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First Name
Arthur
Middle Name
Neil
Last Name
Black
Birthdate
Hometown
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Rank
Major
Service Branch
Air Force
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Neil Black enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on January 16, 1963, and was trained as a pararescueman. His first assignment was as a pararescueman with the 79th Air Rescue Squadron at Andersen AFB, Guam, from October 1963 to May 1965, and then with the 41st Air Rescue Squadron at Hamilton AFB, California, from May 1965 until his helicopter was shot down over North Vietnam and he was taken as a Prisoner of War while on temporary duty in Southeast Asia on September 20, 1965.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Lieutenant Black was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He was one of three enlisted POWs that received Presidential commissions when they returned, after having been commissioned by the POW Camp leadership in Hanoi. Lieutenant Black was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Andrews AFB, Maryland, and entered Undergraduate Pilot Training in August 1973, receiving his pilot wings at Williams AFB, Arizona, in September 1974. He completed C-130 Hercules training in November 1974, and then served as a C-130 pilot until March 1979, when he began pilot instructor training. Captain Black's next assignment was as an instructor pilot with the 455th Flying Training Squadron of the 323rd Flying Training Wing at Mather AFB, California, from June 1979 to September 1981. He then attended Russian Language School from December 1981 to December 1983 before serving as an Air Operations Officer with the U.S. Military Liaison Mission to the Soviet Forces in East Germany from January 1984 until his retirement from the Air Force on February 1, 1987.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Air Force Cross
- Defense Superior Service Medal
- Legion of Merit
- Bronze Star (2)
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release