Raymond Arthur Vohden (1930 - 2016)

Captain Ray Vohden was a Prisoner of War for 2735 days during the Vietnam War.

Biography

Commander Ray Vohden served in the United States Navy in the Vietnam War
Service started: 1952
Unit(s): VA-216, USS Hancock, (CVA-19)
Service ended: 1986

Birth

Captain Raymond Arthur Vohden was born on 30 November 1930 in Springfield Township, Union, New Jersey, United States to George Stevenson Vohden (1904-1986) and Ina E. Loeser (1908-1992). ^[1]

Baptism

He was baptized on 12 June 1932 in Maplewood, Essex, New Jersey at the Vauxhall Chapel in the United Methodist Church.

Known Siblings

1. George Stevenson Vohden was born on 2 August 1928 in Newark, Essex, New Jersey, USA. He married Joanne Harris Matthews (1934-1997) on 21 June 1958 in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. George died on 2 September 1987 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA.
2. Doris Ann Vohden was born on 19 March 1939 in Summit, Union, New Jersey, USA. She married Rev. James Jordan. Doris died on 1 September 2013 in Schnecksville, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Education

Ray attended and graduated from Dayton High School in Springfield, New Jersey having earned 9 varsity letters in four different sports. His nickname was Iron Man because he often competed in both track and baseball on the same day.

He graduated from Rutgers University in 1952 with a Business Administration degree. While at Rutgers, he was on the wrestling team and won the New Jersey and Eastern Regional A.A.U. championships. He earned 7 Varsity letters at Rutgers in 3 sports.

After his release from North Vietnam, he attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Marriages and Family

He married twice.

1. Bonnye Jean Smith (1938-2002) c. 1959 in Memphis, Tennessee when he was 29 and a pilot based at Memphis Naval Air Station. Bonnye was 21 and a secretary at the time. He learned that she had filed for divorce while he was in prison from a Stars and Stripes article that the guards tacked up on a bulletin board. She did withdraw that petition just before he was released. They eventually divorced in 1973 after a 13-year marriage. (See Chicago Tribune article on Sunday, April 22, 1973, front page with the headline of Divorce shatters POW's 8 years of hope and prayers. cont. p 18, col. 1.).
2. Maria Adriana Cerda, (born 24 Feb 1946 in Chile) known as Adriana on 30 August 1976 in Arlington, Virginia. Adriana is the daughter of Juan Cerda and Adriana Ramirez. Adriana's first and his second marriage.

Children of the Vohden-Smith Marriage

1. Raymond Arthur Vohden Jr. born c. 1962.
2. Connye Vohden born c. 1963.

Military Service

He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1952, but went on active duty in January 1953 and was commissioned an Ensign. He was awarded his wings in 1954. He flew fighter jets for four years. In 1958 he was a flight instructor for the next three years.

While serving on the USS Constellation in 1961, he was a catapult officer and on the USS Hancock in 1964 he served as a jet attack pilot.

Prisoner of War from 3 April 1965 to 12 February 1973 when he was released in Operation Homecoming. ^[2]

Flying an A-4C Skyhawk bomber Commander Vohden from the USS Hancock (CVA-19) , he was shot down over North Vietnam and taken as a Prisoner of War. He was the fourth American pilot to be shot down over North Vietnam. He was badly injured when he left the plane and broke his right leg in 2 places and his back in 4 places; therefore he was the first American Prisoner of War to be released after the initial release ceremony in Hanoi on 12 February. He is seen on crutches when he landed on the first hospital plane that landed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. The photo was in every major newspaper in the United States.

The target on that mission was Dong Phuong Bridge around 65 miles south of Hanoi on Route 1. The Vietnamese called it Ham Rong (the Dragon's Jaw). It was considered a vital supply link for troops and equipment heading south. He was 34, a lieutenant commander and the operations officer for the USS Hancock's jet attack squadron VA-216. He had helped plan the mission. It was to go farther north than any raid since 1964. The attack was a coordinated mission with the U.S.S. Coral Sea pilots. He was the leader of the second of three divisions of aircraft for that target.

