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Colonel Fred Vann Cherry, USAF (Ret) was born on 24 March 1928 and is a retired Colonel and Command Pilot in the U.S. Air Force. A career fighter pilot, he served in the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War.〔(Biography of Fred V. Cherry ), at P.o.W. Network; Retrieved March 26, 2009〕 During a combat mission on October 22, 1965, Cherry's F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber was shot down over North Vietnam. Cherry ejected and was subsequently captured, the first and highest ranking black officer to become a prisoner of war during the conflict in Vietnam. Subjected to harsh interrogation and repeated torture, he spent over seven years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi until his release on February 12, 1973.〔(Fred Vann Cherry Bio ), at MilitaryTimes Retrieved March 26, 2012〕 After returning home, Cherry attended the National War College, and was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, retiring from the Air Force with over 30 years of service on 1 September 1981. Following his retirement from active duty, President Ronald Reagan later commissioned Colonel Cherry to serve on the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial Advisory Board. Colonel Cherry's awards and decorations include the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars with Combat V, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Prisoner of War Medal, and two Presidential Unit Citations. Cherry also received the Award for Outstanding Service to the Military Community from the Tuskegee Airmen.〔(SilverStar Founding Partners & President ), Retrieved March 26, 2009〕〔(Colonel Fred V. Cherry Scholarship ), at SuffolkFoundation.org Retrieved March 26, 2012〕〔(Fred V. Cherry ), at Veterantributes.org Retrieved March 26, 2012〕 Cherry’s life is the subject of the book, ''Two Souls Indivisible: The Friendship That Saved Two POWs in Vietnam'', by James S. Hirsch, 〔(Two Souls Indivisible: Surviving Prison Camp ), at NPR Retrieved March 26, 2012〕〔(Was Vietnam Worse Than What Americans Are Doing in Iraq? ), at CNN Retrieved March 26, 2012〕〔(Two Souls Indivisible ), at C-SPAN Video Library Retrieved March 26, 2012〕 author of ''Hurricane''.〔(Davidson Will Host Kickoff for Book About Vietnam POW Experience ), Retrieved March 26, 2012〕 Cherry was also featured in the documentary, ''Tom Hanks Presents: Return With Honor'', the story of Vietnam fighter pilots held as prisoners of war.〔(Return With Honor ), at SunTimes Retrieved March 26, 2009〕 After retiring from the Air Force, Fred served as the Director of Technical Support Services for E.H. White & Co., and as Marketing Manager for Data Transformation Corp. Most recently, Cherry has served as Chief Executive Officer for Cherry Engineering and Support Services and Director of SilverStar Consulting.〔 ==References== Also Cherry was featured in a book, Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War. written by Wallace Terry. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fred V. Cherry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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