Share the personal account of the last U.S. Army prisoner captured during the Vietnam War. Beyond the torment and pain of his ordeal, Reeder’s story is one of courage, hope and survival. Book signing following the presentation. Hosted by Barrington Village President Karen Darch and Barrington Area VFW. A breakfast buffet along with coffee and tea will be provided by Egg Harbor Cafe. Veterans are welcome for no charge. 

William Reeder is a thirty-year Army veteran with two tours of duty in Vietnam, flying armed OV-1 Mohawk reconnaissance airplanes and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. He participated in deep reconnaissance and surveillance operations throughout Southeast Asia and supported the special operations of MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group). He has in excess of three thousand hours of flight time including more than one thousand hours in combat. During his second combat tour, he was shot down and captured by the communist North Vietnamese, spending nearly a year as a prisoner of war. He wrote a book on that experience, Through the Valley: My Captivity in Vietnam.

His military awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Valorous Unit Award, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and three Bronze Star Medals. He has three Purple Hearts for wounds received in action, the POW Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star, and numerous Air Medals (one with “V” device for valor). In 1977 he was named Army Aviator of the Year and was inducted into the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014. He was featured in the PBS documentary The Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam, as well as the “Attack Helicopters” episode of Deadliest Tech on the Military Channel. He has provided military commentary on CNN and the Discovery Channel. In 2017, he was chosen as the Naval Institute’s “Author of the Year.”