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Henry P. Fowler

Colonel (Ret.) Henry P. Fowler served in the Air Force for 27 years as a pilot and a Judge Advocate. He was a prisoner of war at the “Hanoi Hilton” in Vietnam. He completed F-4 Phantom II combat crew training in 1966 and was assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing at Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. On Easter Sunday 1967, Fowler and three other F-4Cs were scrambled in support of 90 F-105 Thunderchiefs on a strike mission over Hanoi. His flight identified four North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighters approaching the formation. He directed his flight to pursue the MiGs at tree-top level. Without warning, the MiGs broke off the attack and the American flight was subjected to a barrage of SA-2 surface-to-air missiles. Fowler was forced to eject. He was captured by enemy forces and taken to the Hanoi Hilton, where he remained in captivity for six years. He was released February 18, 1973, during Operation Homecoming. In 1975, then Major Fowler completed his law degree and served as a staff judge advocate in various positions and locations.

Colonel Fowler retired in 1991.