Operation Homecoming Activities at Sheppard Air Force Base

by Heather Sulier, posted in Photographs, Prisoners of War, Still Pictures, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War
Local ID: 342-VH-2-03-2
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Operation Homecoming and the return of nearly 600 American prisoners of war from Vietnam.

In 1973, Sheppard Air Force Base had the honor of serving as a reception point for Operation Homecoming, helping to welcome home Vietnam POWs after years of captivity. It was in February when an Air Force cargo plane arrived at Sheppard AFB with 38 Americans – officers, enlisted and civilians – returning home to their families and their lives as free Americans.

The Still Picture Branch’s newly processed series, 342-VH: Photographs Related to Operation Homecoming Activities at Sheppard Air Force Base, consists of photographic material relating to the Operation Homecoming activities that took place at Sheppard AFB. Below are a handful of photographs from this series, providing a visual narrative of the proceedings that took place for the group of ex-POW’s repatriated through Sheppard.

Local ID: 342-VH-2-05-1
Local ID: 342-VH-2-05-2
Local ID: 342-VH-2-17-4
Local ID: 342-VH-2-17-5
Local ID: 342-VH-2-18-2
Local ID: 342-VH-2-14-1
Local ID: 342-VH-2-13-2
Local ID: 342-VH-2-14-2
Local ID: 342-VH-2-13-3
Local ID: 342-VH-2-24-5
Local ID: 342-VH-2-32-3
Local ID: 342-VH-2-32-4
Local ID: 342-VH-2-38-1
Local ID: 342-VH-2-30-2
Local ID: 342-VH-2-38-5
Local ID: 342-VH-2-30-5
Local ID: 342-VH-2-01-2

For more Operation Homecoming related material, check out these blogs previously posted on The Unwritten Record:

The photographs included within this post have no known copyright restrictions. If you have any questions about the images in this post or the holdings of the Still Picture Branch, please contact us at stillpix@nara.gov.

PUBLICATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FURNISHED BY THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES STILL PICTURE BRANCH-RRSS

Generally, copies of photographic records held by the National Archives may be published without special permission or additional fees. The National Archives does not grant exclusive or non-exclusive publication privileges. Copies of Federal records, as part of the public domain, are equally available to all. A small percentage of photographs in our holdings are or may be subject to copyright restrictions. The National Archives does not confirm the copyright status of photographs but will provide any information known about said status. It is the user’s responsibility to obtain all necessary clearances. Any use of these items is made at the researcher’s or purchaser’s own risk.

Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation. They also help inform the public about government photographic resources that are available.

*Because so many of our requests for information cite credits and captions that appear in published works, the inclusion of a photo number in hard copy and electronic publications is of great assistance to both us and the public.

Examples of preferred credit lines are as follows:

  • National Archives photo no. 210-G-C241
  • Credit National Archives (photo no. 83-G-41368)
  • Courtesy National Archives, photo no. 83-G-41430
  • National Archives (210-G-A14)

If using a large number of our images, the National Archives will appreciate receiving copies of publications that contain our photographs. Such copies can be sent to the Still Picture Branch or the Library, National Archives and Records Administration.