re: Some interesting pics for your visual stimulation

Posted on 7/19/14 at 3:22 pm to KSGamecock

Posted by BarkRuffalo

Boston, MA

Member since Feb 2014

1206 posts

Posted on 7/19/14 at 3:22 pm to KSGamecock

quote:
In this Vietnam War photo, US Air Force 1st Lieutenant Gerald Santo Venanzi is held captive by a young North Vietnamese girl soldier. When the Paris Peace Accords were agreed in 1973, the North Vietnamese returned 591 American POWs. However, another 1,350 POWs were never returned, and about 1,200 Americans were reported killed in action but their bodies were never recovered.

Most of the MIA were pilots, like Lieutenant Venanzi. They got shot down over the North, Cambodia or Laos, and were captured by communist forces.

LINK

quote:
Gerald Venanzi was interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam after he was shot down on September 17, 1967, and was held until his release on March 14, 1973.

LINK

This post was edited on 7/19/14 at 3:24 pm

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Posted by KSGamecock

The Woodlands, TX

Member since May 2012

22982 posts

Posted on 7/19/14 at 3:26 pm to BarkRuffalo

Thanks for the name. Here's his information and a statement he made in 1973 from POW Network. LINK

quote:

Name: Gerald Santo Venanzi
Rank/Branch: O2/ United States Air Force
Unit: 12th TRS
Date of Birth: 30 June 1944
Home City of Record: Trenton NJ
Date of Loss: 17 September 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 205400 North 1053000 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: RF4C
Missions: 62
Other Personnel in Incident: Jon Stavast, returnee

GERALD S. VENANZI
Captain - United States Air Force
Shot Down: September 17, 1967
Released: March 14, 1973

I was born on the 30th of June 1944 in Trenton, New Jersey where I have
lived for my entire life. After high school I attended Parks College of St.
Louis University where I received a degree in Aeronautics in 1965. In
October 1966 I completed my navigator training and started RF-4C training at
Shaw AFB, South Carolina and Mt. Home AFB, Idaho. In June 1967 I proceeded
to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, where I was permanently stationed.

On the 17th of September 1967 while navigator on an RF-4C aircraft, I was
hit by a Surface-to-Air missile and ejected from my aircraft about 25 miles
southwest of Hanoi. After spending 45 minutes on the ground, I was captured
by the enemy, thus starting my internment.

I think I can summarize my experience and survival as three faiths and one
truth.

Faith in your country. That the United States involvement in Vietnam was the
correct decision for our government to make. Also faith that the government
was doing everything they could for us.

Faith in God. My faith in religion grew as I was a prisoner. I saw many
things happen which could possibly be described as minor miracles. At any
rate, I knew God was with us.

Faith in my fellow POWs. No one turned in another POW to the enemy. You
could always count on another POW for support in any way they could give it.
During a period of solitary confinement I was very depressed and I attribute
my sanity directly to three POWs who gave me constant encouragement.

Last, the truth. The truth we knew to help us battle the enemies' propaganda
program.

My future plans at this time are somewhat unsettled, although I believe I
will return to Mather AFB, California as an instructor navigator. Another
possibility is to go to law school.