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The Vietnam War - known in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America - lasted from November 1, 1955, until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Comdr. Tortured in notorious 'Hanoi Hilton,' 11 GIs were unbreakable On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. An official website of the United States government, National Museum of the United States Air Force. For the 1987 film, see, (later Navy Rear Admiral Robert H. Shumaker). American POWs in North Vietnam were released in early 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming, the result of diplomatic negotiations concluding U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. Many former prisoners of war have suffered the hell of torture. He had led aerial attacks from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. Commander Stockdale was the senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam. At that point, lie, do, or say whatever you must do to survive. Among the last inmates was dissident poet Nguyn Ch Thin, who was reimprisoned in 1979 after attempting to deliver his poems to the British Embassy, and spent the next six years in Ha L until 1985 when he was transferred to a more modern prison. Anyone can read what you share. David A., Navy, St. Simons Island, Ga. GAITHER, Lieut, Comdr. [23][24], The post-raid consolidation brought many prisoners who had spent years in isolation into large cells holding roughly 70 men each. In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has had the position that claims that prisoners were tortured at Ha L and other sites during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S.[24] Tran Trong Duyet, a jailer at Ha L beginning in 1968 and its commandant for the last three years of the war, maintained in 2008 that no prisoners were tortured. BRADY, Capt. Aubrey A., Navy, listed previously as Texan. Rio Helmi/LightRocket/Getty ImagesDuring the French colonial period, Vietnamese prisoners were detained and tortured at the Ha L prison. Open9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. PDF Vietnam Prisoners of War Escapes and Attempts - AXPOW Unaware of the code agreed upon by the POWs, Kissinger ignored their shot down dates and circled twenty names at random. After reading about the gruesome conditions that awaited American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which first sparked the Vietnam War. Hanoi Hilton: North Vietnam's Torture Chamber For American POWs The pilots called it, sarcastically, the . ENSCH, Lieut John C., Navy, not named in previous public lists. Hao Lo Prison - a walking experience of suffering past [We realize], over time, that we all fall short of what we aspire to be. [2] These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. Dennis A., Navy, Scottsdale, Ariz. MOORE, Capt, Ernest M., Jr., Navy Lemoore, Calif. MULLEN, Comdr. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. American prisoners of war endured miserable conditions and were tortured until they were forced to make an anti-American statement. [13] American pilots were frequently already in poor condition by the time they were captured, injured either during their ejection or in landing on the ground. This, of course, earned him additional torture. Cmdr, David k., Navy. After discussions the twenty men agreed that they should not have been the next POWs released as they estimated it should have taken another week and a half for most of their discharges and came to the conclusion that their early release would likely be used for North Vietnamese propaganda. Of the POWs repatriated to the United States a total of 325 of them served in the United States Air Force, a majority of which were bomber pilots shot down over North Vietnam or VC controlled territory. [16] Although North Vietnam was a signatory of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949,[16] which demanded "decent and humane treatment" of prisoners of war, severe torture methods were employed, such as rope bindings, irons, beatings, and prolonged solitary confinement. An affecting and powerful drama about the experiences of POW's trying to survive a brutal Hanoi prison camp in the midst of the Vietnam War. The most notorious POW camp was Hoa Lo Prison, known to Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton." The name Hoa Lo refers to a potter's kiln, but loosely translated it means "hell's hole" or "fiery furnace." Hoa Lo's 20-foot walls, topped with barbed wire and broken glass, made escape nearly impossible. At the same time, the Defense Department began releasing, in batches, the names of the military prisoners in Communist hands who were on the list turned over in Paris along with the civilians. - Firearms* So the Vietnamese moved them to a remote outpost, the one the POWs called Alcatraz. They would have the shortest stays in captivity. As, George Everette "Bud" Day (24 February 1925 27 July 2013) was a United States Air Force officer, aviator, and veteran of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. The Alcatraz Gang was a group of eleven POWs who were held separately because of their particular resistance to their captors. Dismiss. SERE instructor. The POWs made extensive use of a tap code to communicate, which was introduced in June 1965 by four POWs held in the Ha L: Captain Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, Lieutenant Phillip Butler, Lieutenant Robert Peel and Lieutenant Commander Robert Shumaker. Now he says when he hears Marie Osmond . Over nearly a decade, as the