JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
On Monday, February 12, 1973, the first three flights of
U.S. Air Force C-141 Starlifters brought home American prisoners of war from
their captivity in North Vietnam. Some of the men had been POWs for nearly nine
years. This was the start of Operation Homecoming.
Eventually, 591 POWs were released. Of those, 509 were from
Hanoi in North Vietnam, 69 were from Loc Ninh in South Vietnam, nine were from
Laos and three were from China. In all,
332 of the 591 POWs released were Air Force servicemen. According to Air Force
records, there are still 511 Air Force service members missing and unaccounted
for from the conflict in Southeast Asia.
Soon after Operation Homecoming began, the Air Force decided
to honor former POW pilots with a “fini” flight in keeping with a tradition
that celebrates the last flight a pilot makes during a tour. In 1973, the Air
Force designated the 560th Flying Training Squadron, nicknamed the Chargin’
Cheetahs, at then-Randolph Air Force Base to re-qualify pilots who were recently
released from captivity.
The first flight with the Chargin’ Cheetahs was called a
“Freedom Flight.” The “Freedom Flyers” were met with cheers and champagne as
they celebrated their return to the “wild blue yonder.”
Over the next 37 years, the Chargin’ Cheetahs flew 195
Freedom Flights and developed a close bond with the Freedom Flyers that
continues to this day with an annual reunion and dining in.
The Chargin’ Cheetahs of the 560th Flying Training Squadron
will host the 43rd annual Freedom Flyer Reunion March 4. More than 30 Freedom
Flyers are expected to return to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph for the
event.
For some, March 4 has added significance. On Sunday, March 4, 1973, three Starlifters
lifted off from Hanoi, North Vietnam, with 108 newly released POWs. Twenty-nine
future Freedom Flyers were on those flights and some will be celebrating their
43rd anniversary here this year.
The Chargin’ Cheetahs invite you to join us in honoring
those who made it home while we continue to remember those who did not. A
wreath-laying ceremony and fly-by will take place at the Missing Man Monument
from 10:15 to 11 a.m., and a POW Symposium in the Fleenor Auditorium, building
100, from 1-4 p.m.