GUENTHER, LYNN ELLIS
Name: Lynn Ellis Guenther
Rank/Branch: United States Air Force/O3
Unit:
Date of Birth: 30 December 1945
Home City of Record: The Dalles OR
Date of Loss: 26 December 1971
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 170100 North 1060900 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OV10A
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident:
Refno:
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: 730212 RELEASED BY DRV INJURED
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).
LYNN E. GUENTHER
Captain - United States Air Force
Shot Down: December 26, 1971
Released: February 12, 1973
I was born in Glasgow, Montana on December 30, 1945. I lived in a small town
18 miles east of Glasgow called Fort Peck until I was 12. At that time my
family moved to The Dalles, Oregon where my mother is still residing. It
was at this time that Sue and I first met and dated sporadically throughout
high school. Upon graduation the two of us went our different ways - Sue to
Oregon State University and I to Linfield. After two years we got back
together and I then transferred to Oregon State. In December of 1968, Sue
and I were married and in June of that year we both graduated - Sue in
Education and I in Economics. In July we started our military career at
Webb AFB Texas, by attending undergraduate pilot training. One year later
I received my wings and was assigned to the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at
March AFB, California flying KC-135's.
To back up just a minute, it was during pilot training that our first son,
Tod, was born. To continue - we spent one year at March AFB before I was
notified of a Vietnam tour. I volunteered for an OV-10 forward air
controller assignment which I received. We then left March AFB for Cannon
AFB, New Mexico for three months of training and then on to Hurlbert Field
outside Eglin AFB, Florida for another three months. It was during our stay
at Eglin that our second son, Adam, was born. Upon completion of my
training, Sue, Tod (now 2), Adam (about 4 weeks) and I drove back across
country to finally settle in Eugene, Oregon. In August of 1971 I departed
the States for my year's duty in Vietnam. My stops enroute were Da Nang,
Pleiku (for two months) and finally NKP Thailand.
On December 26, 1971, after flying about three months over Laos, I was shot
down by Anti Aircraft Artillery. I sustained two injuries - one to my left
eye and the other to my left shoulder. While in captivity I underwent two
operations, one for each injury. As far as my thoughts and feelings go I
feel I have learned a great deal about myself, my fellow Americans and all
of mankind. I now know the real meaning of tolerance and love - tolerance
for those around us and love for the country and world we live in.
Through the long hours I'd do a lot of thinking about people I hadn't
thought of for years. I love to hunt and fish, and I recalled a lot of
hunting and fishing trips with my dad; and I made plans for the future -
things like this. I made a little deck of cards out of toilet paper they
gave us and played solitaire. Sue sent me a puzzle called Tower of Trouble
for Christmas, and I made up a version of that. It took me about three days
to figure out the exact system for working this thing, and after you once
get the system down, it takes a total of about three minutes to do the whole
damn thing - but I don't remember the system now.
As for our future, we plan to make the military our life. I have returned to
school to obtain my Masters Degree in Industrial Labor Relations with a
major field of study in Personnel Management.
December 1996
Lynn Guenther retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel. He and
Susan still reside in Oregon.
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