U.S. fought the North Vietnamese on land, air, and sea, more than 700 American prisoners of war were held captive by enemy forces. The Hanoi Hilton (film) - Wikipedia The code was simple and easy to learn and could be taught without verbal instructions. Whats more, the museum displays a flight suit and parachute labeled as belonging to McCain, from when he was shot down over Hanoi except theyre fake. In the North Vietnamese city of Hanoi, hundreds of American soldiers were captured and kept prisoner in the Ha L prison, which the Americans ironically dubbed the "Hanoi Hilton." One of them died from the torture which followed his recapture. Fred R., Navy, North Dartmouth, Mass. [11] Rather, it was to break the will of the prisoners, both individually and as a group. David Hume Kennerly/Getty ImagesAmerican POW soldiers inside their jail cell at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. Located about 35 miles west of Hanoi, this prison was opened in the late summer of 1965 to accommodate the overcrowding at Hoa Lo ("Hanoi Hilton"). Weapons, Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia. Who was the most famous prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton? John McCain, leads a column of POWs released from the Hanoi Hilton, awaiting transportation to Gia Lam Airport. The ropes were tightened to the point that you couldnt breathe. [22], Despite several escape attempts, no U.S. POW successfully escaped from a North Vietnamese prison, although James N. Rowe successfully escaped from North Vietnamese captivity. Finally, after the U.S. and North Vietnam agreed to a ceasefire in early 1973, the 591 American POWs still in captivity were released. They also were responsible for debriefing POWs to discern relevant intelligence about MIAs and to discern the existence of war crimes committed against them. The deal would come to be known as Operation Homecoming and began with three C-141 transports landing in Hanoi on February 12, 1973 to bring the first released prisoners home. [8], U.S. prisoners of war in North Vietnam were subjected to extreme torture and malnutrition during their captivity. Many of the returned POWs struggled to become reintegrated with their families and the new American culture as they had been held in captivity for between a year to almost ten years. In 1967, McCain joined the prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton after his plane was shot down. [9] From the beginning, U.S. POWs endured miserable conditions, including poor food and unsanitary conditions. ESTES, Comdr. (j.g.) As of 2016, he is the only person to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. American POW soldiers line up at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. James Howie, Marines, Ypsilanti, Mich. ANDERSON, Lieut. GLOWER, Cmdr. In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has held the position that claims that prisoners were tortured during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S.[35] Bi Tn, a North Vietnamese Army colonel-later turned dissident and exile, who believed that the cause behind the war had been just but that the country's political system had lost its way after reunification,[36] maintained in 2000 that no torture had occurred in the POW camps. Meanwhile, Paul was taken prisoner, tortured, placed in solitary confinement in what became known as the "Hanoi Hilton" and fed a diet that was later determined to be about 700 calories a day, which caused him to drop to about 100 pounds. Beginning in late 1965, the application of torture against U.S. prisoners became severe. [6] Throughout the war the tap code was instrumental in maintaining prisoner morale, as well as preserving a cohesive military structure despite North Vietnamese attempts to disrupt the POW's chain of command. Hanoi Hilton. Comdr. BROWN, Capt. On February 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. Comdr, Earl G., Jr., Navy, San Diego. Vietnam War POW/MIA List. [14][24] At this time, the prisoners formally organized themselves under the 4th Allied POW Wing, whose name acknowledged earlier periods of overseas captivity among American military personnel in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Frederick C., Navy, San Marcos, Calif. BEELER, Lieut, Carrol R., Navy, Frisco, Texas, native Missourian, captured during the 1972 spring offensive. The prison was originally built by the French colonial government in the late 1800s and was . James J. Jr., Marines, not named in previous lists. KNUTSON, Lieut. He flew a combined 163 combat, The Most Influential Contemporary Americans, Every Person Who Has Hosted 'Saturday Night Live', The Best People Who Hosted SNL In The '00s. [1] The deal would come to be known as Operation Homecoming and was divided into three phases. A large number of Americans viewed the recently freed POWs as heroes of the nation returning home, reminiscent of the celebrations following World War II. March 29, 1973. FREEAdmission & Parking, Prison locations in North Vietnam. [19] During 1969, they broadcast a series of statements from American prisoners that purported to support this notion. Day's actions from 26 August 1967 through 14 March 1973 were the last to earn the Medal of Honor prior to the end of U.S. involvement in the war on 30 April 1975, though some honorees (e.g. [10] The prison complex was sarcastically nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by the American POWs, in reference to the well-known Hilton Hotel chain. He mentions the last years of the prison, partly in fictional form, in Ha L/Hanoi Hilton Stories (2007). Elation, sadness, humor, sarcasm, excitement, depressionall came through.. Hundreds were tortured there with meat hooks and iron chains including John McCain. Hanoi's list of Americans in captivity is as follows: Clodeon Adkins, Michael D. Benge, Norman J. Brookens, Frank E. Cins, Gary L. Davos, John J. Fritz Jr., Theodore W. Gosta, William H. Hardy,. