NORTH CAROLINA VIETNAM VETERANS, INC. THE LESSONS OF VIETNAM BILL TSCHUDY AMERICAN POW IN VIETNAM

THE LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S WILLIAM (BILL) MICHAEL TSCHUDY LIEUTENANT COMMANDER UNITED STATES NAVY INCIDENT: SHOT DOWN JULY 18, 1965 INCIDENT LOCATION: NORTH VIETNAM MISSIONS: 13 AIRCRAFT: A6A OFF USS INDEPENDENCE HOMETOWN: HIGHLAND, IL. RETURNED HOME: OPERATION HOMECOMING FEBRUARY 12, 1973

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S BILL TSCHUDY AMERICAN POW IN VIETNAM JULY 65-FEBRUARY 73 AWARDS: SILVER STAR 2 LEGIONS OF MERIT WITH V DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS 2 PURPLE HEARTS

THE LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S QUOTE FROM BILL TSCHUDY, “WHAT IS AMERICA TO ME? TODAY IT IS A LOT MORE THAN I COULD IMAGINED SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AGO. YET IT IS THE SAME BIG BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, THE SAME WONDERFUL PEOPLE, THE SAME DYNAMO OF ENERGY AND IDEAS – AND MORE IMPORTANT, THE SAME RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS. HOW MUCH MORE I APPRECIATE WHAT I HAD TAKEN FOR GRANTED. IT ISN’T NECESSARY TO SPEND SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS IN A COMMUNIST PRISON TO GAIN A FULL APPRECIATION FOR WHAT WE HAVE. ONE HAS ONLY TO LOOK AROUND TO SEE THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DENIED WHAT WE KNOW THEY SHOULD HAVE……”

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S POW CAMPS IN NORTH VIETNAM AND THEIR NICK NAMES MOUNTAIN CAMP DOG PATCH BRIAR PATCH SON TAY (CAMP HOPE) FAITH SKIDROW FARNSWORTH ROCK PILE BAO CAO DIRTY BIRD PLANTATION ALCATRAZ HOA LO (HANOI HILTON) ZOO ANNEX

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S

HANOI HILTON TODAY AS A TOURIST STOP

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S HOA LO (HANOI HILTON) PRISON CAMP IN HANOI NORTH VIETNAM

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S POW AT THE BRIAR PATCH

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S POW CAMP ALCATRAZ

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S POW CAMP PLANTATION

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S POW CAMP ROCK PILE

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S POW CAMP ZOO

LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S SON TAY PRISON LOCATION OF THE SON TAY RAID TO RESCUE POWS

THE SON TAY RAID LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIA’S OPERATION KINGPIN, THE SON TAY RAID THE SON TAY PRISON CAMP WAS SMALL, WITH A COURTYARD 140x120 FEET. IT WAS SUROUNDED BY RICE PADDIES AND 40 FOOT TREE LINE AND HAD A SEVEN FOOT HIGH WALL SURROUNDING THE CAMP AND THREE OBSERVATION TOWERS. THE CAMP WAS 23 MILES WEST OF HANOI. NOVEMBER 21, 1970 HELICOPTERS CARRYING U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES PERSONNEL TOOK OFF FROM UDORN AIRFORCE BASE IN THAILAND, THE FINAL STAGE OF THE SON TAY POW RESCUE MISSION HAD BEGUN. THE RAID HAD TO BE QUICKLY ACCOMPLISHED BECAUSE CLOSE BY WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE 12 TH NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY WITH 12,000 TROOPS; ALSO CLOSE BY WAS AN ARTILLERY TRAINING SCHOOL, A SUPPLY DEPOT AND A AIR DEFENCE INSTALLATION AND ABOUT 500 YARDS A WAY FROM SON TAY THERE WAS A COMPOUND KNOWN AS THE SECONDARY SCHOOL, WHICH WAS THE CAMPS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER. AND STILL……….

NORTH CAROLINA VIETNAM VETERANS, INC LESSONS OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POW/MIAS AND STILL…..THE PHUC YEN AIR BASE WAS ONLY 20 MILES AWAY FROM SON TAY THE RAID LASTED 27 MINUTES IN AND OUT UNFORTUNATELY UNKNOWN TO AMERICAN FORCES THE POW’S HAD BEEN MOVED TO CAMP DONG HOI. SON TAY WAS LOCATED ON THE SONG CON RIVER, WHICH HAD OVERFLOWED ITS BANKS AND CONTAMINATED THE WELL SO THE POWS WERE RELOCATED WAS THE RAID A SUCCESS OR FAILURE? THERE WERE NO AMERICAN CASUALTIES, A LOT OF THE ENEMY WERE KIA’S, THE AMERICAN POWS HEARD ABOUT THE RAID AND KNEW THEY HAD NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN, THE NORTH VIETNAMES COMMUNIST REALIZED THAT THE AMERICAN FORCES COULD GO ANYWERE SO THEY MOVED THE POWS INTO HANOI, ENDING A LOT OF THE SOLITARY CONFINEMENTS THE POWS HAD INDURED AS WELL AS THE OVERALL TREATMENT IMPROVED. JUST LIKE THE WAR THERE ARE MANY SIDES OF THOUGHT DID OPERATION HOMECOMING BRING HOME ALL THE AMERICAN POWS? ARE THERE STILL LIVE POWS HELD IN SOUTH EAST ASIA? JUST LIKE THE WAR THERE ARE MANY SIDES OF THOUGHT

NORTH CAROLINA VIETNAM VETERANS, INC. LESSON OF VIETNAM, AMERICAN POWs… ADDITIONAL STUDY The Victory From Within (VFW) Curriculum is a companion middle/high school curriculum for the traveling exhibit "Victory From Within: The American Prisoner of War Experience." Educating young people about the sacrifices made by American prisoners of war (POWs) is a shared goal of the Friends of Andersonville, the American Ex-Prisoners of War, the Korean War Ex-POW Association, Nam-POW, and the National Parks Service. The Curriculum is designed to accompany the traveling exhibit, but it can also be utilized with a visit to the National Prisoner of War Museum at Andersonville National Historic Site or as a stand alone curriculum. The VFW Curriculum is designed to provide a meaningful and powerful learning experience for young people across the U.S. to understand and appreciate the sacrifices made by American prisoners of war. FOR MORE ON THE SUBJECT OF POWS WE RECOMMEND FURTHER INVESTIGATION ON THE VICTORY FROM WITHIN SITE