AFB), Florida (FL)

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

At the 30th Space Wing Change of Command Ceremony held at Vandenberg Air Force Base California, Colonel Stephen L. Lanning, USAF, (left), 30th Space Wing Commander, passes guideon to 14th Air Force Commander, Major General William R. Looney III, USAF. Command will pass to Colonel Robert M. Worley II, who arrived from Headquarters, United States Air Force, Pentagon, Washington D.C., where he served as CHIEF of the Space Superiority Division

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

USAF SENIOR AIRMAN Ray Carter 41st Airlift Squadron, STAFF Sergeant Thomas Mazzone, 2nd Airlift Squadron, Loadmaster; Flight Nurse USAF Captain Dawn Shanks, 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and STAFF Sergeant Shannon McBee, 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron listen to Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF), The Honorable F. Whitten Peters, inside the cargo bay of a C-130E Hercules aircraft, configuration for medical evacuation at Pope AFB, North Carolina. USAF Colonel Steve Acuff, Vice Commander of the 43rd Airlift Wing is standing next to SECAF Peters

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

Airmen supporting the Indo-Pacific Command by maintaining

Topics

former pow former pow navy cmdr glenn pirie navy cmdr james glenn pirie starlifter fellow fellow pows clark clark ab gonge mgen john gonge commander air force commander bgen deitrich bgen william deitrich vice vice commander cmdr pirie hanoi california air force coming home prisoners of war exchange prisoners c 141 starlifter travis air force base brigadier general major general operation homecoming hanoi taxi vietnam war prisoners exchange commission vietcong high resolution cmdr james glenn pirie north vietnamese sgt morawski us air force usaf air force base navy base us national archives vietnam pow