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}21131N 1055047E / 21.02528N 105.84639E / 21.02528; 105.84639. . Notorious Hanoi prison held both Vietnamese and American prisoners By Michael Aquino Updated on 02/21/21 Prisoner diorama at Hoa Lo Prison ("Hanoi Hilton") in Vietnam. PDF US Prisoners of War who returned alive from the Vietnam War - DPAA Dismiss. Frank A. Sieverts, the State Department official charged with prisoner affairs, said that Hanoi apparently did not inelude any information on Americans captured or missing in Laos or Cambodia, despite the provision in the ceasefire agreement to account for all Americans throughout Indochina. The men followed orders, but with the stipulation that no photographs were to be taken of them. U.S. officials saw this tape and Denton was later awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery. [8] These missing personnel would become the subject of the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue for years to come. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. John McCain was captured in 1967 at a lake in Hanoi after his Navy warplane was been downed by the North Vietnamese. Taken before TV cameras in order to film antiwar propaganda for the North Vietnamese, Denton blinked the work torture in Morse code the first evidence that life at the Hanoi Hilton was not what the enemy forces made it seem. The Hanoi prison is located at No.01, Hoa Lo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, known as Hanoi Hilton Prison. In addition to allowing communication between walls, the prisoners used the code when sitting next to each other but forbidden from speaking by tapping on one another's bodies. Joseph E., Navy, Washington, D.C., caplured in Spring 1972. [24] However, eyewitness accounts by American servicemen present a different account of their captivity. Two months later, in what became known as the Hanoi March, 52 American prisoners of war were paraded through the streets of Hanoi before thousands of North Vietnamese civilians. Weapons are not permitted including pocket knives and firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons. Wikimedia CommonsJohn McCains alleged flight suit and parachute, on the display at the former Hanoi Hilton. HUTTON, Comdr. They eventually decided on using the tap code something that couldnt be understood by North Vietnamese forces. He was also a prisoner of war, and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. Ralph E., LL Miami. [9], In addition, the return of the nearly 600 POWs further polarized the sides of the American public and media. James M., Navy, Lemoore, Calif. HIGDON, Lieut. list of hanoi hilton prisonersearthquake today in germany. On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam. Notice:Visitors may be filmed, photographed or recorded by the U.S. Air Force for educational and promotional uses, including for posting on public websites and social media. DANIELS, Cmdr. These details are revealed in accounts by McCain (Faith of My Fathers), Denton, Alvarez, Day, Risner, Stockdale and dozens of others. What It Was Like for Soldiers to Return Home, Basic and Advanced Training for the Troops, John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 August 25, 2018) was an American politician and military officer, who served as a United States senator from Arizona from January 1987 until his death. They were finally free to put their enemies behind its bars, and American soldiers became their prime targets. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. While the raid failed to free any POWs and was considered a significant intelligence failure, it had several positive implications for American prisoners. Hanoi Hilton The Most Horrifying POW Camp of The Vietnam War? [19] As another POW later said, "To this day I get angry with myself. Accounted-For: This report includes the U.S. personnel whose remains have been recovered and identified since the end of the war. James W., Navy, Carthage, Miss. Comdr. [5] Harris had remembered the code from prior training and taught it to his fellow prisoners. WALSH, Capt. "POW Camps In North Vietnam," Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C. U.S. Windell B. Rivers, Navy, Oxnard, Calif. ROLLINS, Lieut, Comdr. The name originated from the street name ph Ha L, due to the concentration of stores selling wood stoves and coal-fire stoves along the street in pre-colonial times. [5], During the Vietnam War, the first U.S. prisoner to be sent to Ha L was Lieutenant Junior Grade Everett Alvarez Jr., who was shot down on August 5, 1964. - Strollers Tap code - Wikipedia [14] Diego, Calif., captured Novent ber, 1967. Despite the endless torture, the American soldiers stayed strong the only way they knew how: camaraderie. James A. Jr., Navy, Virginia Beach, Va., and Lawrence, Mass., captured March, 1966. As of 26 July 2019 the Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency listed 1,587 Americans as missing in the war of which 1,009 were classified as further pursuit, 90 deferred and 488 non-recoverable. After visiting the Ha L Prison ("Hanoi Hilton") in Vietnam just last month, it is truly awe-inspiring to see the challenges these men had to overcome. The museum is an excellent propaganda establishment with very little connection with the actual events that took place inside those walls.. The treatment and ultimate fate of U.S. prisoners of war in Vietnam became a subject of widespread concern in the United States, and hundreds of thousands of Americans wore POW bracelets with the name and capture date of imprisoned U.S. service members.