Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018
Vietnam POW and North Carolina native Lt. Col. Barry Bridger talks about his time in the Hanoi Hilton, and explores the parallels between that war and today's conflicts.
Forty-five years ago this spring, hundreds of American POWs were returning home from Vietnam as the United States ended its active involvement in the war that divided this country. Among the captives was North Carolina native Barry Bridger, who was then a captain in the United States Air Force.
More than six years earlier, in January 1967, Bridger was shot down over Hanoi, coming down near the prison where he would spend most of his 2,232 days of captivity – the so-called “Hanoi Hilton” that also housed Sen. John McCain. It’s where Bridger and other prisoners were tortured by the North Vietnamese – physically and psychologically.
Bridger, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, is in Charlotte to talk with the World Affairs Council about his captivity, as well as the parallels between the conflicts of the Vietnam era and today.
GUEST
Lt. Col. Barry Bridger, United States Air Force (ret.)
EVENT INFO
The World Affairs Council of Charlotte is featuring Lt. Col. Bridger at a luncheon and private dinner on Wednesday. More details on the luncheon can be found here, and details on the dinner are here.