Operation Homecoming: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:USAF_POWs_repatriated_Gia_Lam.jpg|thumb|right|USAF Capt. Robert Parsels at [[Gia Lam Airport]], repatriated during Operation Homecoming]] |
[[Image:USAF_POWs_repatriated_Gia_Lam.jpg|thumb|right|USAF Capt. Robert Parsels at [[Gia Lam Airport]], repatriated during Operation Homecoming]] |
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'''Operation Homecoming''' was the return of 591 American [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] (POWs) held by North Vietnam following the [[Paris Peace Accords]] that ended U.S. involvement in the [[Vietnam War]]. |
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==Operation== |
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Each plane brought back 40 POWs. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=14412 |title=Operation Homecoming |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=28 April 2009 |work=National Museum of the U.S. Air Force |publisher=United States Air Force |accessdate=14 March 2013}}</ref> |
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On January 27, 1973, [[Henry Kissinger]] (then assistant to the President 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. The agreement also postulated for the release of nearly 600 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam and its allies within 60 days of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kutler|first=Stanley I.|title=Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War|year=1996|publisher=Charles Scribner’s Sons|location=New York|isbn=0-13-276932-8|OCLC= 32970270|page=442}}</ref>The deal would come to be known as Operation Homecoming and was divided into three phases. 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 [[North Vietnamese Army]] (NVA) were released in [[Hanoi]], and the three POWs held in [[China]] were to be freed in [[Hong Kong]]. The former prisoners were to then be flown to [[Clark Air Base]] in the [[Philippines]] where they were to be processed at a reception center, debriefed, and receive a physical examination. The final phase was the relocation of the POWs to military hospitals. <ref>{{cite book|last=Olson|first=James S.|title=In Country: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War|year=2008|publisher=Metro Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4351-1184-4|OCLC= 317495523|page=427}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | On Feb. 12, 1973, three [[Lockheed C-141 Starlifter|C-141]] transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one [[McDonnell Douglas C-9|C-9]]A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as the "[[Hanoi Taxi]]" and now in a museum. From February 12 to April 4, there were 54 [[C-141]] missions flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POWs home.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=119272 |title=Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs Marks 40 Years |author=Donna Miles |date=12 February 2013 |work=American Forces Press Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |accessdate=14 March 2013}}</ref> During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=14412 |title=Operation Homecoming |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=28 April 2009 |work=National Museum of the U.S. Air Force |publisher=United States Air Force |accessdate=14 March 2013}}</ref> The last POWs were turned over to allied hands on March 29, 1973 raising the total number of Americans returned to 591. |
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==Aftermath== |
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| ⚫ | Overall, Operation Homecoming did little to satisfy the American public’s need for closure on the war in Vietnam. After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered.<ref name="dpmo-hist">{{cite web | url=http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/vietnamwar/vietnam_history.htm | title=Vietnam War Accounting History | publisher=[[Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office]] | accessdate=2008-11-22}}</ref> These missing personnel would become the subject of the [[Vietnam War POW/MIA issue]]. |
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In addition, the return of the nearly 600 POWs further polarized the sides of the American public and media. A large number of Americans viewed the recently freed POWs as heroes of the nation returning home, reminiscent of the celebrations following World War II. Others approached the situation with apprehension, questioning if treating these men as heroes served to distort and obscure the truth about the war. A majority of the POWs returned in Operation Homecoming were in fact bomber pilots shot down over enemy territory carrying out the campaign of [[Category:Aerial_operations_and_battles_of_the_Vietnam_War|saturation bombing]] waged against civilian targets located in Vietnam and Laos. Some felt these men deserved to be treated as war criminals or left in the North Vietnamese prison camps.<ref>{{cite book|last=Killen|first=Andreas|title=1973 Nervous Breakdown: Watergate, Warhol, and the Birth of Post-Sixties America|year=2006|publisher=Bloomsbury|location=New York|isbn= 978-1-59691-059-1|OCLC= 61453885|page=79}}</ref> No matter the opinion of the public, the media became infatuated with the men returned in Operation Homecoming who were bombarded with questions concerning life in the VC and NVA prison camps. 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.<ref>Killen, 80.</ref> |
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| ⚫ | After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered.<ref name="dpmo-hist">{{cite web | url=http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/vietnamwar/vietnam_history.htm | title=Vietnam War Accounting History | publisher=[[Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office]] | accessdate=2008-11-22}}</ref> |
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The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the U.S. Department of State each had liaison officers dedicated to prepare for the return of American POWs well in advance of their actual return. These liaison officers worked behind the scenes traveling around the United States assuring the returnees' well being. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them.<ref>[http://www.aiipowmia.com/ssc/ssc23.html Senate Select Committee - XXIII]</ref><ref>[http://www.vwip.org/garwoodchapteriii-39.php Vietnam War Internet Project]</ref> |
