Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource Audio Recording John Edward Stavast Collection

John Stavast in uniform at a "welcome home" ceremony [1973]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

War or Conflict: Cold War; World War, 1939-1945; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps; Air Force
Service Unit/Ship: Company A, 117th Infantry Regiment; 407th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, 40th Bomb Wing; Air Training Command; 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron; 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron; Headquarters, Tactical Air Command; 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Location of Service: Japan; France; Alabama; Reese Air Force Base, Texas; Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas; England; France; Germany; European Theater; Langley Air Force Base, Virginia; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand; South Vietnam; Hanoi, North Vietnam
Highest Rank: Colonel; Sergeant
Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/101797

"Dear one, upon return to my own home, I will certainly make all efforts towards making you as happy as possible, and that will be my happiness." (Letter to Shirley Stavast, 27 November 1972)

Colonel John Edward Stavast was serving as a pilot with the 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in Vietnam when he was shot down in 1967. He served the next six years as a prisoner of war interned at the infamous Hỏa Lò Prison, otherwise known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” His vast collection includes original manuscript materials (written on salvaged paper) that he created while in captivity; photographs of the “welcome home” celebration held Claremont, California after his liberation in 1973; two reports he wrote on his family’s and his own experiences during his time as a POW; and voluminous personal correspondence, including a handful of letters that Stavast sent to his wife while he was incarcerated.