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The North Vietnamese shot down Air Force pilot Kenneth Cordier’s F-4C Phantom II aircraft in early December 1966. (U.S. Air Force)
A total of 591 U.S. prisoners of war returned home as part of Operation Homecoming in 1973. (U.S. Air Force)
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Kenneth Cordier delivers a speech at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 16, 2022. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Thomas Karol)
Episode 3368 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the incredible story of Air Force POW Kenneth Cordier. The featured story is titled: How this Vietnam POW stayed strong during more than 6 years in captivity. It appeared on the We are the Mighty website and was submitted by Stephen Ruiz.
Ruiz reported that Air Force Maj. Kenneth Cordier represents the extraordinary courage, sacrifice, resilience, and patriotism of America’s Vietnam Veterans. An experienced military aviator and F-4C Phantom II fighter pilot, Cordier was flying his 176th combat mission over North Vietnam in December 1966 when a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile (SAM) struck his aircraft at approximately 24,000 feet and 575 mph. Forced to eject, Cordier watched his burning Phantom explode as he descended by parachute into enemy territory.
Captured approximately 85 miles north of Hanoi, Cordier began a brutal six-year, three-month imprisonment as a Vietnam War POW. He endured interrogation, torture, beatings, starvation, isolation, and horrific living conditions at several prisoner-of-war camps, including the infamous Hanoi Hilton. With a broken back, he was forced to sleep on a hard wooden bed inside a tiny cell with almost no ventilation, limited food, constant lighting, and relentless enemy propaganda.
Yet Cordier and his fellow American POWs refused to surrender their spirit. Forbidden to communicate, they developed a secret tapping code to maintain contact, share information, and preserve morale. Even after severe punishment and torture, the prisoners continued communicating. Their determination demonstrated the incredible mental strength and bravery of Vietnam Veterans.
Cordier was finally released on March 4, 1973, during Operation Homecoming, when 591 American POWs were returned from North Vietnam. His first hot shower after years of captivity became a powerful symbol of freedom regained.
After recovering, Cordier returned to his U.S. Air Force career and ultimately retired as a colonel in 1985. His story is a lasting reminder that Vietnam Veterans were never defined by defeat or captivity—they were defined by courage, honor, duty, sacrifice, and an unwavering love of America. Maj. Kenneth Cordier and all of our Vietnam Veterans deserve our deepest respect and gratitude for their service and sacrifice.
Listen to episode 3368 and discover more about the Incredible story of Air Force POW Kenneth Cordier.
