Army POW, Vietnam

Ken Wallingford was born in 1948 in Munich, West Germany. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 14, 1969, and after completing basic training and advanced training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, he went through airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, from February to March 1970. PFC Wallingford next attended Special Forces training and Special Forces Medic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from March to June 1970, followed by service as a sniper with the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division in South Vietnam from August 1970 to April 1971. Sgt Wallingford transferred to Military Assistance Command Vietnam as an advisor in April 1971, serving in that position until he was captured during the Battle of Loc Ninh on April 7, 1972. After spending 312 days in captivity in Cambodia, he was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, leaving active duty on June 12, 1973, and was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve on May 13, 1975.