His medical condition was quickly deteriorating in Vietnam. In his own words: 11 May 1965. The Butcher and the doctor came to my room to change the dressing again. It had been more than a month since I was shot down. It seemed like years since that last morning aboard the ship, getting ready for the mission. My eyes started to well up. With great effort, I put those thoughts out of my mind. The doctor left, and a few minutes later, returned with another man, evidently another doctor. This new man examined my leg, and after some conversation, the first doctor told me in halting English what I had already suspected: The bones in my leg were not mending and the tibia, the larger of the two bones, had become infected as was starting to rot. They had to cut away the dead part of the bone or the infection would spread. The doctor tried to assure me that this was not a serious problem and that once the bones had healed, a bone graft would be a simple procedure. ^[3]

Even though he was very leery of an operation done in Vietnam, he had no choice, the leg was turning gangrenous. They actually gave him a real meal of eggs and let him briefly see and speak with another prisoner, Navy Lieutenant Phil Butler just before the surgery was to take place. He only ran into Phil twice in the next seven and a half years in prison and once was when they were on the plane going home.

Due to the positions, he held after the war, there is a great deal of information about Ray's incarceration in formal statements made to Congress.

He was flown out on C-141 Tail number 60177 from Gia Lam Airport, Hanoi, North Vietnam at 12:30 hours and arrived at Clark Air Base, Philippines at 1625 hours.

After his return, hospitalization and further education, he became the head of the Pentagon's POW/MIA task force for three years. From there, he served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, District of Columbia until his retirement from the Armed Forces in 1986.

Honors

His Silver Star Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Commander Raymond Arthur Vohden (NSN: 0-4416570), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from August 1966 to February 1967. Commander Vohden's captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion, Commander Vohden reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces.

1. Silver Star Medal
2. Defense Superior Service Medal
3. Legion of Merit with 2 Stars
4. Distinguished Flying Cross
5. Bronze Star
6. Purple Heart with 1 Star

Retirement from the United States Navy

Captain Vohden retired from the United States Navy in 1986 after serving his country for 33 years.

Death and Burial

Captain Vohden died in McLean, Fairfax, Virginia, United States on 20 November 2016, 10 days short of the age of 86. The first memorial service for him was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church at 8991 Brook Road in McLean, Virginia on 22 November 2017. He was buried on 24 October 2017 in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington, Virginia. There was a service at the Old Chapel on Fort Meyer before the interment. Find A Grave: Memorial #173226960 ^[4] Section 55, Grave 3621.

Sources

• Church Records. Greater New Jersey United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and History, Madison, New Jersey for baptism.
• NamPOW [1]
• POW Network for news of his death.
• Chicago Tribune article on 22 April 1973, front page and page 18, col. 1.
• Cuba News. Testimony of Former American POW on Vietnam "Cuba Program." 4 November 1999 see here for article having to do with torture carried out by Cubans in Hanoi. Find the entire article [2]
• Vohden, Ray. A Story of the Fifth Longest Held POW in US History: First POW Released at Homecoming. Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2009. ISBN-13:978-1438950952.
• Wikipedia article on Rutgers Scarlet Knights Wrestling. [3]
• Rutgers Wrestling Media Guide. [4]
• 1951 Rutgers Football Squad Roster. [5]
• Hudson, Audrey. Washington Times 5 November 1999 U.S. POWs Recall Cubans Torturing them in Vietnam. To read entire report, go here [6]
• Gorman, Sean. POW Torture by Cubans Recounted. 5 Nov 1999 in the Miami Herald. [7]
• Destatte, Robert. The statement made on 4 November 1999 before the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, Congress about the Cuban Program. The link is found here This is considered to be the most thorough and accurate statement on the subject.
• Combat Area Casualties Returned Alive File, 5/1/1962-3/22/1979 [Archival Database]; Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam Conflict, 1/20/1967-12/1998; Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.
• Who's Who in America for Raymond Arthur Vohden. 1982.
• Roberts, Steveen B. New York Times Article: P.O.W's a Year Later: Most Adapt Well, page 1, on 10 February 1974. On line archives here

Footnotes

1. ↑ NJ Church
2. ↑ NAM POW List
3. ↑ Vohden, R: page 44.
4. ↑ NAM POW Obituary Notice sent to all members through Camp Radio Broadcast.

Acknowledgements