Colonel Thomas Moe: American POW in North Vietnam

The American POWs held during the Vietnam War, while small in number compared to those of other major wars, endured long captivity under harsh conditions. While each POW’s story is unique, many common threads connect them all, in particular the struggle for survival. Colonel Thomas Moe was one of these men. He became a POW in January 1968 and was not released until March 1973. A junior officer at the time of his capture, Colonel Moe stayed in the Air Force after his release and served in a variety of assignments, including command of a fighter squadron. He was interviewed for Vietnam Magazine by Ed McCaul.

Moe: I arrived in Vietnam in September 1967. I had what was called a ‘pipeline assignment, which meant that you finished your training and went right to war. I flew F-4s and did most of my missions in the southern part of North Vietnam.

Moe: Yes, they were. When you were doing bombing missions, you had to be careful when you calculated release altitude, as you had to consider your altitude above the ground as well as the ground’s altitude above sea level. We had to know the combined height. Sometimes pilots would forget to do that and would crash.

Moe: It happened some, especially at night. My roommate was killed that way. Losses really were not that high, but flying into the ground was one of the most common. One of the other big killers was fuze malfunctions. A fuze malfunction got me. After we lost a number of aircraft in November 1967 to what we believed were fuze malfunctions, we basically said we were not going to fly anymore until they got rid of the bad fuzes. It was a touchy time.

Moe: We weren’t sure. All we knew was that guys would go out on missions with these fuzes, an FMU-35/B, and their planes blew up without being hit by enemy fire. Most of the men were killed from the explosions.

Moe: In November 1967 the Air Force did concede to stop using the fuzes temporarily and to conduct an investigation after giving us some rough talk about refusing orders. They supposedly did a study and then gave the fuzes a clean slate. It was January 1968, the war was cranking up again after Christmas, and I am sure they did not want to have anything slow down the bombing. The very first mission that we used those fuzes on again was a mission I was on. We called ourselves the Guinea Pig Flight. When the wingman released his bombs, I saw one of them go off prematurely. The plane was so heavily damaged that its tail was blown off. Shrapnel hit our aircraft, but we did not know it at first. I was flying and went into a big turn around where [my wingman] had gone down. I was looking at my navigational instruments, to make some notes on where the crewmen were, in order to help set up a rescue effort. The first clue I had that we had been hit was when I tried to call a Mayday on the radio. When I keyed the mike, I did not hear any feedback and realized we had lost our radio. Then I smelled smoke, and the frontseater said we were on fire. I did not think we were at a very good location to eject, so I leveled off and headed west, as we were only 90 miles from an airbase in Thailand. Scott Stovin, the frontseater, said he would take control of the aircraft so we could get ready to eject. About that time we lost all hydraulics and started to roll over. As we were rolling over, Stovin said, Let’s bail out! By then we were upside down, and I said, Whoa, I’m not leaving!

Moe: I did not want to eject upside down. So I took [control of] the airplane back as there were a few tricks I wanted to try to get us right side up. We had independent ejection systems, and he could have ejected anytime, but he stayed with me. I pulled the stick back and gave it full rudder. We rolled right side up, but the bird was shaking like crazy. I was wondering how I was ever going to get out as I had the stick in my lap and one leg completely jammed forward on the rudder pedal under the control panel. The problem was that in the back seat the control panel is closer to you than in the front seat. I told Scott that I did not think I could eject this way. He said he would take over and gave it full rudder and aft stick. I ejected, and about a second later he ejected. Normally, the backseater went first, because you would get burnt from flames resulting from the frontseater ejecting. I never saw Scott on the ground, and he was rescued right after I was captured.

