list of hanoi hilton prisoners list of hanoi hilton prisoners

The ultimate example of Ha L Prison resistance was performed by Denton. Following the first release, twenty prisoners were then moved to a different section of the prison, but the men knew something was wrong as several POWs with longer tenures were left in their original cells. [16] As John McCain later wrote of finally being forced to make an anti-American statement: "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. MONTAGUE, Maj. Paul J., Marines, not named in previous lists. Initially, this information was downplayed by American authorities for fear that conditions might worsen for those remaining in North Vietnamese custody. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and received a commission in the United States Navy. Abel L., Marines, Denver, Colo., captured April, 1969. Operation Homecoming has been largely forgotten by the American public, yet ceremonies commemorating the 40th anniversary were held at United States military bases and other locations throughout Asia and the United States. [19] During 1969, they broadcast a series of statements from American prisoners that purported to support this notion. William J., Navy, New Manchester, W. Va. McKAMEY, Comdr. The prisoners returned included future politicians Senator John McCain of Arizona, vice-presidential candidate James Stockdale, and Representative Sam Johnson of Texas. Robert E., Navy, Ohio, and Lemoore, Calif., captured May, 1972. In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has had the position that claims that prisoners were tortured at Ha L and other sites during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S.[24] Tran Trong Duyet, a jailer at Ha L beginning in 1968 and its commandant for the last three years of the war, maintained in 2008 that no prisoners were tortured. The Briarpatch camp, located 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Hanoi, intermittently held U.S. prisoners between 1965 and 1971. On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam. list of hanoi hilton prisonersearthquake today in germany. They eventually decided on using the tap code something that couldnt be understood by North Vietnamese forces. The list that the North Vietnamese turned over to American officials in Paris today named 27 American civilians as prisoners of the Vietcong, and listed seven other Americans as having died in captivity. The film focuses on the experiences of American POWs who were held in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison during the 1960s and 1970s and the story is told from their perspectives. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The American soldier followed his instructions, and even managed to leave his own note, identifying himself as Air Force Capt. - Food and Soda Drinks Congratulations, men, we just left North Vietnam,' former POW David Gray recalled his pilot saying. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them. [7] During periods of protracted isolation the tap code facilitated elaborate mental projects to keep the prisoners' sanity. The first round of POWs to be released in February 1973 mostly included injured soldiers in need of medical attention. FRIESE, Capt. The film portrays fictional characters . Senator John McCain tops our list. EASTMAN, Comdr. . Unlike U.S. service members captured in World War II and the Korean War, who were mostly enlisted troops, the overwhelming majority of Vietnam-era POWs were officers, most of them Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps airmen; a relatively small number of Army enlisted personnel were also captured, as well as one enlisted Navy seaman, Petty Officer Doug Hegdahl, who fell overboard from a naval vessel. On a scrap of toilet paper that he hid in the wall by the toilets, he wrote, Welcome to the Hanoi Hilton. GALANTT, Lieut. "Vietnam War Accounting History". Also, a badly beaten and weakened POW who had been released that summer disclosed to the world press the conditions to which they were being subjected,[14] and the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia heightened awareness of the POWs' plight. In addition to memoirs, the U.S. POW experience in Vietnam was the subject of two in-depth accounts by authors and historians, John G. Hubbell's P.O.W. The mission included 54 C-141 flights between Feb. 12 and April 4, 1973, returning 591 POWs to American soil. NORRINGTON, Lieut. Synonymous in the U.S. with torture of American pilots captured during the Vietnam War . American prisoners of war endured miserable conditions and were tortured until they were forced to make an anti-American statement. Jose Jesus, Jr., Marines, Retlugio, Texas, captured January, 1970. During his time at the Hanoi Hilton, McCains hair turned completely white. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), American POW in a staged photograph showing clean, spacious accommodations, 1969, Vietnamese Cigarettes given to Prisoner of War, Prisoner of War Tin Cup with Lacing on Handle, Metal North Vietnamese Army Issue Spoon for POWs, African American History Curatorial Collective, Buffalo Soldiers, Geronimo, and Wounded Knee. Claude D., Navy, San Diego, Calif. JENKINS, Capt. During the French colonial period, Vietnamese prisoners were detained and tortured at the Ha L prison. Hanoi's list of Americans in captivity is as follows: Clodeon Adkins, Michael D. Benge, Norman J. Brookens, Frank E. Cins, Gary L. Davos, John J. Fritz Jr., Theodore W. Gosta, William H. Hardy, Alexander Henderson, Mihcael H. Kjome, Philip W. Manhard, Lewis E. Mayer, James A. Newingham, Robert F. Olsen, Russell J. And that is where forgiveness comes in. American POWs gave them nicknames: Alcatraz, Briarpatch, Dirty Bird, the Hanoi Hilton, the Zoo. MOORE, Lieut. The deal would come to be known as Operation Homecoming and began with three C-141 transports landing in Hanoi on February 12, 1973 to bring the first released prisoners home. Even when the North Vietnamese offered McCain an early release hoping to use him as a propaganda tool McCain refused as an act of solidarity with his fellow prisoners. Joseph E., Navy, Washington, D.C., caplured in Spring 1972. 's Are Made Public by U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/28/archives/hanoi-lists-of-pows-are-made-public-by-us-2-diplomats-listed.html, Bernard Gwertzman Special to The New York Times. Groth, Wade L. USA last know alive (DoD April 1991 list) Gunn, Alan W. USA last known alive (DoD April 1991 list) Hamilton, John S. USAF believed to have successfully got out of his aircraft and was alive on the ground. Correspondingly, Richard Nixon and his administration began to focus on salvaging his presidency. [1] The deal would come to be known as Operation Homecoming and was divided into three phases. Dennis A., Marines, not named in previous lists. Daniel White, Ron Emmond, Jennifer Eveland (2011). At that point, lie, do, or say whatever you must do to survive. Cmdr, David k., Navy. US Prisoners of War who returned alive from the Vietnam War Sorted by Name Military Service Country of Incident Name Date of Incident Date of Rank Return USAF N. Vietnam BEENS, LYNN RICHARD O3 1972/12/21 1973/03/29 USN N. Vietnam BELL, JAMES FRANKLIN O4 1965/10/16 1973/02/12 CIVILIAN S. Vietnam BENGE, MICHAEL 1968/01/28 1973/03/05 Paul telling his story to the crowd at the Freedom Museum. Its easy to die but hard to live, a prison guard told one new arrival, and well show you just how hard it is to live.. WANAT, Capt. Izvestia, a Soviet newspaper, accused The Pentagon of brainwashing the men involved in order to use them as propaganda, while some Americans claimed the POWs were collaborating with the communists or had not done enough to resist pressure to divulge information under torture. GLOWER, Cmdr. (j.g.) A total of 69 POWs were held in South Vietnam by the VC and would eventually leave the country aboard flights from Loc Ninh, while only nine POWs were released from Laos, as well as an additional three from China. The first phase required the initial reception of prisoners at three release sites: POWs held by the Viet Cong (VC) were to be flown by helicopter to Saigon, POWs held by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) were released in Hanoi and the three POWs held in China were to be freed in Hong Kong. [9] From the beginning, U.S. POWs endured miserable conditions, including poor food and unsanitary conditions. - Knives In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has held the position that claims that prisoners were tortured during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S.[35] Bi Tn, a North Vietnamese Army colonel-later turned dissident and exile, who believed that the cause behind the war had been just but that the country's political system had lost its way after reunification,[36] maintained in 2000 that no torture had occurred in the POW camps. They exercised as best they could. The displays mainly show the prison during the French colonial period, including the guillotine room, still with original equipment, and the quarters for male and female Vietnamese political prisoners. Weapons, Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia. Hanoi's list of Americans in captivity is as follows: Clodeon Adkins, Michael D. Benge, Norman J. Brookens, Frank E. Cins, Gary L. Davos, John J. Fritz Jr., Theodore W. Gosta, William H. Hardy,. On March 26, 1964, the first U.S. service member imprisoned during the Vietnam War was captured near Qung Tr, South Vietnam when an L-19/O-1 Bird Dog observation plane flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and Captain Floyd James Thompson was brought down by small arms fire. William J Navy, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc. Peter R., Navy, Naples, Fla., captured October, 1967. As of 2016, he is the only person to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. [37] Tran Trong Duyet, a jailer at Hoa Lo beginning in 1968 and its commandant for the last three years of the war, maintained in 2008 that no prisoners were tortured. The monument includes a water fountain with a large rotating sphere, as well as a statue of Van Loan based on a photo taken after he was released from the infamous Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war . The first fighter pilot captured in North Vietnam was Navy Lieutenant (junior grade) Everett Alvarez, Jr., who was shot down on August 5, 1964, in the aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident.[3]. Nevertheless, the aircraft has been maintained as a flying tribute to the POWs and MIAs of the Vietnam War and is now housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. SERE instructor. Lawrence Victor, Marines, Huron, S. D. MARVEL, Lieut, Col. Jerry Wen. In addition to extended solitary confinement, prisoners were regularly strapped down with iron stocks leftover from the French colonial era. CRAYTON, Cmdr. [1], The central urban location of the prison also became part of its early character. [14]:500 The joy brought by the repatriation of the 591 Americans did not last for long due to other major news stories and events. CHAPMAN, Lieut. In addition all bags are subject to search and may be placed through an X-Ray machine. March 29, 1973. In 1968, Walter Heynowsk[de] and Gerhard Scheumann[de] from East Germany filmed in the prison the 4-chapter series Piloten im Pyjama[de] with interviews with American pilots in the prison, that they claimed were unscripted. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured, and paraded in anti-American propaganda. After visiting the Ha L Prison ("Hanoi Hilton") in Vietnam just last month, it is truly awe-inspiring to see the challenges these men had to overcome. Jeffrey E. Curry, Chinh T. Nguyen (1997). Only one room in the back is dedicated to American POWs, though it doesnt make any reference to torture there are even videos detailing the kind treatment of the prisoners alongside photos of Americans playing sports on the prison grounds. A portion of the original Hanoi Hilton prison has been transported and built in the museum. (For POW returnees and escapees, they are included on two separate lists on the lower right of the page). McCLEARY, Lieut. - Water bottles (clear, sealed bottle, up to 20 oz.) Hannah McKennett is a Dublin-based freelance writer that is dedicated to traveling the world while writing about it. Michael P., Navy, Berkeley, Calif. DAIGLE, Lieut. Tames, Navy, Lakeland, Fla., captured October, 1965. [10]:84 However, access to the former prisoners was screened carefully and most interviews and statements given by the men were remarkably similar, leading many journalists to believe that the American government and military had coached them beforehand. [10]:1034. Weapons are not permitted including pocket knives and firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons. That delightful day in 1973 would not be the last time that some of the prisoners would see the Hanoi Hilton. Here, in a small structure. Our tapping ceased to be just an exchange of letters and words; it became conversation, recalled former POW James Stockton. [29], Of the 13 prisons used to incarcerate POWs, five were located in Hanoi, and the remainder were situated outside the city.[31]. They were finally free to put their enemies behind its bars, and American soldiers became their prime targets. For those locked inside the Hanoi Hilton, this meant years of daily torture and abuse. Click here for frequently asked questions regarding items permitted inside the museum. Operation Homecoming initially ignited a torrent of patriotism that had not been seen at any point during the Vietnam War. Some played mind games to keep themselves sane, making mental lists or building imaginary houses, one nail at a time. The pilots called it, sarcastically, the . The Hanoi Hilton was used by the North Vietnam to hold prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. tured March 1966. Wikimedia CommonsJohn McCains alleged flight suit and parachute, on the display at the former Hanoi Hilton. [21] Many POWs speculated that Ho had been personally responsible for their mistreatment. [3] During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. David Hume Kennerly/Getty ImagesAmerican POW soldiers inside their jail cell at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. Meanwhile, Paul was taken prisoner, tortured, placed in solitary confinement in what became known as the "Hanoi Hilton" and fed a diet that was later determined to be about 700 calories a day, which caused him to drop to about 100 pounds. [10]:97 Veterans of the war had similar thoughts concerning Operation Homecoming with many stating that the ceasefire and returning of prisoners brought no ending or closure. Henry D., Navy, identified on previous lists only as Carolina native, captured July 1972. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. [11] Such POW statements would be viewed as a propaganda victory in the battle to sway world and U.S. domestic opinion against the U.S. war effort. Members of the United States armed forces were held as prisoners of war (POWs) in significant numbers during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1973. Cmdr, Robert D Navy, Garden City, Mo. After the war, Risner wrote the book Passing of the Night detailing his seven years at Ha L. When a few captured servicemen began to be released from North Vietnamese prisons during the Johnson administration, their testimonies revealed widespread and systematic abuse of prisoners of war. Render, Navy, Lagrange, Ga., captured Februcry, 1966. HALL, Lieut. He was kept there for five and a half years. Listen to these wonderful, courageous men tell small parts of their stories. Leonard C., Navy, Bemardson, Mass. The prison had no running water or electricity . By the time the Americans sent combat forces into Vietnam in 1965, the Ha L Prison had been reclaimed by the Vietnamese. Despite the endless torture, the American soldiers stayed strong the only way they knew how: camaraderie. Notice:Visitors may be filmed, photographed or recorded by the U.S. Air Force for educational and promotional uses, including for posting on public websites and social media. CRONIN, Lieut. TELLIER, Sgt. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. BROWN, Capt. Giles R Navy, Albany, Ga., Sanford, Fla. PENN, Lieut. Cmdr. Far from a luxury hotel, here the prisoners of war were kept in isolation for years on end, chained to rat-infested floors, and hung from rusty metal hooks. en-route to Hanoi. All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. In addition all bags are subject to search and may be placed through an X-Ray machine. Now he says when he hears Marie Osmond . Unaware of the code agreed upon by the POWs, Kissinger ignored their shot down dates and circled twenty names at random. . George K., Jr., Army, Foxboro, Mass., captured April, 1972. His initial operational assignment was in fighter aircraft, then he participated in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior high altitude balloon flight projects from 1956 to 1960, setting a world record for the highest skydive from a height greater than 19 miles (31 km). Dismiss. Leo T., Navy, Palo Alto, Calif. PURRINGTON, Lieut. It would hang above you in the torture room like a sadistic tease you couldnt drag your gaze from it. Many of the future leading figures in Communist North Vietnam spent time in Maison Centrale during the 1930s and 1940s. [8], U.S. prisoners of war in North Vietnam were subjected to extreme torture and malnutrition during their captivity. Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Douglas Brent Hegdahl III (born September 3, 1946) is a former United States Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) who was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. * Firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons, are specifically prohibited in Federal facilities in accordance with 18 USC 930 (c) [4] Within the prison itself, communication and ideas passed. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short of nine years in captivity, making him the longest-held POW in American history. MILLER, Lieu, Edwin F., Navy, Franklin Lakes, N. J. MOBLEY, Lieut, Joseph S., Navy, Manhattan Beach, Calif. MOLINARE, Lieut. The final phase was the relocation of the POWs to military hospitals.[2]. But McCain, for one, still came to terms with his time at the horrific Hanoi Hilton. Vietnam War POW/MIA List. Cmdr, Read Id., Navy, Old Greenwich, Conn. WILBER, Lieut. (U.S. Air Force photo), DAYTON, Ohio - Typical bowls, plate and spoons issued to POWs. James A. Jr., Navy, Virginia Beach, Va., and Lawrence, Mass., captured March, 1966. William Kerr, Marines, not named in previous public lists. ESTES, Comdr. The Hoa Lo Prison was built by the French in Hanoi from 1886 to 1889 and from 1898 to 1901 when the country was part of French Indochina. PIRIE, Comdr, James G., Navy, Lemoore, Calif. PLUMB, Lieut. - Firearms* Additionally, soon after the raid all acknowledged American prisoners in North Vietnam were moved to Ha L so that the North Vietnamese had fewer camps to protect and to prevent their rescue by U.S. They warmed you up and threatened you with death. Comdr. David A., Navy, St. Simons Island, Ga. GAITHER, Lieut, Comdr. