The pilots flying over North Vietnam are quite bitter about the lack of concern by the American people for the 550 (their count) of their comrades captured and held in god knows what conditions by the Reds. They remembers Korea all too well. They also state that Air Force publicity to the contrary, any pilot held in captivity by the Communists will never fly again in a responsible position or be trusted with heavy duty. They are in constant touch with the captured men's families and showed me letters of the captured pilot's wives telling how hard they tried before getting the least little recognition from military authorities for their plight. As one pilot states, those 500 of our finest most highly skilled pilots are an embarrassment to our government and therefore, our people choose to ignorer them and probably hope they will die and go away. I sure haven't seen any protest marches organized about their abuse! The men made me promise that I would paint one painting and dedicate it "to our comrades up North" as they say it.
