The Graduate Heritage Projects

Graduate Prisoners of War



In early 2012 a team of two USAFA graduates immersed themselves in the painstaking work of creating an interactive database of information pertaining to graduates who had been prisoners of war. As part of a multi-year heritage project supported by The Friends of The Academy Library, this effort reflects The Friends commitment to being a premiere Academy organization in recording and preserving the heritage of the Air Force Academy. The project’s continuing goal is to assemble all the available material dealing with the adult lives of these Air Force Academy graduates and any future graduates who become POWs.

Currently a total of 37 graduates have been held as POWs, 33 in Vietnam and 4 in Desert Storm. Previously there was no central location for information about these graduates nor was much of the existing information readily accessible. Relying on exceptional cooperation from the staffs of the Academy’s Association of Graduates and the McDermott Library Clark Special Collections Branch to make the project a reality, the team has collected, scanned, electronically filed, and indexed hundreds of pages of written and photographic documentation thus far.

The team has established procedures for updating these files as more information on Academy POWs is acquired from additional sources and adding files if other graduates become POWs. If you have any information you wish the team to consider for inclusion in this database, you may contact the team by email at The Friends

We encourage you to enjoy the fruits of this historic project. The Friends believe this project will have a lasting impact for decades to come – indeed as long as the Academy exists.

NOTE: Dates listed below are dates of capture and release, respectively.

The graduate database is currently in the process of being migrated from legacy software to a more modern, user accessible interface. Until complete, data will be unavailable. Please check back frequently as this process continues.


Southeast Asia


Hayden Lockhart Jr.
Class of 1961
12 March 1965
12 Feruary 1973
Jerry Singleton
Class of 1962
6 November 1965
12 February 1973
Jerry Driscoll
Class of 1963
24 April 1966
12 February 1973
John Borling
Class of 1963
1 June 1966
12 February 1973
Ralph Browning
Class of 1964
8 July 1966
12 February 1973
Ronald Bliss
Class of 1964
4 September 1966
4 March 1973

Leroy Stutz
Class of 1964
2 December 1966
4 March 1973
Donald Spoon
Class of 1964
21 January 1967
4 March 1973
Thomas McNish
Class of 1964
24 January 1967
4 March 1973
James Shively
Class of 1964
11 May 1967
18 February 1973
Kevin McManus
Class of 1964
14 June 1967
18 February 1973
Edward Mechenbier
Class of 1964
4 August 1967
18 February 1973

Lance Sijan
Class of 1965
Reported MIA on
9 November 1967
Jon Black
Class of 1959
17 November 1967
16 February 1968
Howard Hill
Class of 1965
16 December 1967
14 March 1973
Guy Gruters
Class of 1964
20 December 1967
14 March 1973
Wayne Smith
Class of 1965
18 January 1968
14 March 1973
Myron Donald
Class of 1965
23 February 1968
14 March 1973

\
Edward Leonard Jr.
Class of 1960
2 June 1968
28 March 1973
Martins Neuens
Class of 1964
2 August 1969
4 March 1973
John Fer
Class of 1962
27 November 1970
4 March 1973
Kenneth Johnson
Class of 1961
21 December 1971
14 March 1973
Charles Jackson
Class of 1969
27 June 1972
12 February 1973
John Cerak
Class of 1967
27 June 1972
28 March 1973

Paul Robinson Jr.
Class of 1962
1 July 1972
28 March 1973
William Beekman
Class of 1968
1 July 1972
28 March 1973
James Kula
Class of 1969
29 July 1972
23 March 1973
Marion Marshall
Class of 1968
25 August 1972
29 March 1973
Michael Bosiljevac
Class of 1967
29 September 1972
–––––
William Reich
Class of 1970
13 November 1972
28 March 1973

     
Timothy Ayers
Class of 1968
12 December 1972
28 March 1973
Jack Trimble
Class of 1970
27 December 1972
29 March 1973
William Gauntt
Class of 1968
29 January 1972
27 March 1973
     
     

Desert Storm


   
Harry Roberts
Class of 1982
19 January 1991
6 March 1991
Thomas Griffith Jr.
Class of 1979
22 January 1991
4 March 1991
Robert Sweet
Class of 1988
15 February 1991
6 March 1991
William Andrews
Class of 1980
27 February 1991
6 March 1991