About the Book:

Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later suggests hope, opportunity and second chances – a testament to the sheer strength of the human spirit and the power of human will. The book is a tribute to Vietnam prisoners of war and their individual determination in seeking personal and professional happiness upon their release. It is a celebration of freedom.

About the Exhibit:

This collection of 30 sepia-toned, black and white photographic portraits and accompanying, written profiles celebrates the lives of 30 men who were tested like few people of subsequent generations have. The goal of this writer/photographer team is to define the subjects’ personalities with visual images and written profiles that add verbal color, context and quotes. It is also intended to defy the lingering, negative stereotype of Vietnam veterans and honor all who have sacrificed so much for our country: the servicemen/women and their families.

News:

February 2010:
The Open Doors website is being re-launched to coincide with the 37th anniversary of the release of the first group of POWs from North Vietnam. 

November 2009:
Proceedings magazine, November 2009 Issue - Taylor Baldwin Kiland and Peter Fretwell collectively wrote an article titled, "Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton." The book Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later (by Taylor Kiland and Jamie Howren, Potomac Books, 2005) made use of 30 interviews as well as studies  analyzing physical and mental health over the past 35 years.  This research revealed key (and rare) leadership traits that surfaced in the Hanoi Hilton during the 1960s and early 1970s." The featured article in Proceedings offers a more in depth look at leadership traits instilled within the longest held group of prisoners of war in our nations history.


August 2009:
Colonel George E. “Bud” Day, USAF (Ret.)
Medal of Honor Recipient, Former Vietnam POW
Colonel Day was honored by the Marine Corps Marching Band during the Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Virginia.