About this episode

Col. Robert Jeffrey shares his harrowing experiences as a POW in Vietnam and his eventual return to freedom.

In our previous episode, we learned how U.S. Air Force pilot Robert Jefffrey was shot down over North Vietnam during his first mission of the war. He suffered burns and spinal injuries as the plane was hit and he ejected. Jeffrey was captured as soon as he parachuted to the ground. After that, he was interrogated, nearly executed, and repeatedly tortured. Today, we hear more of Col. Jeffrey's story, from prison life to his first breaths of freedom after more than seven years of captivity. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles , Col. Jeffrey tells us about being moved out of Hoa Lo prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton, to other facilities, namely "The Zoo," and Son Tay. He also explains the enemy used food rations to try to turn the Americans against one another and how the prisoners refused to let that tactic work. Jeffrey also takes us into the many moments of hope for freedom only to have them dashed in disappointment, But he also walks us through the developments when he finally was freed in February 1973. And you'll hear about Jeffrey's return trip to Vietnam decades later and the question he still needs answered.

People in this episode

Guest: Robert Jeffrey

Topics covered

• Vietnam War
• POW experiences
• military history
• personal stories
• survival
• freedom

Keywords

• Vietnam War
• POW
• Robert Jeffrey
• Hanoi Hilton
• military history
• torture
• freedom
• interrogation
• survival

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Air Force

Places: North Vietnam, Hoa Lo prison, Hanoi Hilton, The Zoo, Son Tay

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