[1]. Col. Harlan P., Marines, Fremont, Calif. HELLE, Sgt. Bob Shumaker noticed a fellow inmate regularly dumping his slop bucket outside. Significant numbers of Americans were also captured during Operation Linebacker between May and October 1972 and Operation Linebacker II in December 1972, also known as the "Christmas Bombings". Initially, this information was downplayed by American authorities for fear that conditions might worsen for those remaining in North Vietnamese custody. His right knee and arms were broken in the crash, but he was denied medical care until the North Vietnamese government discovered that his father was a U.S. Navy admiral. ANZALDUA, Sgt. Thomas R., Navy, not named in previous lists. The ultimate example of Ha L Prison resistance was performed by Denton. They asked Kissinger to select twenty more men to be released early as a sign of good will. Tames, Navy, Lakeland, Fla., captured October, 1965. The first round of POWs to be released in February 1973 mostly included injured soldiers in need of medical attention. After the implementation of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, neither the United States nor its allies ever formally charged North Vietnam with the war crimes revealed to have been committed there. The mission included 54 C-141 flights between Feb. 12 and April 4, 1973, returning 591 POWs to American soil. In addition, Ha L was depicted in the 1987 Hollywood movie The Hanoi Hilton. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and received a commission in the United States Navy. This Vietnam War Prison Was Dubbed 'Hanoi Hilton' By American POWs Henry D., Navy, identified on previous lists only as Carolina native, captured July 1972. ALVAREZ, Lieut. Charles R., Navy, Miramar, Calif. HAINES, Comdr. Operation Homecoming was the return of 591 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. "People & Events: The Hanoi March", PBS American Experience. Far from a luxury hotel, here the prisoners of war were kept in isolation for years on end, chained to rat-infested floors, and hung from rusty metal hooks. [10]:84 However, access to the former prisoners was screened carefully and most interviews and statements given by the men were remarkably similar, leading many journalists to believe that the American government and military had coached them beforehand. Only one room in the back is dedicated to American POWs, though it doesnt make any reference to torture there are even videos detailing the kind treatment of the prisoners alongside photos of Americans playing sports on the prison grounds. Multiple POWs contracted beriberi at the camp due to severe malnutrition. The Hanoi Hilton was used by the North Vietnam to hold prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. NORRINGTON, Lieut. LERSETH, Lieut. Douglas Brent Hegdahl III (born September 3, 1946) is a former United States Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) who was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. The cells replicated in the museum'sexhibit represent the Hanoi Hilton experience. Then learn take a look inside the Andersonville Prison, a brutal POW camp during the Civil War. Wayne K., Navy, Berlin, N. Y., captured. Jobs People Learning Dismiss Dismiss. The men had missed events including the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the race riots of 1968, the political demonstrations and anti-war protests, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon and the release of The Godfather. AFP/Getty ImagesJohn McCain was captured in 1967 at a lake in Hanoi after his Navy warplane was been downed by the North Vietnamese. This military structure was ultimately recognized by the North Vietnamese and endured until the prisoners' release in 1973. Tim Gerard Baker/Getty Images Nothing prepares you for how creepy Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, Vietnam can be. Many of the future leading figures in Communist North Vietnam spent time in Maison Centrale during the 1930s and 1940s. The most immediate effect was to affirm to the POWs that their government was actively attempting to repatriate them, which significantly boosted their morale. Render, Navy, Lagrange, Ga., captured Februcry, 1966. Hoa Lo Prison, after all, is a place best known in the West as one of the prisons where American pilots who had been shot down and captured were kept as prisoners of war (although, technically, the North Vietnamese did not regard the pilots as "prisoners of war" in a legal sense). Consequently, in adherence with their code, the men did not accept release by refusing to follow instructions or put on their clothes. Most of the museum is dedicated to the buildings time as the Maison Centrale, the colonial French prison, with cells on display that once held Vietnamese revolutionaries. But we did the best we could. By Bernard Gwertzman Special to The New York Times. - Box cutters The prisoners returned included future politicians Senator John McCain of Arizona, vice-presidential candidate James Stockdale, and Representative Sam Johnson of Texas. [10]:79 No matter the opinion of the public, the media became infatuated with the men returned in Operation Homecoming who were bombarded