A Hero In My Life - My Captain, My Hero

As the tarnished silver bracelet with black faded letters lay on my wrist, the emotions I felt more than 35 years ago came rushing back.  The Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action (POW/MIA) bracelet was engraved with the name of my hero – Captain Charles L. Putnam. 

I was a 10-year-old patriot, upset that our soldiers in Vietnam seemed to have been abandoned by our Nation’s leaders.  Americans were apathetic about the war and forgot why we were there.  When the POW bracelets were established to remind us that our soldiers were still in Vietnam, I think I was the first person to order one. When my silver bracelet finally arrived, Capt. Putnam became an integral part of my life.  He became a symbol of bravery and hope - a true hero in every sense of the word. 

I believed that as long as I wore my bracelet, I could make a difference in this world.  A special bond connected him and me. He made me strong and gave me confidence to be the best person I could be because I knew he did that every day of his life.  With that passion, I wrote to the President and my Congressman, and urged them to bring home our soldiers, POWs and MIAs.  I wrote to Capt. Putnam’s family and told them I wore their son’s bracelet.  Whenever anyone inquired, I proudly told him or her that I wore the bracelet of my hero. 

As the war came to a close, I searched the published lists for the names returning POWs and those who had been missing in action.  Capt. Putnam had given meaning to my life and I was going to tell him, as soon as he got home.  

Capt. Putnam was shot down during a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam on March 9, 1967.  His co-pilot was captured and then escaped, but Capt. Putnam was killed.  His remains were not “discovered” by the Vietnamese government until 1988.  Only then did Capt. Putnam return to the United States.  

I wore the bracelet long after the war ended, but eventually put it away. Through the years, I often thought about Capt. Putnam and shared my story with friends.  Eventually I told my daughter about his heroism and what he meant to me.  We will never forget Capt. Putnam. 

We must not allow the tragedy of the Vietnam War to repeat itself in Iraq or anywhere else in the world. Those who fight for our country must never be forgotten or left behind.  The strength and courage of our soldiers must give us the courage and strength to never, ever give up for that in which we believe. As a Nation, we must always remember what we are fighting for and remember what we value most.

Thank you, Captain, for being my strength, for helping me to believe in the strength of my convictions and to know, that in some small way, I can make a difference.