Amerivet Securities hosted a fireside chat at The Penn Club in New York City with Bob Jones, Vietnam Prisoner of War and President of our firm, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Operation Homecoming. Mercedes Elias, our Co-CEO and a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, moderated the discussion.

Mr. Jones graduated from West Point in 1965 and commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. He completed pilot training and deployed to Southeast Asia. There, he flew the F-4 Phantom, accumulating more than 80 combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos.

On January 18, 1968, his plane was shot down, forcing him to eject over enemy territory where he spent more than five years as a POW at the Hỏa Lò Prison, infamously known today as the Hanoi Hilton. Mr. Jones was released on March 14, 1973, as part of Operation Homecoming.

Mr. Jones spoke to an audience of veterans and financial services professionals and shared how his military training prepared him for war. In addition, he provided insight on how he and his fellow prisoners remained resilient and overcame the adverse conditions while in captivity.