Several months after the May 2024 opening of the Vietnam exhibit in our Museum, I began to wonder, given the few Jewish aviators in the Air Force, whether there had been Jewish prisoners of war in captivity in Hanoi. I asked one of the two Air Force Jewish aviators I knew, Colonel David Brog, and learned that there were four who had been held in the infamous Hao Lo prison, also known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” Colonel Brog than provide me with photos biographies of the four that I gave to Mike Rugel, the Museum’s Director of Programs and Content, who created a temporary display that could be shown during Museum tours.
Shortly thereafter, as I reached out to two of the four POWs, two had since passed away, I learned that there were two more former POWs, one of whom converted to Judaism shortly after being repatriated. Their pictures and bios were also given to Mike. Now that there were six, my initial thought of simply writing an article about them for The Jewish Veteran transformed itself in a possible book and a larger, permanent display within the Vietnam exhibit that would include their photos, brief biographies, and a picture of the Hanoi Hilton. This latter plan has been approved by Ms. Elaine Bernstein, President of the Museum and Mr. Ken Greenberg, JWV’s National Executive Director.
The six POWs, in order of their date of capture are:
- Air Force A/2C Arthur Niel Black, an HH-43B pararescueman, whose helicopter was shot down during a rescue operation and was captured by either the Pathet Lao or Viet Cong on 28 September 1965. Black was subsequently given a field commission and retired as a major.
- Air Force First Lieutenant Edward Alan “Al” Brudno, F-4C Pilot Systems Officer (GiB), shot down and captured on 18 October 1965. He committed suicide four months after his repatriation in February 1973 and his death led to greater awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Air Force Major Alan P. Lurie, an F-4C pilot, shot down and captured on 13 June 1966. He remained in the Air Force after repatriation and retired as a Brigadier General. He passed away on 12 September 2017.
- Air Force Captain Melvin Pollack, and F-4C pilot, shot down and captured on 6 June 1967. He remained on active duty following repatriation and retired as a Lt Colonel
- Captain (Dr.) Floyd Harold “Hal” Kushner, an Army Flight Surgeon, Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment, captured by the Viet Cong when his helicopter crashed in a rainstorm on 2 December 1967. He remained on active duty and the reserves after repatriation and retired as a Colonel.
- Air Force Captain Charles “Chuck” Jackson, an F-4C Pilot, Weapons Systems Officer, was shot down and captured on 24 June 1972. Captain Jackson converted to Judaism after repatriation. He passed away suddenly in August 2015.
My research for the planned book, whose working title entitled is Hanoi’s Jewish POWs: Six Came Home, Five Survived is almost finished. Chapters will include a brief history of the Vietnam War, a description of the 14 North Vietnamese prison camps, an essay on the treatment of the POWs, a chapter on each of the six POWs, an edited version of a 1000-line poem memorized by Lieutenant Brudno, and a concluding chapter on PTSD.