KOPFMAN, THEODORE FRANK

Name: Theodore Frank Kopfman
Rank/Branch: O4/United States Navy, pilot
Unit: VA55
Date of Birth:
Home City of Record: Kent OH
Date of Loss: 15 June 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 201400 North 1060600 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: A4E
Missions: 198
Other Personnel in Incident: none

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: 730212 RELEASED BY DRV


SOURCE: WE CAME HOME  copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).
UPDATE - 09/95 by the P.O.W. NETWORK, Skidmore, MO

THEODORE S. KOPFMAN 
Commander - United States Navy
Shot Down: June 15, 1966
Released: February 12, 1973

My family and I wish to express our sincere gratitude to the responsible,
loyal, patriotic, and concerned people of this great Nation for coming to
the aid of its POW's in the year 1969. You forced a cruel and sadistic enemy
to drastically improve our treatment and living conditions by sounding the
voice of our law abiding, normally silent majority.

Please don't allow yourself to take for granted the security provided by the
United States of America. Since the conception of communism we have faced a
deceitful, unethical, and subversive enemy that has sworn to destroy our way
of life. That enemy is real and knows no limit in its use of deceptive
propaganda, linguistical or synonymical distortion. It is important to
understand and analyze the Communistic threat so that every thinking person,
particularly our children, can appreciate how fortunate we are to live in
America.

I request that you proudly display and demand respect for our National
Ensign. We have every reason to be proud and grateful for our citizenship.
It is essential that we protect the overwheiming good that exists within our
form of Government as we patiently correct the very few weaknesses.
Patriotism is "SUPER COOL," not old fashioned.

After six years and eight months as a POW, I possess a profound admiration
for the leadership, wisdom, and unity exhibited by my shipmates in Hanoi. I
proudly observed Americans of all colors, rank, and religions continuously
supporting this country and each other, no matter how severe the punishment.
Those of us who returned consider ourselves fortunate. I believe every one
of us hope and pray you will never let the world forget the dead, the
crippled, or missing in action.

It is my humble privilege to serve our country in any capacity and under any
circumstances.

December 1996
Theodore Kopfman retired from the United States Navy as a Captain. He and
his wife Pat reside in Nevada.