Thursday, March 26, 1964: Floyd James Thompson

An Air Force observation plane flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and by U.S. Army Special Forces co-pilot Captain Floyd J. Thompson is downed by small arms fire. Thompson, the longest held prisoner of war in American history, would not be released until 16 March 1973. 

-- From Vietnam War Commemoration (U.S. Department of Defense; link: @)

-- Photo from POW Network (link: @)

* Summary (from Task Force Omega): @

* Summary (from Veteran Tributes): @

* "Glory Denied: The Vietnam Saga of Jim Thompson, America's Longest-Held Prisoner of War" (Tom Philpott, 2001): @

* C-SPAN interview with Philpott (August 2001): @

* Obituary/tribute (Philpott, 2002; entered into Congressional Record): @

* Obituary (from New York Times, July 2002): @

* Obituary (from Los Angeles Times): @ 

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