with questions concerning life in the VC and PAVN prison camps. As a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton", navy pilot John McCain was known as uncompromising, frank and an avid reader who fiercely debated the war with his Vietnamese jailers. HARDMAN, Comdr. This Pentagon . Topics included a wide range of inquiries about sadistic guards, secret communication codes among the prisoners, testimonials of faith, and debates over celebrities and controversial figures. [17], For the book and documentary about American service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s, see, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Museum of the United States Air Force, "Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs Marks 40 Years", "Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs marks 40 years", Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, "Vietnam era statistical report Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia", "See the Emotional Return of Vietnam Prisoners of War in 1973", "Operation Homecoming Part 2: Some History", "Vietnam War POWs Come Home 40th Anniversary", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Homecoming&oldid=1142559036, Repatriation of 591 American POWs held by the, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 02:59. - Knives Usaf/Getty ImagesJohn McCain, leads a column of POWs released from the Hanoi Hilton, awaiting transportation to Gia Lam Airport. But at the same time the bonds of friendship and love for my fellow prisoners will be the most enduring memory of my five and a half years of incarceration.. It was also located near the Hanoi French Quarter. And thats when we cheered.. Paul telling his story to the crowd at the Freedom Museum. During a routine torture session with the hook, the Vietnamese tied a prisoners hands and feet, then bound his hands to his ankles sometimes behind the back, sometimes in front. During the Vietnam War, Risner was a double recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force, awarded the first for valor in aerial combat and the second for gallantry as a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese for more than seven years. Hoa Lo Prison Museum - "The Hanoi Hilton" - Vietnam Travel William J., Navy, New Manchester, W. Va. McKAMEY, Comdr. A majority of the prisoners were held at camps in North Vietnam, however some POWs were held in at various locations throughout Southeast Asia. As Cmdr. It is a tragic and heroic historical relic of the Vietnamese. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter. Dismiss . Kenneth H., Navy, home town unknown, captured. MILLER, Lieu, Edwin F., Navy, Franklin Lakes, N. J. MOBLEY, Lieut, Joseph S., Navy, Manhattan Beach, Calif. MOLINARE, Lieut. All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. [27], Only part of the prison exists today as a museum. [5], John L. Borling, a former POW returned during Operation Homecoming, stated that once the POWs had been flown to Clark Air Base, hospitalized and debriefed, many of the doctors and psychologists were amazed by the resiliency of a majority of the men. HOA LO Prison Historic SITE - HOA LO PRISON HISTORIC SITE - HELL ON [7] During periods of protracted isolation the tap code facilitated elaborate mental projects to keep the prisoners' sanity. Permitted Items: I thought perhaps I was going to die, said John McCain in this 1999 interview on his time at the Hanoi Hilton. That delightful day in 1973 would not be the last time that some of the prisoners would see the Hanoi Hilton. American POWs in Vietnam | National Museum of American History The first phase required the initial reception of prisoners at three release sites: POWs held by the Viet Cong (VC) were to be flown by helicopter to Saigon, POWs held by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) were released in Hanoi and the three POWs held in China were to be freed in Hong Kong. Those listed as having died in captivity include the following: Gustav Hertz, Joseph Grainger, John S. Henry, Daniel L. Niehouse, Tanos E. Kalil, Henry F. Blood, and Betty Olsen. The culture of the POWs held at the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison was on full display with the story that would come to be known as the "Kissinger Twenty". He was transferred to a medical facility and woke up in a room filthy with mosquitoes and rats. Some played mind games to keep themselves sane, making mental lists or building imaginary houses, one nail at a time. Robinson Risner and James Stockdale, two senior officers who were the de facto leaders of the POWs, were held in solitary for three and four years, respectively. ARCHER, Capt. U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War - Wikipedia By 1954, when the French were ousted from the area, more than 2,000 men were housed within its walls, living in squalid conditions. Congratulations, men, we just left North Vietnam,' former POW David Gray recalled his pilot saying. SEHORN, Capt. All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. Fifty-six commandos landed by helicopter and assaulted the prison, but the prisoners had been moved some months earlier and none were rescued. RIVERS, Capt. [3] A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600. List of Last Known Alive - P.O.W. Network . Please note the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is not responsible for items left in vehicles. American POWs gave them nicknames: Alcatraz, Briarpatch, Dirty Bird, the Hanoi Hilton, the Zoo. Walking Tour of Hoa Lo Prison, Vietnam's Hanoi Hilton - TripSavvy