The navy pilot pictured in this newspaper article is Lt. Ron Dodge being escorted by Vietnamese soldiers. This picture first appeared in the Paris Match in 1967 and has appeared on the cover of Life magazine as well as on the cover of over five million VIVA brochures. Every place that this image has been featured, it has aways been accompanied by Lt. Dodge's name. However when the North Vietnamese gave our government what they called a "Complete" list of Prisoners of War his name was not there. He is one of many whom there was proof of capture, whose names were never found on any list handed over by their captors.
I was among many people that wore a POW/MIA bracelet. I wore mine until I developed an allergy to the metal in it and broke out in a rash. I battled that rash with creams and even tried coating the back of the bracelet with finger nail polish. Nothing worked and I eventually placed it in my jewelry box. I still watched for the name, Maj. Lawrence N. Helber in every news article I came across concerning POW/MIAs. His aircraft went down over enemy territory on January 24, 1966.
I have since done a google search and found information at the The U.S. Veteran Dispatch . The information page for Maj. Helber can be found here if you would like to read about him. He never returned home to Logan, Ohio and his family.
At the end of the write up on Maj. Helber there is a paragraph that I have copied and will paste as the closing words of this post. I couldn't find a better way of saying it than the original words that were written.
"Military men in Vietnam were called upon to fly and fight in many dangerous circumstances, and they were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly served." ~ The U.S. Veteran Dispatch
7 Friends Left A Note:
We were so lucky my brother and cousin returned safely from Vietnam. Thank you for the reminder. It also points out how evil our enemies were and still are.
The government certainly did abandon these men after the war. I've read a lot on this subject because it breaks my heart to think of these POW still in Vietnam and Laos, years after the war was over. In 1991 they had two satellite images of two Americans in North Vietnamese who had stamped out their pilot authenticator codes in the grass in the compound where they were being held. Nothing was ever done about it. Cover ups are rampant in the government sector...it truly boggles the mind what they are hiding from us. Great post!! xoxo
My bracelet reads Major Henry Serex 4-2-72. I wore mine for years.
He was never found.
There were so many cover ups and so much misinformation.It was an unpopular war and so many men died.
We will never know what happen to them but last November I wrote a post, on my blog, about the bracelet I wore and I received an anonymous note in the mail from someone that thanked me for writing the post and wearing the bracelet. I think it might have been one of his daughters.
So I thank you for keeping your bracelet and writing about your POW. I think it was an important thing that we did to call attention to the forgotten men and woman who never came home.
Thank you so much.... with love.
I think of the hopelessness and sadness of the men who may still be possibly held in a POW camp. Thank you for reminding us of these heros who never returned.
"Moodscapes" has been included in this weeks Sites To See. I hope you like the image I featured, and I hope this helps to attract many new visitors here.
http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2011/05/sites-to-see_13.html
Very interesting, and very sad~
Hi i’m Heather! I have a question for you! Please email me :)
HeatherVonSJ[at]gmail[dot]com
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