Smithsonian Accepts Congressman Sam Johnson’s POW Possessions
Media Advisory
WHAT: Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will accept Rep. Sam Johnson’s (R-Texas) Vietnam Prisoner of War objects in a special donation ceremony.
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 13
1:45 p.m.: Media registration opens
2:30 p.m.: Ceremony begins
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
National Mall entrance, Madison Drive between 12th and 14th streets N.W.
“Price of Freedom,” exhibition, third floor, at the Bell UH-1 “Huey” helicopter
WHO: John Gray, director, National Museum of American History
Jennifer Jones, chair, Armed Forces History Division, National Museum of American History
Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas), retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, Smithsonian Regent
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will acquire two objects from Rep. Sam Johnson that represent his seven-year imprisonment as a POW in North Vietnam. A tube of toothpaste and Johnson’s tin cup from the Hỏa Lò Prison dubbed the “Hanoi Hilton” by American captives in Vietnam, will join the collections. In his autobiography, Captive Warriors: A Vietnam POW’s Story, Johnson said the toothpaste “defied description” and spoke of his cup as being a vessel that represented communication and survival. He will sign a deed of gift and deliver remarks in front of the museum’s Bell UH-1 “Huey” helicopter that was deployed to Vietnam in 1966.