Political Quotes

“it is a profound honor to pay tribute to the late U.S. Air Force Colonel Carlyle Smith ``Smitty'' Harris of Tupelo, Mississippi, an American hero who spent 8 years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam. A courageous Air Force pilot who was shot down behind enemy lines, he displayed remarkable bravery and heroism enduring torture, solitary confinement, and abuse in the infamous ``Hanoi Hilton.'' Colonel Harris' strength and determination left an indelible mark on American history. Carlyle ``Smitty'' Harris enlisted in the Air Force in January 1951 and earned his pilot wings in 1953. After years of advanced pilot training and as a flight instructor, he was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, in 1964. On April 4, 1965, while flying the F-105 fighter-bomber over North Vietnam, his plane was shot down behind enemy lines. He was captured immediately and forced to march to the nearest village, surrounded by angry and armed captors. He had no idea what horrors awaited him in the infamous Hoa Lo prison, better known to most Americans by its nickname: the ``Hanoi Hilton.''”