CHENEY, KEVIN JOSEPH

Name: Kevin Joseph Cheney
Rank/Branch: O3/United States Air Force
Unit: 469TFS, 388TFW
Date of Birth: 17 November 1945
Home City of Record: Miami FL
Date of Loss: 01 July 1972
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 211600 N 1061200 E
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:F4E, No: 277
Incident No: 1889
Missions: 40 SVN, 62 NVN, 280 Laos and 20 Cambodia

Other Personnel in Incident: Paul K. Robinson, returnee, AC

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK March 1997 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: 730328 RELEASED BY DRV

SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).

KEVIN JOSEPH CHENEY
Captain - United States Air Force
Shot Down: July 1, 1972
Released: March 28, 1973

After graduating from the University of Florida, I attended OTS class 69-02
and was commissioned in September 1968. I graduated from navigator training
in October 1969 and finished F-4 RTU at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona in
August 1970. I reported to Korat RTAFB, Thailand in September 1970 and
extended for a second tour, all of which was spent as Tiger FAC

I was shot down 1 July 1972 over Kep Airfield while flying with Major Paul K
Robinson. We were both captured immediately and spent the next seven months
in the "Hanoi Hilton" complex. We were transferred to the "Zoo" for the last
two months prior to our release on 28 March 1973.

My most memorable moments while in captivity came when I found and became
acquainted with Col. Lawrence Guarino who had been captured in 1965. His
oldest son and I had shared an apartment while in college, during which time
I met Col. Guarino's wife and three other sons. The information that Col.
Guarino and I were able to exchange while in prison was a big aid to both of
us. I was very fortunate to have been put in the same camp with him.

I plan on making the Air Force a career and am currently attending UPT at
Moody AFB, Ga. My parents and five brothers and sisters all live in Miami,
Florida, which is where I call home. I would like to thank people
everywhere for their prayers, thoughts, and for simply "caring" both for us
who returned and especially those who did not return. I hope the prayers,
thoughts and efforts continue until our MIA's are reasonably accounted for.

February 1997 with information provided by Col. Cheney.
At the time of his capture, Kevin Cheney was on his 2nd tour and flying
F4e's. He unit was the 469TFS, 388TFW and during his tour he flew 40
missions over SVN, 62 over NVN, 280 over Laos and 20 over Cambodia. By the
time he was captured, he had completed more than 400 missions. He had minor
burns and shrapel wounds from the shootdown, but recalls torture was not as
bad for him as for those captured earlier in the war. He "only" had some
beatings, was held in leg irons, was deprived sleep, food and water. He
still says his captivity was worthwhile, because he had been able to bring
Larry Guarino news of his family. "Life only gets better following a POW
experience", he says now. After his release, he was awarded he Joint
Meritorious Service Medal as well as the POW medal.

He returned to school for further military training following captivity in
OTS, UNT, UPT, and ACSC. Kevin Cheney retired from the United States Air
Force as a Lt. Colonel in 1995. By then, he had accumulated more than 4000
hours of flight time and over 3000 hours in the Phantom. He currently enjoys
flying, youth sports, and cross country travel visiting friends. Kevin and
his wife Kathy reside in Georgia. They have one son, Patrick.

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