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, which later became known as the "Hanoi Taxi" and is now in a museum. American POWs in Vietnam struggled to survive horrid conditions, physical pain, and psychological deprivation, often for years on end. The POWs held at the Hanoi Hilton were to deny early release because the communist government of North Vietnam could possibly use this tactic as propaganda or as a . In some cases, the names were not previously contained on lists of prisoners compiled from various sources. On January 27, 1973, Henry Kissinger (then assistant to President Richard Nixon for national security affairs) agreed to a ceasefire with representatives of North Vietnam that provided for the withdrawal of American military forces from South Vietnam. Prisoners were forced to sit in their own excrement. I had reached mine. And thats when we cheered.. After President Lyndon Johnson initiated a bombing pause in 1968, the number of new captures dropped significantly, only to pick up again after his successor, President Richard Nixon, resumed bombing in 1969. Edward D., Navy, Lemoore, Calif. EVERETT, Lieut, (jg.) Comdr. AFP/Getty ImagesJohn McCain was captured in 1967 at a lake in Hanoi after his Navy warplane was been downed by the North Vietnamese. [14] Last known alive. On February 12 the first of 591 U.S. military and civilian POWs were released in Hanoi and flown directly to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. On his next deployment, while Commander of Carrier Air Wing Sixteen aboard the carrier USS Oriskany (CV-34), his A-4 Skyhawk jet was shot down in North Vietnam on September 9, 1965. Collins H., Navy, San Diego. What It Was Like for Soldiers to Return Home, Basic and Advanced Training for the Troops, John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 August 25, 2018) was an American politician and military officer, who served as a United States senator from Arizona from January 1987 until his death. Multiple POWs contracted beriberi at the camp due to severe malnutrition. Conditions were appalling. Commander Stockdale was the senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam. Wayne K., Navy, Berlin, N. Y., captured. Windell B. Rivers, Navy, Oxnard, Calif. ROLLINS, Lieut, Comdr. Mr. Sieverts said that Hanoi, when turning over its list in Paris, said it was complete, but the United States informed North Vietnamese officials that we reserve the right to study it and raise questions.. (U.S. Air Force photo), DAYTON, Ohio - Recreated POW cells in the Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia exhibit in the Southeast Asia War Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. [23][24], The post-raid consolidation brought many prisoners who had spent years in isolation into large cells holding roughly 70 men each. November 27, 2021. While the raid failed to free any POWs and was considered a significant intelligence failure, it had several positive implications for American prisoners. As a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton", navy pilot John McCain was known as uncompromising, frank and an avid reader who fiercely debated the war with his Vietnamese jailers. Charles R., Navy, Miramar, Calif. HAINES, Comdr. Duluth, Minn. WOODS, Lieut. Some of the repatriated soldiers, including Borling and John McCain, did not retire from the military, but instead decided to further their careers in the armed forces.[6]. LEWIS, Lieut. [25], Nevertheless, by 1971, some 3050percent of the POWs had become disillusioned about the war, both because of the apparent lack of military progress and what they heard of the growing anti-war movement in the U.S. and some of them were less reluctant to make propaganda statements for the North Vietnamese. During his first four months in solitary confinement, Lt. Cmdr. March 29, 1973. "[18], After making statements, the POWs would admit to each other what had happened, lest shame or guilt consume them or make them more vulnerable to additional North Vietnamese pressure. [14][24] At this time, the prisoners formally organized themselves under the 4th Allied POW Wing, whose name acknowledged earlier periods of overseas captivity among American military personnel in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Rodney A., Navy, Billings, Mont. Hanoi Lists of P.O.W. Usaf/Getty ImagesJohn McCain, leads a column of POWs released from the Hanoi Hilton, awaiting transportation to Gia Lam Airport. This, of course, earned him additional torture. [12] Nevertheless, the POWs obsessed over what they had done, and would years after their release still be haunted by the "confessions" or other statements they had made. The Hanoi Hilton is a 1987 Vietnam War film which focuses on the experiences of American prisoners of war who were held in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi during the 1960s and 1970s and the story is told from their perspectives. In the Hanoi Hilton, POWs were treated poorly, beaten and . Throughout the conflict period, the North Vietnamese had established at least thirteen prisons and prison camps (mostly located near Hanoi) to detain its American POWs, the most notoriously. Hundreds were tortured there with meat hooks and iron chains including John McCain. But others were not so lucky. [2] By 1954 it held more than 2000 people;[1] with its inmates held in subhuman conditions,[3] it had become a symbol of colonialist exploitation and of the bitterness of the Vietnamese towards the French. "People & Events: The Hanoi March", PBS American Experience. United States prisoners of war during the Vietnam War are most known for having used the tap code. The filthy, infested prison compound contained several buildings, each given nicknames such as "Heartbreak Hotel," "New Guy Village" and "Little Vegas" by POWs. Dismiss. LERSETH, Lieut. The Hanoi prison is located at No.01, Hoa Lo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, known as Hanoi Hilton Prison. Located about 35 miles west of Hanoi, this prison was opened in the late summer of 1965 to accommodate the overcrowding at Hoa Lo ("Hanoi Hilton"). On February 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. PROFILET, Capt. dell, Marines, Newport, N. C. MILLER, Lieut. The French called the prison "Maison Centrale" which was a common euphemism of prisons in France. The rest became a museum called the Ha L Prison Memorial. Theres even an old French guillotine. Although its explosions lit the night sky and shook the walls of the camp, scaring some of the newer POWs,[30] most saw it as a forceful measure to compel North Vietnam to finally come to terms. One of them died from the torture which followed his recapture. At the end of the war, these soldiers were finally freed from their own personal hell, many of them including the late Arizona Senator John McCain going on to become prominent politicians and public figures. The march soon deteriorated into near riot conditions, with North Vietnamese civilians beating the POWs along the 2 miles (3.2km) route and their guards largely unable to restrain the attacks. WALSH, Capt. By May 1973, the Watergate scandal dominated the front page of most newspapers causing the American public's interest to wane in any story related to the war in Vietnam. A considerable amount of literature emerged from released POWs after repatriation, depicting Ha L and the other prisons as places where such atrocities as murder, beatings, broken bones, teeth and eardrums, dislocated limbs, starvation, serving of food contaminated with human and animal feces, and medical neglect of infections and tropical disease occurred. List of Famous Prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton ranked by fame and popularity. Albert R., Navy, San Diego, captured Spring 1972. [16], Operation Homecoming's return of American POWs from Vietnam (aka "Egress Recap") was the subject of David O. Strickland's novel, "The First Man Off The Plane" (Penny-a-Page Press, 2012). GILLESPIE, Miramar, Capt. BRUDNO, Capt. Senator John McCain tops our list. ANGUS, Capt. Who was the most famous prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton? Comdr. The "Hanoi Hilton" and Other Prisons. After reading about the gruesome conditions that awaited American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which first sparked the Vietnam War. Cmdr, William M., Navy, Virginia Reach, Va captured December 1965. In North Vietnam alone, more than a dozen prisons were scattered in and around the capital city of Hanoi. Gordon R. Navy, hometown unlisted but captured Dec. 20, 1972. During the 1910s through 1930s, street peddlers made an occupation of passing outside messages in through the jail's windows and tossing tobacco and opium over the walls; letters and packets would be thrown out to the street in the opposite direction. SCHOEFFEL, Comdr. The treatment and ultimate fate of U.S. prisoners of war in Vietnam became a subject of widespread concern in the United States, and hundreds of thousands of Americans wore POW bracelets with the name and capture date of imprisoned U.S. service members.[1]. Topics included a wide range of inquiries about sadistic guards, secret communication codes among the prisoners, testimonials of faith, and debates over celebrities and controversial figures. - Alcohol [4] The last POWs were turned over to allied hands on March 29, 1973 raising the total number of Americans returned to 591.