Captain Thomas S. Pyle was an Air Force Electronic Warfare Officer flying combat missions in the F-105F Thunderchief with the 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand. He was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery on August 7, 1966, and was immediately captured and taken as a Prisoner of War. After spending 2,401 days in captivity, he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. He retired from the Air Force on November 1, 1976 as a Lt. Colonel.