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18 Comments to “Colonel Thomas Moe: American POW in North Vietnam”
I was so thrilled to see Thomas Moe at GOP convention when Sarah Palin spoke about him. I had his POW bracelet when I was in Jr. High

By Tracy on Sep 3, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I have a POW bracelet from elementary school for a Capt. Thomas Moe. I was watching the convention and when Sarah Palin said something about Tom Moe. I got all excited and told my husband that Tom Moe was on my POW bracelet. I was so ecstatic at remembering something from 30 odd years ago that I went and found the bracelet to prove my thoughts. I have often thought about the man on my bracelet and to be able to see him in person was something incredible. I would like to be able to tell him that he has been thought of numerous times in the past 30 years. He looks to be a very personable man and I am proud to have had him in my prayers for a long time.

By christy on Sep 3, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I also have a bracelet that has Captain Thomas Moe and the date 1-18-68. It was not mine it was my little sisters Tina Hadwin, We had a car accident on April 2, 1973 and she was killed, she had kept the bracelet in her purse and it was with her that night, she was only 8 years old. I have kept the bracelet and have also thought and prayed for Capt. Moe. When I heard his name last night, I also told my husband and ran to find the silver bracelet, that meant so much to Tina, and myself. God Bless you Colonel Thomas Moe. And God Bless our Great Country, and the Leaders of it. I am voting for John McCain. I have a Son in Iraq at this time, this is his second tour. May the Lord Jesus keep a hedge of protection around all of our troops and bring them home undefeated. And Thank you Sarah Palin for letting Myself, Christy and others whom have kept these bracelts and wondered about this couragous man, We have a peace of this matter knowing he returned to his family safely. Once again, I thank you.

By jeanie on Sep 4, 2008 at 9:49 am
To gain a thorough respect for our country’s POWs and how they sacrificed for us, read the following 1996 article (written by Tom Moe) in Notre Dame Magazine;
printed January 1996: http://www.nd.edu/~ndmag/moew95.html

Also, re: Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum: please go to the Viet Nam era section and see the mock up of the cells they lived in for years. The display (Tom assisted the Museum in its replica construction, and as told to a Lancaster group by Tom Moe on a 2007 tour to the Dayton museum) depicts how the prisoners developed a code system (something like Morse code, but not that code), with which they communicated by tapping on the cell walls with their alphabet code. The emphatic messages were “Return with Honor”

The character of John McCain and Tom Moe are reflected in their ability to return to their beloved country with honor.

By Will on Sep 4, 2008 at 11:14 am
I too wore the MIA/POW bracelet for Capt Thomas Moe. It was so exciting to see him at the convention and to know that he is alive and being honored by the Republican as well as all other American who are very grateful for all of his sacrifices. I wish him and his family God’s speed.

By Emily on Sep 4, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I knew Colonel Thomas Moe’s father, Al. He was a civilian engineer with the Navy during the Vietnam war. Al Moe was a very fine man. I was delighted to see Thomas introduced at the Republican convention.

By Mike on Sep 4, 2008 at 6:01 pm
The Republican Convention gave us the best gift one could get. To know that Tom Moe was alive. My wife and I wore Tom’s bracelet till the late 70’s when we left the USAF (we still have them). My wife picked his name randomly at a wives club meeting and I did because a friend, Bill “Wimpy” Hamilton Maj USAF, told me about him. We were thrilled to hear his name and see that he made it back in one piece. We often wondered if he made it but never knew until last night.

Garvin T. Nowell, Jr. Major USAF Ret.

By Garvin T.Nowell, Jr. on Sep 4, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I also wore Col. Moe’s bracelet for many years. It was an honor and I can not be more happy that he was one of the lucky ones to make it home. God bless him for all he gave up for our country.

Gina Nowell Armbruster

By Gina Nowell Armbruster on Sep 4, 2008 at 11:49 pm
As with several others, I too, wore the bracelet in honor of COL Moe. In the early 1990’s, I was able to locate and speak with him directly via the telephone. I was very excited to know he was alive and well. What a great American he is and I am forever grateful for his contribution to our country. God bless you COL Moe.

By Jill Stephenson on Sep 5, 2008 at 5:52 am
tom moe my heart goes out to him. I read what he went through it made me sick to my stomach. I think he is a hero in every sense of the word. I wish him and his family well I heard his name and researched it and wow. he makes me proud to be an american. I wish he was campaigning for the democrats but nobodys perfect lol.