The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the U.S. Department of State each had liaison officers dedicated to prepare for the return of American POWs well in advance of their actual return. These liaison officers worked behind the scenes traveling around the United States assuring the returnees' well being. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them.<ref>[http://www.aiipowmia.com/ssc/ssc23.html Senate Select Committee - XXIII]</ref><ref>[http://www.vwip.org/garwoodchapteriii-39.php Vietnam War Internet Project]</ref> Each POW was also assigned their own escort to act as a buffer between “past trauma and future shock”.<ref>Killen, 84.</ref> 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. [[Izvestia]], a Russian news service, even 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.<ref>Killen, 84-85.</ref> |
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The returning of POWs was often a mere footnote following most other wars in U.S. history, yet those returned in Operation Homecoming provided the country with an event of drama and celebration. Many worried that Homecoming hid the fact that people were still fighting and dying on the battlefields of Vietnam and caused the public to forget about the over 50,000 American lives the war had already cost. <ref>Killen, 97.</ref> Veterans of the war had similar thoughts concerning Operation Homecoming with many stating that the ceasefire and returning of prisoners brought no sense of an ending or closure. <ref>Killen, 103-104.</ref> |
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Operation Homecoming was also the [[82nd Airborne]] Parade 5th Ave., NYC, 1/12/1946 (January 12, 1946). [https://archive.org/details/ADC-9948] witnessed by some 4 million people. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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Revision as of 18:53, 28 November 2016
Operation Homecoming was the return of 591 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Operation
On January 27, 1973, Henry Kissinger (then assistant to the President 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. The agreement also postulated for the release of nearly 600 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam and its allies within 60 days of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.[1]The deal would come to be known as Operation Homecoming and was divided into three phases. 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 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) were released in Hanoi, and the three POWs held in China were to be freed in Hong Kong. The former prisoners were to then be flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines where they were to be processed at a reception center, debriefed, and receive a physical examination. The final phase was the relocation of the POWs to military hospitals. [2]
On Feb. 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. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi" and now in a museum. From February 12 to April 4, there were 54 C-141 missions flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POWs home.[3] During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war.[4] The last POWs were turned over to allied hands on March 29, 1973 raising the total number of Americans returned to 591.
Aftermath
Overall, Operation Homecoming did little to satisfy the American public’s need for closure on the war in Vietnam. After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered.[5] These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue.
In addition, the return of the nearly 600 POWs further polarized the sides of the American public and media. A large number of Americans viewed the recently freed POWs as heroes of the nation returning home, reminiscent of the celebrations following World War II. Others approached the situation with apprehension, questioning if treating these men as heroes served to distort and obscure the truth about the war. A majority of the POWs returned in Operation Homecoming were in fact bomber pilots shot down over enemy territory carrying out the campaign of waged against civilian targets located in Vietnam and Laos. Some felt these men deserved to be treated as war criminals or left in the North Vietnamese prison camps.[6] No matter the opinion of the public, the media became infatuated with the men returned in Operation Homecoming who were bombarded with questions concerning life in the VC and NVA prison camps. 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.[7]
The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the U.S. Department of State each had liaison officers dedicated to prepare for the return of American POWs well in advance of their actual return. These liaison officers worked behind the scenes traveling around the United States assuring the returnees' well being. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them.[8][9] Each POW was also assigned their own escort to act as a buffer between “past trauma and future shock”.[10] 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. Izvestia, a Russian news service, even 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.[11]
The returning of POWs was often a mere footnote following most other wars in U.S. history, yet those returned in Operation Homecoming provided the country with an event of drama and celebration. Many worried that Homecoming hid the fact that people were still fighting and dying on the battlefields of Vietnam and caused the public to forget about the over 50,000 American lives the war had already cost. [12] Veterans of the war had similar thoughts concerning Operation Homecoming with many stating that the ceasefire and returning of prisoners brought no sense of an ending or closure. [13]
Notes
- ^ Kutler, Stanley I. (1996). Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. p. 442. ISBN 0-13-276932-8. OCLC 32970270.
- ^ Olson, James S. (2008). In Country: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. New York: Metro Books. p. 427. ISBN 978-1-4351-1184-4. OCLC 317495523.
- ^ Donna Miles (12 February 2013). "Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs Marks 40 Years". American Forces Press Service. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Operation Homecoming". National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. United States Air Force. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Vietnam War Accounting History". Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Killen, Andreas (2006). 1973 Nervous Breakdown: Watergate, Warhol, and the Birth of Post-Sixties America. New York: Bloomsbury. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-59691-059-1. OCLC 61453885.
- ^ Killen, 80.
- ^ Senate Select Committee - XXIII
- ^ Vietnam War Internet Project
- ^ Killen, 84.
- ^ Killen, 84-85.
- ^ Killen, 97.
- ^ Killen, 103-104.
Sources
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