“Man’s most precious possession, second only to life, is freedom.”
~ Col. Benjamin H. Purcell, US Army
Col. Ben Purcell hugs his wife, Anne, for the first time in five and a half years upon his return home from the Vietnam War. Purcell was the highest ranking US Army officer held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Purcells were reunited on March 30, 1973 at Bush Airfield at Fort Gordon in Augusta, GA. They returned home to their native Habersham County when he retired from the Army in 1980. Ben and Anne celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in January of last year. He died on April 2, 2013.
