An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : News
JBSA News
NEWS | March 16, 2009

Long-running Air Force tradition continues with Freedom Flyer Reunion

By Robert Goetz 12th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

Members of a special brotherhood gather at Randolph each March to continue one of the Air Force's most hallowed traditions. 

Their stories of transcendent courage in the face of extreme cruelty and deprivation have inspired Airmen for more than three decades, and they will return next week to see each other once again and to retell those tales, as painful as that may be.
 
They're known as the Freedom Flyers--Air Force combat pilots who were shot down in the Vietnam War and endured years of brutality in prisoner-of-war camps such as the infamous Hanoi Hilton. 

More than 30 of these American heroes are expected to attend this year's Freedom Flyer Reunion here March 27, the 36th annual gathering since they were repatriated in a program called Operation Homecoming and the 560th Flying Training Squadron requalified many of them for flight. The requalification program concluded with a "freedom flight," the "fini" flight and champagne ceremony that should have taken place after the pilots' final mission in Vietnam. 

"The requalification was the fini flight they never had," said Lt. Col. Daniel Ferris, 560th FTS assistant director of operations and this year's Freedom Flyer director. "It's a huge tradition they've carried on, and it's the least we could do to repay them." 

For the 12th straight year, the reunion will include a symposium featuring eight of the Freedom Flyers and the grim, but inspiring, stories of their experiences in the POW camps in North Vietnam, as well as the equally moving perspective of one of the ex-POWs' spouses. This year's symposium will take place at Randolph High School instead of the base theater, which is undergoing renovation.

"If you listen to these guys and hear them talk, it makes you question whether you could do the same kind of job," Colonel Ferris said. "They kept the nation's secrets and kept faith in their country and fellow man while they were being tortured, and some were there for years - longer than our involvement in World War II. If I'm ever in that kind of a situation, hopefully I can respond in the same way." 

He said this year's reunion will mark a new chapter - the 194th, to be exact - in the Freedom Flyer story. The 560th FTS will conduct the 194th Freedom Flight for retired Capt. Brian Ratzlaff, who was shot down north of Hanoi on Sept. 11, 1972, and was released on March 29, 1973. 

"He moved on to a civilian flying career after the war and decided to participate this year," Colonel Ferris said of Mr. Ratzlaff, who lives with his wife in Michigan. 

Most of the pilots took their freedom flights in 1973 and 1974, but others have made the journey to Randolph in the years since then. 

"Some were unable to fly for health reasons, and some just decided to move on with their lives," Colonel Ferris said. 

Reunion activities will actually begin March 24, when Freedom Flyers who arrive early will be recognized during halftime of the San Antonio Spurs' game against Golden State at the AT&T Center. 

"This is a new tradition that started last year," said Colonel Ferris, who compared the former pilots to the heroes of the Alamo. "It's an inspirational ceremony." 

Mr. Ratzlaff's freedom flight is planned for the morning of March 26, and other Freedom Flyers will have an opportunity to fly that afternoon. 

Activities on March 27 in addition to the symposium at 8:45 a.m. include a wreath-laying ceremony and flyby at noon at the Missing Man Monument, receptions and a dining-in mess/wives' dinner and an evening aerial review at 6 p.m. 

Colonel Ferris said this year's flyby will feature 16 aircraft - from the trainer jets that are an everyday sight on Randolph to bombers, fighters, transports and helicopters. 

"There will be a lot of aircraft for the flybys," he said. "It's a big celebration of where we are and where we're going." 

Colonel Ferris said the dining-in combines military discipline with orneriness, an opportunity to "roast your favorite comrade." But it is an appropriate event because it underscores the camaraderie that united these pilots. 

"These guys believe in their squadron mates," he said. 

The reunion will conclude with the River Rats' golf tournament and banquet on March 28. The River Rats are a fraternal organization of former fighter pilots and navigators. 

Colonel Ferris said the Freedom Flyer gathering is the second-longest reunion sponsored by the Air Force, second only to the reunion of the World War II Doolittle raiders. 

"We're carrying on 36 years of an Air Force tradition," he said. "Your heritage and tradition make you feel like you belong and are part of the organization. I'm proud to be part of it."