Former Vietnam POW visits Travis

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Candy Knight
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Lt. Col. (ret.) Barry Bridger, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, visited Travis Nov. 18 to share his experiences as a former POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison.

On Jan. 23, 1967, Colonel Bridger was shot down over the city of Son Tay, North Vietnam by a surface-to-air missile.

"It was during my second tour of Vietnam and my very first daytime mission," he said.
A member of the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Colonel Bridger compared his experience of getting shot down as a "really bad roller coaster ride."

"After ejecting, I landed right in the middle of about 150 North Vietnamese soldiers," he said.

He was subsequently captured by the North Vietnamese and spent more than six years in the notorious prison.

The colonel described the prison as an "environment of relentless torture, depravity and abuse."

Classified as "war criminals," the colonel said that part of the Vietnamese plan was to get him and his fellow American prisoners to admit their crimes and ask for forgiveness.

"Their means of doing this was torture," he said. "Did they break our will to resist? The answer was a resounding no."

Colonel Bridger said that by keeping his body and soul together and by using the value system instilled in him when he was younger, he was able to endure the torture and help his fellow prisoners.

The colonel turned to gymnastics to help him stay physically fit while using his education to keep himself mentally stable.

"Education in tough times is a refuge," the colonel told his audience.

The colonel was repatriated in March 1973 and retired in October 1984 after 22 years of service in the Air Force.

The colonel ended his speech by praising the military members.

"You are living in a defining moment in history," he said. "You are fighting against a hidden enemy who attacks the innocent. You are earning this country's liberty and freedom all over again."

Colonel Bridger told the Airmen that the veterans were the Airmen's "biggest fans."

"They are proud to have you in their ranks," he said.