The longest-held prisoner of war (POW) in U.S. history is Floyd James "Jim" Thompson, an Army officer captured in Vietnam in 1964 and held for nearly nine years, released in 1973, enduring extreme torture and isolation before his release during Operation Homecoming. His story highlights the immense cost of war, as detailed in the book and opera Glory Denied, and he became a symbol for the fortitude required to survive such prolonged captivity, though his return brought significant personal challenges.
United States Army Colonel Floyd “Jim” Thompson, the longest held prisoner of war (POW) in American history, and his wife, Alyce, were products of the idealism of post-World War II America.
McCain and other prisoners cheered the U.S. "Christmas Bombing" campaign of December 1972, viewing it as a forceful measure to push North Vietnam to terms. McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years, until his release on March 14, 1973, along with 108 other prisoners of war.
SF Soldier, Floyd James Thompson, the longest held POW of the Vietnam War. Floyd James "Jim" Thompson (July 8, 1933 - July 16, 2002) was the longest held prisoner of war in United States history, spending nearly nine years in captivity in Vietnam. Captain Thompson went to Vietnam in December 1963.
Thompson spent the next nine years (3,278 days) as a prisoner of war, first at the hands of the Viet Cong in the South Vietnam forests, until he was moved in 1967 to the Hanoi prison system. During his captivity, he was tortured, starved, and isolated from other American POWs.
At the end of the hunt, Thompson was not found, and no clues were unearthed. The official search lasted 11 days, and sporadic additional searching went on for months.
Prisoner of war
He parachuted into a small village, where he was severely beaten and taken prisoner. Stockdale was held as a prisoner of war in the Hỏa Lò Prison (the infamous "Hanoi Hilton") for the next 7+1⁄2 years. As the senior naval officer, he was one of the primary organizers of prisoner resistance.
Jerry Michael Tate Shriver (24 September 1941 – 10 June 1974), also known by his nickname "Mad Dog", was a Master Sergeant in the United States Army who served in MACV-SOG in the Vietnam War.
Bill Wallace (Australia, 1881-1989) is the oldest prisoner on record, spending the last 63 years of his life in Aradale Psychiatric Hospital, at Ararat, Victoria, Australia.
Before his iconic starring role on on "Magnum, P.I.," Tom Selleck served as an infantry soldier in the Army National Guard during the Vietnam War.
Robert R. Garwood. Robert Russell Garwood (born April 1, 1946) is a former United States Marine. Often cited as the last verified American prisoner of war (POW) from the Vietnam War, Garwood was captured on September 28, 1965 by Việt Cộng forces near Da Nang, Quang Nam Province.
June 8, 1969 — Nixon announces that 25,000 U.S. troops would be withdrawn by the end of September. A month later, troops would begin departing South Vietnam. July 25, 1969 — The Nixon Doctrine is announced in an informal press conference.
The incredible Vietnam War story of Doug Hegdahl, the youngest and lowest-ranking American POW captured in North Vietnam, began at around 4:30 a.m. on April 6, 1967. That's when Hegdahl, 20, lay wide awake in his bunk below decks on the U.S.S. Canberra, a guided missile cruiser patrolling the coast of North Vietnam.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
John Wayne didn't serve in WWII due to a combination of age (34 at Pearl Harbor), family status (deferment for wife and kids), and, crucially, occupational deferments secured by his studio, Republic Pictures, who argued his films were vital for national morale, though he reportedly wanted to enlist, leading to lifelong guilt and a reputation as a "draft dodger" despite his patriotic image.
The world's longest-serving death row inmate was Iwao Hakamada from Japan, who spent 46-47 years on death row before being exonerated in 2024 for a 1966 quadruple murder, a case marked by coerced confessions and fabricated evidence, leading to a record compensation payout for his wrongful conviction. Other notable long-stayers include Raymond Riles in the U.S., who spent 45 years on death row, and Richard Jordan, who was executed after a very long legal battle in Mississippi in 2025.
Jeremy Ray Meeks (born February 7, 1984) is an American fashion model, actor, and convicted felon. A former member of the Crips street gang, Meeks was arrested in 2014 during a gang sweep called Operation Ceasefire in Stockton, California.
On 12 June 1962, three men escaped from Alcatraz, never to be seen again. The ultimate fate of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers remains a mystery but the ingenuity and determination of their daring escape – from what was the US's most secure prison – continues to captivate.
Francis Clifford Smith is currently the oldest living prisoner still in jail. Smith is serving a life sentence at the Osborn Correctional Institution for murdering a night watchman named Grover Hart on July 23, 1949. At the time, he was only 23 years old and he has been in prison for 71 years.
Who did the Viet Cong fear the most? Tough, battle-hardened South Korean troops were justly feared by Vietcong and North Vietnamese regulars alike during the Vietnam War.
Fighting with the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Murphy killed an estimated 200 enemy soldiers and earned the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts.
Roy Benavidez: Unkillable Vietnam War Hero.
The Stockdale Paradox is a technique to navigate challenging and ambiguous times by combining the ability to confront the brutal facts of your current reality, even as you maintain unwavering faith that you will prevail in the end, no matter how distant that is. PERSISTING THROUGH PAIN AND UNCERTAINTY.
Never forgotten
In fact, while efforts to recover the remains of those individuals lost in action have been ongoing, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) estimates that more than 80,000 individuals never returned home.
Although drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1964, Staubach did not start playing until 1969 due to military commitments. He chose to volunteer for a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam, then spent the rest of his Naval career in the United States, playing football on various Naval service teams.