Vietnam POW shares story with Keesler

Retired Lt. Col. John “Jack” Yuill, a former prisoner of war in North Vietnam, speaks to Airmen from the airmen leadership school and the Mathies NCO Academy Feb. 5, 2013, at the Mathies NCO Academy, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Yuill was interned as a POW after he was shot down Dec. 22, 1972, and was held until his release on March 29, 1973. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Retired Lt. Col. John “Jack” Yuill, a former prisoner of war in North Vietnam, speaks to Airmen during an “all call” with base personnel Feb. 5, 2013, at the Roberts Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Facility, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Yuill was interned as a POW after he was shot down Dec. 22, 1972, and was held until his release on March 29, 1973. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Vietnam POW shares story with Keesler

Published Feb. 7, 2013
By Senior Airman Heather Heiney
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- "How many people remember what they were doing and where they were at 40 years ago today?" asked retired Lt. Col. John Yuill, a B-52 Stratofortress pilot during the Vietnam War.

Only one hand went up out of all the Airmen packed into the Roberts Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Facility Feb. 5.

Yuill explained that 40 years ago, he was about halfway through his 98-day internment as a prisoner of war at "The Zoo" in Hanoi, Vietnam.

In late 1972, Yuill became part of Operation Linebacker II, also known as the "11-Day War," which took place between Dec. 18, 1972, and Dec. 29, 1972. During that time, more than 700 sorties were flown and 15,000 tons of ordnances were dropped on targets in North Vietnam. Thirty-three B-52 crewmembers were killed or missing in action and many of those deaths were credited to SA-2 surface-to-air missiles launched by the North Vietnamese.

Yuill said his own plane was shot down Dec. 22, 1972, by one of those SAMs and he and his crew bailed out just before the Stratofortress was engulfed in flames.

"I can tell it was about 75 seconds from when the first SAM hit until I decided to bail the crew out and it takes me about 25 minutes to explain in detail what all was going on," Yuill said.
"That was my one and only jump. From 35,000 feet at 2 o'clock in the morning in an area we were bombing for four days...not something I was really looking forward to."

Yuill and his crew were separated upon landing, but were picked up by local villagers and transported to the same POW camp in Hanoi. Yuill and his crew were POWs until March 29, 1973, when they were released as part of Operation Homecoming.

Yuill's wife found out his plane had been shot down three days before Christmas and had seven children to take care of, not knowing whether her husband was even alive.

"I really do believe that during my time in jail, it was probably more difficult for her with those seven kids than it was for me and what I was subjected to," Yuill said. "But having said that, she is still a very fortunate woman because she is married to the world's greatest pilot."

At the end of his story, Yuill asked if there were any questions.

Senior Master Sgt. Phuoc Phan, who was recently selected for promotion chief master sergeant and is the 335th Training Squadron career field training manager and squadron superintendent, stood up and said he didn't so much have a question as a comment.

"I'm a refugee from Vietnam. I came over when I was 8 years old in 1975," Phan said. "The sacrifices that you and your family made directly resulted in my freedom and my family's freedom over here in America. I appreciate that, Sir, and I thank you"

Phan then snapped to attention and rendered a salute.