Not forgotten: Memorial recognizes Academy POWs in Vietnam

  • Published
  • By Amber Baillie
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Academy dedicated a monument to its 33 Southeast Asia prisoners of war for their service and sacrifice April 24 at Doolittle Hall.

Academy cadets, leaders, 19 POWs and their families attended the ceremony. The 2000-pound plaque was revealed and put on display at the Southeast Asian Pavilion on the Heritage Trail here.

"Our 31 Air Force Academy POWs who returned, out of 33, is what this memorial is dedicated to," said retired Gen. Ron Yates, a 1960 graduate.  "We hear the term "hero" a lot, so much it can lose some of its impact. But today, we are truly in the presence of heroes."

There were 591 POWs who returned to the U.S. during Operation Homecoming in 1973: 325 Air Force, 138 Navy, 77 Army and 26 Marines.

Yates, who initiated the memorial, said he knew the danger of flying in Southeast Asia at the time and often wondered if his plane had been shot down, could he live up to the standard these POWs set?

"Frankly, I'm glad I never had to answer that question," he said. "Certainty all of you (Academy POWs) did in a long-lasting way that sets an example to all Air Force cadets, officers and enlisted Airmen."

A 1964 graduate, retired Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier's F-4 Phantom fighter was shot down in 1967. He suffered a crushed vertebra, dislocated shoulder, broken teeth and was a POW for five years, eight months and four days at Hanoi Hilton, an infamous Vietnam prison.

"We appreciate this recognition of our service but the plaque isn't about the names on it, rather, our loyalty, character and integrity we learned at the Academy," he said. "It's about the reality that sometimes service is not comfortable and easy. We're the lucky ones who survived and tell those who follow us when they face great challenges, 'Yes you can."'

Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson told POWs their brave service is what the Academy strives to achieve in its core values.

"You're an inspiration to us," she said. "Your experience is so outside of the norm we experience every day. Your physical and moral courage inspires cadets as they graduate for today's fight. We need Air Force leaders who will follow your example and not take the easy route. We need leaders who are innovative and value their teammates the way you tended to each other in the harshest conditions."

We are examples of what preparation and a sense of team can do, Mechenbier said.

"We performed, endured and succeeded in the circumstance of being a POW," he said. "To all the POWs and those missing in action, you are not forgotten. Thank you and God bless you."

John Borling, a 1963 Academy graduate, spent six years and eight months as a POW. He said when he left the U.S. his daughter was three months old, and when he returned she was seven and a half.

"Most of us put up big walls because it was a difficult time and difficult circumstances," he said. "You look back sparingly. It's OK to look back at those experiences but don't stay back. I've always been a future-oriented guy and try to focus on what we're going to do that is important for our nation tomorrow."

Borling, who now resides in Illinois, said the memorial means a lot to him.

"We continue to march," he said. "It was also very humbling to have lunch with Academy cadets the other day. When we were introduced at the (Mitchell Hall) staff tower, there was a great outpouring of recognition and cheers from cadets. This experience, returning to the Academy, has been very compelling."

There were 40 cadets in attendance, one from each Cadet Squadron, who stood together, representing the continuation of the long blue line.

"These POWs are the roots of the Academy and give us perspective on what could happen again," said Cadet 3rd Class Fisher Bertke. "I didn't expect to see so many POWs. I thought it was neat when the POW who spoke (Edward Mechenbier) used Morse code. The connection that these POWs still have 50-60 years later is phenomenal."

The memorial is named, "Honor Bound: A portrait of courage" and includes copper from POW bracelets.