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Retired Navy Cmdr. Everett Alvarez, who served as a pilot during the Vietnam War and is the second longest held POW in U.S. history, related his experiences exiting Vietnam and going through the reintegration process of Operation Homecoming, during the Robert E. Mitchell Center (REMC) for Prisoner of War Studies observance for the 50th anniversary of Operation Homecoming held on Corry Station, Mar. 1, 2023.

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Cmdr. Michael Margolius, director of operations for the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA), spoke as one of the guest speakers to naval aerospace medical professionals about the lessons learned during personnel recovery operations, during the Robert E. Mitchell Center (REMC) for Prisoner of War Studies observance for the 50th anniversary of Operation Homecoming held on Corry Station, Mar. 1, 2023.

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From left to right: Ashley Hove, JPRA Lessons Learned, Barb Connors, JPRA Branch Chief, William Newell, DPAA, and Ronald Witherspoon, JPRA Archives

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Hamna Khan holding up a Blood Chit she received after working with JPRA

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Senior Enlisted Leader to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and JPRA Enlisted Leaders stand together on the steps of JPRA Headquarters at Fort Belvoir, VA.

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From left to right, USAF Col. Anne-Marie Contreras, director, Joint Personal Recovery Agency, USAF Brig. Gen. Paul D. Moga, commandant of cadets, United States Air Force Academy, Mr. Steven P. Kelly, division chief, JPRA J7/9, Mr. Richard S. Buchholz, JPRA J7 branch chief - SERE Assessments, and USAF MSgt. Paul W. Daggett, JPRA senior enlisted advisor.

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Personnel Recovery exercise. Photo depicts servicemembers carrying a simulated casualty to an H-60 helicopter

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NASA/NOAA

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Chief Warrant Officer (5) David Hammon, of Sherman, Illinois, Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Illinois National Guard, poses for a photo prior his final flight as a Black Hawk pilot on March 15 at the Decatur, Illinois Aviation Facility. Hammon retires from the Illinois Army National Guard April 30 after a 42 year career.

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Members of the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade listen to Maj. Gen. William Zana, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

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U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys 3-2 General Support Aviation Battalion HH-60m aircrew members prepare to airlift Osan Air Base personnel during hoist training at Osan AB, Republic of Korea, Nov. 12, 2020. Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape trainers and the 3-2 GSAB partnered to test individual’s high-risk survival readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Greg Nash)

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National Guard Rescues Border Patrol Canine in Distress

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Pararescuemen practice personnel recovery mission during PJ Rodeo Competition near Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, September 20, 2016 (U.S. Air Force/Brandon Shipiro)

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Pararescuemen assigned to 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron observe medical procedures performed by members of U.S. Army Aviation Reaction
Force, Task Force Brawler, on flightline at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, February 22, 2018 (U.S. Air Force/Gregory Brook)

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Col. Thomas Kunkel hands the guidon to Lt. Col. Chadwick Sterr during the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency change of command ceremony at the White Bluff Facility in Airway Heights, Washington, July 1, 2014. The change of command ceremony is a tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility. Kunkel is the Air Force JPRA deputy director and Sterr is the local JPRA commander. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Janelle Patiño/Released)

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Airmen with 23rd Special Tactics Squadron and Soldiers with 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) team up for personnel recovery training utilizing alternate infiltration and exfiltration training, on Wynnehaven Beach, Florida, April 9, 2013 (U.S. Air Force/Christopher Callaway)

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Staff Sgt Kevin Matthew, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron boom operator and 1st. Lt. Alexander Denton, 92nd ARS co-pilot, use signal mirrors to relinquish thier position to a KC-135 Stratotanker as Maj. Kristen Westby, 92nd ARS pilot, established communication with the aircraft. The KC-135 acted as the On-Scene Commander (OSC) until an A-10 Thunderbolt took over OSC duties Sept. 1 in Ione, Wash., during the OSC exercise. (U.S. Air Force photos/Tech Sgt. J.T. May III)

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Staff Sgt. Kevin Matthew, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, prepares to establish initial communication after egressing out out of a simulated plane crash during the On-Scene Commmander Exercise Sept. 1 in Ione, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photos/Tech Sgt. J.T. May III)

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1st Lt. Alexander Denton, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron co-pilot, evades potential enemy threats as Staff Sgt. Justin Reiter, 92nd Operations Support Squadron safety observer, looks on during the On-Scene Commander Exercise Sept. 1 in Ione, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photos/Tech Sgt. J.T. May III)

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