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"There was a very low threat as long as you obeyed the rules." (Video Interview, 37:51)

   Marion Anthony Marshall
Image of Marion Anthony Marshall
Marion Anthony Marshall [detail]
War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Branch: Air Force
Unit: 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
Service Location: Air Force Academy, Colorado; George Air Force Base and Mather Air Force Base, California; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Udorn Air Base, Thailand; Williams Air Force Base, Arizona; Bentwaters Air Base, Rendlesham, England; Frankfurt, Germany; Clark Air Base (Philippines)
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
POW: Yes
Place of Birth: Washington, DC
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Even after he was awarded a coveted appointment to the Air Force Academy in 1964, Tony Marshall saw it only as a stepping stone to getting a scholarship to a civilian college. That all changed once he got hooked on flying. Although weak eyesight relegated him to the navigator's position, he never lost his enthusiasm for planes. During the Vietnam War, he flew over 260 missions out of a base in Thailand. His pilot's bravado got them shot down over North Vietnam, and Marshall became a "guest" of the Hanoi Hilton POW facility in July 1972. The following spring, he and his fellow captives were released. After retirement, he became a commercial airline pilot, but he missed the camaraderie and demands of the military life.

Interview (Video)
»Interview Highlights  (11 clips)
»Complete Interview  (113 min.)
  Photos
»Photo Album (11 photos)
 Official Documents
»Biographical information
 Other Materials
»Camp regulations for a Prisoner of War of the North Vietnamese
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»AAHM: Next Generation
 Video (Interview Excerpts) (11 items)
First impressions of the Air Force Academy. (03:21) Dealing with race relations at the Academy. (02:24) Scaling back his ambition to be a fighter pilot; his attraction to the F-4. (05:06)
Getting "invited" over to Vietnam; camaraderie of his squadron there. (02:18) Tips on surviving while flying missions. (01:40) Nature of his missions: bombing, interdiction, and escorting 4-6 times a week; why it was preferable, if you were to get shot down, to have it happen over North Vietnam. (06:46)
Very close encounter with enemy aircraft; finding out about withheld information that almost cost him his life. (07:08) Getting shot down because his pilot took too many chances; trying to escape almost right away but getting shackled in leg irons. (12:44) His days in Hanoi Hilton; testing his captors to see what he could get away with. (08:50)
Sensing that the end of the war was near; different attitudes among recent captives like him and the long-time ones; getting released; dealing with American journalists who visited the Hilton. (05:09) Civilian life vs. the military; reflections on the war. (04:46) 
  
 
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  The Library of Congress
  May 29, 2007
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