Ex-POWs Byrns and Raebel Honored at Green Cove Ceremony
Both Shot Down Over Enemy Territory
Two local Vietnam vets once held captive by the North Vietnamese were honored over the weekend during the annual Vietnam Veteran’s Appreciation Day in Green Cove Springs. The ceremony was conducted at the TAPS monument, dedicated to the dozens of Clay County people who died in combat.
Clay County Commissioner Kristen Burke presented both men with a Proclamation of Appreciation.
One recipient was Air Force Colonel Bill Byrns, who was shot down by anti-aircraft fire on May 23, 1972, while flying over North Vietnam. He was captured and taken prisoner and spent 309 days in captivity.
In 2017, the Clay County Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America No. 1059 renamed their organization in Byrns’ honor—the Colonel William G. Byrns Chapter 1059.
The other was given to Navy Captain Dale Raebel, who was forced to eject from his A-7 aircraft while flying off the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga on a strike to North Vietnam on August 17, 1972. He was captured immediately upon landing and moved to Hanoi, where he was held captive for 225 days.
Commissioner Mike Cella was the master of ceremonies for more than 250 attendees.
Joining the crowd was First Coast News Reporter Jeanne Blaylock. She and Lewis Turner will tell the stories of Vietnam veterans during a special report at 7 p.m. on April 13 on WJXX-ABC25.
President Barack Obama proclaimed March 29, 2013, as Vietnam Veterans Day. He called upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
In 2017, the day became an official holiday signed by President Trump. It is now known as the National Vietnam War Veterans Day through the “Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Action of 2017.
