Annual Membership Meeting and Election of 2018-19 Board of Directors

Fund Raiser follows our guest speaker, Colonel Thomas Kirk, USAF (Ret).

Captioning will be provided for this presentation by Caption Pros.

“Vietnam POW War Hero COLONEL THOMAS KIRK”.  Everything about life as he knew it was gone. Confined to a six by seven-foot masonry cell, Colonel Thomas Kirk and his cellmates slept on concrete bunks and survived on the bowl of soup and piece of bread they were given twice a day. A bare light bulb hung in the cell and burned around the clock. Windows were covered to block any natural light or view of the outdoors. “There was nothing to read, nothing to write with, nothing to do,” Kirk explains. It was the existence of a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
Based in Thailand as a squadron commander flying the F-105 Thunderchief, Colonel Kirk was shot down on October 28, 1967 which marked his 67th mission of the tour. Kirk’s plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and when his plane became uncontrollable, he was forced to eject at 650 mph and landed in a field 28 miles outside of Hanoi.  Unable to walk from the bailout injuries he had sustained and temporarily blinded, the peasants beat him black and blue before he was turned over to the Vietnamese army. Bound, blindfolded and gagged, he was transported to Hoa Lo Prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton.  Finally, on January 23, 1973, the prisoners were told the war had ended, and they would be going home soon. Kirk explains, “They would leave in the order they were captured.” Kirk, who had been promoted to Colonel in captivity, left Vietnam on March 14, 1973 ending 1,964 days in captivity.  For “the rest of the story”, come to the April meeting prepared to hear a true war hero describe his grueling time in captivity!

Menu: Spring Mix Salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Wild Rice Pilaf, Parisianne Carrots
Dessert: Mango Sorbet topped w/ Berries, Coffee & Tea
Veggie Meal: Butternut Squash Ravioli w/ Pesto Sauce

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