Operation Homecoming remembered during 40th anniversary of Vietnam POW return Published Dec. 3, 2013 By Judith Taylor, Senior Historian Air Force Medical Operations Agency FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- This year marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam conflict and the return of American prisoners of war (POW), called Operation Homecoming. In late 1972, the Air Force Medical Service began planning for the return of 591 Americans held by the North Vietnamese. Of paramount concern was the physical and mental well-being of these former POWs. When the release finally began in February of 1973, the medical service stood by to provide air evacuation (AE) and in-garrison medical care, including nutritional medicine and mental health services. The first evacuation took place on Feb. 14, 1973. The U.S. government had no way of knowing the physical and mental condition of returnees so medics had to be ready for anything. Dieticians carefully formulated menus to minimize ill effects on the under-nourished men. Air Force medical leadership decided to augment AE crews with physicians in order to deal with any serious medical conditions that might arise. Nine Air Force, three Army, and six Navy flight doctors accompanied the servicemen on these freedom flights. Each team of two flight doctors, three flight nurses, and three medical technicians flew returnees out of Vietnam to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and then from there back to the U.S. At the hospital at Clark, medical staff eagerly awaited the first arrivals. They had spent exhaustive hours planning every aspect of the operation. Months before the release, the medical group exercised the entire process running volunteer "returnees" though a complete medical evaluation, including history, physical and dental exams, laboratory work-ups and X-rays...then refined the procedures again. Once at Clark, medics briefly triaged the returnees and then released them to make phone calls, go for uniform fitting, and most importantly...eat. The first group back started eating at 10 p.m. and finally finished around 4 a.m. the next morning. One doctor noted that, "The amount of food consumed by the returnees was staggering...every man could take as much as he wanted." Food items available included steak, lobster, fried chicken, prime rib, Cornish hen, fried shrimp, veal parmesan, hamburger, omelets, pastries, strawberry shortcake, banana splits and all manner of other salads, vegetables, and deserts. The staff also provided candlelight dinners and various international meals complete with wine and beer. Hospital personnel did note some individual record holders in regards to the volume of certain items in a single sitting--14 eggs, six 8-oz fillets, 18 slices of bacon, five strawberry shortcakes, and six large ice cream sundaes. Within 72-hours each patient underwent a complete physical exam and most were then sent on their way home. The mission of the medics at Clark was not to provide definitive care, but to do an initial assessment of health and then clear the beds for the next set of POWs released. The 10th Air Evacuation Group out of Travis AFB had the task of flying American returnees back home. Once there, the men went to hospitals near their home stations for further treatments and assessments, including psychological evaluations. Hospitals included those at Lackland AFB, Texas; Keesler AFB, Miss.; Sheppard AFB, Texas; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; March AFB, Calif; Westover AFB, Mass.; Scott AFB, Ill.; Maxwell AFB, Ala.; and Andrews AFB, Md.. The last returnee left Clark three months after Operation Homecoming started, but the Air Force and other medical services continued to provide care to ensure returnees would have all the support they needed as they re-entered society. Medical units involved with the endeavor included the 19th Aeromedical Staging Facility, 9th Aeromedical Evacuation Group, 10th Aeromedical Evacuation Group, and the USAF Hospital Clark. USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)