By mi9chael beese on Sep 5, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Col Moe was my very first commander when I entered active duty. My respect for him cannot be described in a short paragraph. He taught me tact and integrity, which I carried throughout my Air Force career. I didn’t have a POW bracelet with his name, but had the opportunity to serve with him. He put a lot of trust in a very green 18 year old. I recall the stories of his downing and capture first-hand. And I wondered how he could continue flying after all he had been through. “For the love of country”, he would say. It was “awesome” to see him during the RNC continuing his “love for country.”

By Renell Anderson on Sep 6, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I still have my POW bracelet with the name Capt. Thomas Moe, and it thrilled me to see him live on TV at the RNC! I wonder how many of his had his name and prayed for his safe return. Our prayers were answered.

By Julie on Sep 7, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Add me to the list of those that wore the Thomas Moe POW bracelet in high school and prayed for his safe return. Like several of you, I heard his name in Sarah Palin’s speech and came to find out more.

By Michele Everett on Sep 9, 2008 at 1:13 am
I read Mr. Noe’s story with great interest. Having learned about his story from mutual frineds, the Simpson’s, I was both horrified and uplifted by the sheer courage and determination it took for him to remain alive. To survive such an ordeal surely took a very special type of individual. Maybe sometime I will be lucky enough to meet such a person and spend some quality time talking about faith and spirituality. Because Mr. Noe must have had an abundance of both. God bless.

By Mary L. Shupp on Sep 9, 2008 at 9:20 am
In 1972, when I was 14 years old, I met the man who would become my husband. He was only 13. We soon discovered that we both wore the POW bracelet for Captain Thomas Moe. We still have one of the bracelets and our children ware it regularly. in 1973 when the prisoners decended from their plane, we watched in hopes of seeing Thomas Moe. We never did and feared the worst. It was such an amazing feeling to see Col. Thomas Moe during the convention. My family is thrilled to know you made it through safe and sound.

By Sandy Rothstadt on Sep 11, 2008 at 11:52 am
While stationed at Kadena, Okinawa in 1973, I volunteered to act as Escort Officer for returning POW’s. I was sent to Clark AFB, PI and was assigned to assist POW’s to be released on 13 March, 1973. Captain Moe and future Senator John McCain were released on this date. I was assigned to assist Captain Moe and escort him on the trip to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Our first stop on the trip was at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. When we landed at Hickam after midnight, we were amazed to find a crowd of hundreds of men, women, and children there to greet the aircraft. The same thing happened at Scott AFB, Illinois and finally at our arrival at Wright-Patterson. The opportunity to perform a service for our returning POW’s and the emotional high of the welcome home crowd was definitely one of the high points of my military career.

By Jim McLaughlin, Capt, USAF Ret. on Oct 22, 2008 at 9:29 am
/While watching the Republican National Convention, I heard
the name of Col Thomas Moe mentioned as a POW who was
imprisoned with Sen. McCain, and I immediately recognized his
name as that on the POW bracelet I wore for many years. I got
my bracelet after my husband and I arrived at KI Sawyer AFB in
December 1970. I still have it, and like others who’ve written
never did know whether he came home until I heard his name
spoken. I still see people today, now and then wearing their
bracelet, and I would thinks of “my POW”. How wonderful it was
to learn at last that he survived and came home to his family and
his grateful country. I now want to hear his story and will
continue to think of him and wish him well and God bless him
and his family.
Stephanie Schulz

By Stephanie Schulz on Oct 22, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Hey Tom, just saw the video with you and Chris looking fine. It sure has been a long time since we’ve been able to give one another a hug. Hope you still play on the guitar occasionally and sing. There will be a day when we are in Columbus at the same time. I am sure of it. Best to you both. Laurel

By Laurel Riemenschneider Johnson on Nov 19, 2008 at 1:46 pm

Colonel Thomas Moe: American POW in North Vietnam

18 Comments to “Colonel Thomas Moe: American POW in North Vietnam”

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