BAUGH, WILLIAM J.

Name: William J. Baugh
Rank/Branch: O3/United States Air Force
Unit: 480th TFS
Date of Birth: 17 July 1934
Home City of Record: Piqua OH
Date of Loss: 21 January 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 213600N 1062800E
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C, #0810
Incident No: 0580
Missions: 50 Vietnam
Other Personnel in Incident: Donald "Ray" Spoon, returnee

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: 730304 RELEASED BY DRV

November 17, 1996 - Col (RET) William Baugh provided the P.O.W. NETWORK with
this biography:

I was born on 17 July 1934 in Piqua, Ohio. I graduated from Bowling Green
State University in Ohio in 1956, with an Air Force ROTC Commission as a
Second Lieutenant. After completing Pilot Training in 1958, I was assigned
to the 465th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Griffiss AFB Rome NY, where I
flew the F-89 and F-101 B, then off to the 92nd TFS, RAF Bentwaters England
in 1963, where he flew F-101A & C, and then the F-4C. Sept 1966 I was
assigned to the 480th TFS Danang AFB South VietNam. On the 21st of Jan
1967, while flying my 25th combat mission over North VietNam (I also flew
25 missions over South VietNam), I was shot down and captured. During
ejection I suffered a compressed vertebrae, broken jaw and cheek bone, and
was blinded in the right eye. After six years & six weeks of surviving the
POW camps in North VietNam, I was repatriated on March the 4th 1973. It was
a great and wonderful dream come true - a feeling of total joy.

Upon my return I remained in the Air Force and attended Air War College at
Maxwell AFB, then was assigned to Headquarters NORAD as a Personnel Officer,
then as Director of Protocol for CINC NORAD, and finally as Director of
Personnel at the Wing at Peterson AFB. I retired from active duty in May
1981 with the rank of Colonel.

In 1983 I resumed to work for the Government in the Civil Service ranks as
the Chief of Public Affairs for the 2nd Space Wing at Falcon AFB, CO. in the
fall off 1991 I finally hung up my spurs and really retired.

I now keep busy as the Editor of a quarterly news letter for the VietNam POW
organization called "NAM-POW's." I am also a guest lecturer at the AF Space
Command NCO Academy and Airman Leadership Schools.

I was a Command Pilot, with over 2500 hours of "fighter pilot" time. My
military decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, POW
Medal, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with
Cluster.

I reside in Colorado Springs, with my wife Mary, a Great Danes, an English
Mastiff and two Cats. We have 4 children and 5 grandchildren.

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