Hayden James Lockhart (born June 16, 1938) is a retired United States Air Force officer who is best known for being the first U.S. Air Force pilot to be shot down in North Vietnam.[1]
F-100 same aircraft Lockhart was flying when shot downDisplay of captured US pilot and equipment at the Vinh city Military Museum, not far from where Lockhart's aircraft went down.
Lockhart was shot down March 2, 1965, when he was forced to eject over North Vietnam.[3] After his ejection he evaded capture until March 12, 1965.
“…By summer 1965, more than thirty American airmen had been killed or were presumed missing in action and a dozen had been captured, including the first Air Force POW, Lieutenant Hayden Lockhart. The Navy pilots in this group included Lieutenant Commanders Robert H Shumaker, Raymond Vohden and Lieutenants Phillip Butler and John McKamey…"[4][3]
Prisoner of War in North Vietnam: 1965 to 1973
Map of the locations of the US Prisoners of War in Hanoi
Hayden was the third American captured in North Vietnam, and the first Air Force pilot captured in the North during the Vietnam War.[5][3]
Lockhart spent his time in captivity at several prisoner of war (POW) locations: New Guy Village 1965; Heartbreak Hotel 1965; The Briarpatch in August 1965; Zoo 1966;[6] Zoo Annex 1967; Camp Unity at Hỏa Lò Prison (also known as the Hanoi Hilton);[7] Dogpatch (9 miles south of the Chinese border) May 1972; and Hỏa Lò prison again in January 1973.
On July 6, 1966, 52 US prisoners of war were taken on the March of Hanoi.[8][1] The prisoners were paraded, handcuffed in pairs,[9] and marched down the main street of Hanoi while angry crowds of people screamed, spat and threw objects at them.[1][10] A photograph,[11] (published in Look magazine in 1970) showed Lockhart supporting fellow prisoner of war, Phil Butler, who was dazed after being struck by a thrown bottle.[12]
The prisoners supported each other and communicated using a tap code that Lockhart's fellow POW, Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, had learned in a survival school.[12][13] He was released during "Operation Homecoming" on February 12, 1973.[3]
Lockheart's final assignment was on the staff of the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center at Norton AFB, California, from February 1980 until his retirement from the Air Force on December 31, 1981.[citation needed]
Alvarez, Everett and Schreiner, Samuel. Code of Conduct: An Inspirational story of self-healing by the famed ex-pow and war hero, (1991) Donald L Fine, publisher New York. ISBN1556113102
Head, William and Grinter Lawrence E;Looking Back on the Vietnam War: A 1990's Perspective on the Decisions, Combat, and Legacies. 1993 Greenwood Press, Westport Connecticut ISBN0-313-28869-0
Wyatt, Captain and Mrs. Frederick A. Wyatt. We Came Home (1977) POW publications; Toluca Lake CA.
Coffee, Gerald. Beyond Survival: Building on the Hard Times- a POW's inspiring story. (1990) GP Putnam's Sons New York ISBN0399134166
References
^ abcPowell, Stewart (August 1999). "Honor Bound". Air Force Magazine: 92–100. Archived from the original on 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
^Rochester, Stuart I. (1998). Honor Bound: Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961 -1973. US Naval Institute Press: Naval Institute Press. pp. 40, 598. ISBN1557506949.
^Stockstill, Lewis R (October 1969). "A Special Report on POW's: The forgotten Americans of the Vietnam War". Air Force and Space Digest: The Magazine of Aerospace Power.
^Atwood, William A (May 5, 1970). "editorial: What about the POW's?". Look. 34. Cowles Communication Inc.: 68.
^ abFretwell, Peter. (2013). Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton : Six Characteristics of High Performance teams. Kiland, Taylor Baldwin, 1966–, London, J. Phillip, 1937–. Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN9781612512174. OCLC813910294.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Borling, John (2013). Taps on the Walls: Poems from the Hanoi Hilton. Pritzker Military Library: Master Wings Publishing. pp. 1–8. ISBN978-0-615-65905-3.
