Kentucky
Charles Shelton was born in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1938, attended Owensboro High School where he earned a football scholarship to a local college. He married his childhood sweetheart Miriam Volman and they had five children.
Charles entered the Air Force and became a pilot, he and his family were stationed in Okanwa, Japan in 1965 where he would serve tours in Vietnam. His missions involved flying reconnaissance over Laos. On one of these missions Captain Shelton was filming some caves in Laos that were suspected of being prisoner of war camps.
While flying over the camps Captain Shelton took on heavy fire and was forced to parachute into enemy territory. His wingman noted his position and a rescue attempt was made the next day. However, due to bad weather the rescue had to be called off. The second day the rescue attempt had to be aborted when they again ran into poor visibility and bad weather. On the third day Shelton’s signal was gone, and he became a POW in the very caves that he was sent to photograph.
There are reports of two attempted rescues of Captain Shelton from the POW camp, the first occurred just shortly after his capture. According to the reports he was extracted but was asked to return to camp to collect intelligence, he complied with this request despite the horrific torture that he had to endure. Shelton was assured that he would be rescued within weeks of returning to the camp, but he would have to wait several years before the next attempt.
Charles Shelton is considered the most tortured American soldier of the Vietnam War, yet he never cooperated and resisted at every turn. It was reported by former Laotian guards that during one interrogation, Shelton freed his hands and killed three of his interrogators with a metal chair.
The second attempt to rescue Shelton and another POW were extracted from the camp and being taken to the LZ for extraction. While moving toward the LZ they were surrounded by Laotian communists, so Captain Shelton told the CIA operatives to lay low and that he would give himselfup in order to save their lives. Captain Shelton did in fact sacrifice himse1fto save his rescuers, knowing the unspeakable tortures that would be awaiting him.
Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s Miriam Shelton was the main spokesperson for POWIMIA’s, she testified before congress, organized marches, and appeared on the Phil Donohue Show. Miriam Shelton traveled to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Russia, and anywhere else that she felt could help her gain the release of her husband. But as the years wore on Miriam she lost her ability to go on. In 1999 Miriam Shelton took her own life.
Charles Shelton was sighted as late as 1991 and remains lost to his children and family.