| Harry T. Jenkins |
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| Rank, Service |
| Captain O-6, U.S. Navy |
| Veteran of: |
U.S. Navy 1945-1978
World War II 1945
Cold War 1945-1978
Korean War 1953
Vietnam War 1965-1973 (POW)
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| Tribute: |
Harry Jenkins was born on July 24, 1927, in Washington, D.C. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on May 19, 1945. After completing flight school, he was designated a Naval Aviator in August 1948 and was commissioned an Ensign in December 1948. Jenkins served in a variety of attack, early warning, and training squadrons, including Attack Squadron 84, Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11, and Attack Squadron 163, which he was commanding at the time he was shot down over North Vietnam on November 13, 1965. Jenkins was immediately captured and taken as a Prisoner of War. After spending 2,649 days in captivity, Capt Jenkins was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He retired from the Navy at the Naval Base at San Diego, California, on June 4, 1978. Harry Jenkins was killed while piloting a home-built aircraft on August 2, 1995.
His 1st (of 3) Silver Star Citation reads:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Harry Tarleton Jenkins, Jr. (0-4495926/504424), Captain, U.S. Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam on 24 and 25 November 1965. Captain Jenkins' captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion, Captain Jenkins reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces. |
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