Who was the youngest POW?

Joseph Alexander never got to enjoy his youth. At just 14-years-old, and with his grandmother by his side, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and is said to have been the youngest American prisoner of war.

Who was the longest held POW?

Floyd James "Jim" Thompson (July 8, 1933 – July 16, 2002) was a United States Army colonel. He was one of the longest-held American prisoners of war, spending nearly nine years in captivity in the forests and mountains of South Vietnam, Laos, and North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Do POWs still get paid?

Captive or POW Pay and Allowance Entitlements: Soldiers are entitled to all pay and allowances that were authorized prior to the POW period. Soldiers who are in a POW status are authorized payment of 50% of the worldwide average per diem rate for each day held in captive status.

Are there any Vietnam POWs still alive?

There are no known living POWs left in Vietnam from the American War. Many veterans and survivors of those terrible years have returned to the country to visit and pay respects to their peers left behind.

Were there any female POWs in Vietnam?

During the Vietnam War Monika Schwinn, a German nurse, was held captive for three and a half years - at one time the only woman prisoner at the "Hanoi Hilton". The following missionaries were POWs: Evelyn Anderson, captured and later burned to death in Kengkok, Laos, 1972.

The POW who blinked a secret message on TV

What was the bloodiest day in Vietnam?

The deadliest day of the Vietnam War for the U.S. was 31 January at the start of the Tet Offensive when 246 Americans were killed in action.

Were any Vietnam War Mia found alive?

To date, the remains of nearly 600 MIAs from the Vietnam War have been identified. No MIAs have been found alive, despite alleged sightings that inspire the hopes of some relatives.

Who is the most famous POW from Vietnam?

Who was the longest POW in Vietnam?

The longest-held enlisted POW is Bill Robinson from East Tennessee. Don Dare spoke with the retired Air Force Captain about his years in captivity and a pilot who is still MIA. Shortly after being captured, a North Vietnamese militia woman escorted Robinson, in what he learned years later was a propaganda photo.

Is beating a POW a war crime?

The Third Geneva Convention governs the treatment of prisoners of war, effective from the moment of capture. This includes obligations to treat them humanely at all times. It is a war crime to willfully kill, mistreat, or torture POWs, or to willfully cause great suffering, or serious injury to body or health.

Who shot the last bullet in ww2?

On May 8, 1945, the British cruiser HMS Dido was en route to Copenhagen Denmark. At one point during the journey, a lone German aircraft approached the ship. The Dido's guns fired one shot and the plane flew away - it was VE day and that was the last shot fired in the Second World War in Europe.

What are POWs allowed to say?

Explanation: When questioned, a POW is required by the Geneva Conventions and the CoC to only give the name, rank, service number, and date of birth.

Who is the most famous POW?

Who was the first female POW?

Robinson Military Women Veteran's Center on Saturday. Eighteen years after she was captured by Iraqi forces on March 23, 2003 — at age 19, becoming the first American prisoner of war and first woman to be rescued since World War II — former U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch still wrestles with post traumatic stress disorder.

What was the most famous POW camp?

The most famous POW breakout is the 'Great Escape' in March 1944 from Stalag Luft III, a camp which held Allied aircrew.

Which president was a prisoner of war?

He was in a battle and was later captured by the British, making him the only president to have been a prisoner of war. Jackson was magnetic and charming but with a quick temper that got him into many duels, two of which left bullets in him.

Is Agent Orange still present in Vietnam?

After its use in the 1960s, Agent Orange was banned by the U.S. in 1971 and remaining stocks were taken from Vietnam and the U.S. to Johnston Atoll, a U.S. controlled island about 700 miles SE of Hawaii, where it was destroyed in 1978. There is no 'Agent Orange' in Vietnam or anywhere else today.

Were American POWs tortured in Vietnam?

North Vietnamese torture was exceptionally cruel--prison guards bound POWs' arms and legs with tight ropes and then dislocated them, and left men in iron foot stocks for days or weeks. Extreme beatings were common, many times resulting in POW deaths.

What is the Vietnam rope trick?

“Vietnamese torture was pretty standard for all of us in North Vietnam, we called it the rope trick,” Kirk said. “They took a piece of rope, wrapped it around your arms above the elbow three or four times, they'd run it behind your back to the other arm. They pulled your arms together until they touched in the back.”

Who survived the most tours in Vietnam?

From 1961 to 1970, Otero Barreto served five tours in Southeast Asia, starting as an advisor who helped train Vietnamese troops.

Who was the last American POW in Vietnam?

Often cited as the last verified American POW from the Vietnam War, Garwood was taken to North Vietnam in 1969, and reportedly was released in 1973 along with the other U.S. POWs as part of the Paris Peace Accords. However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979.

What was the deadliest job in Vietnam?

Overall, the U.S. military used nearly 12,000 helicopters in Vietnam, of which more than 5,000 were destroyed. To be a helicopter pilot or crew member was among the most dangerous jobs in the war.

Who was the 1st American killed in Vietnam?

Technical Sergeant Richard Bernard Fitzgibbon Jr., USAF (June 21, 1920 – June 8, 1956) was the first American to die in the Vietnam War. He was murdered by another American airman on June 8, 1956.

What was the toughest battle in Vietnam?

The battle of Đăk Tô began in early November and continued for over three weeks. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces engaged North Vietnamese units on a series of thickly forested hills. The fighting included some of the bloodiest and most intense combat of the Vietnam War.