Scope and Contents

The collection consists of one POW/MIA bracelet for Major Bradley G. Cuthbert of the United States Air Force. He was lost on November 23, 1968 in North Vietnam. The bracelet was worn by Steven Blunck, the donor. Also included is a poster featuring an image of a memorial dedicated to Vietnam veterans. The image, titled In Honor of the Vietnam Veterans, was taken by John Malick. Malick gave Steven Blunck the poster as a tribute to his father, Lyle Blunck. Lyle Blunck served in Vietnam in 1967 as a Department of the Army civilian, working for the US Army Weapons Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Illinois.

Biographical / Historical

The material from this collection is dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Norlan Daughtry, USAF, a returned POW who Blunck worked with at Kirtland Air Force Base from 1985 to 1988. The Colonel was born on October 5, 1933 in Eagle Pass, Texas. He volunteered for the United States Air Force in 1954. He was a POW in Vietnam from 2 August 1965 to 12 February 1973. Prior to his imprisonment he served with the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron as the pilot of an F-105 Thunderchief and was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. While imprisoned he was a member of the 4th Allied POW Wing. While in Vietnam he earned the rank of Major. He flew 16 combat missions before being shot down on 8 August 1965. He earned the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Prisoner of War Medal. He retired in 1975 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and belongs to the 4th Allied POW Wing Association. His time as a POW in North Vietnam measured 2,751 days.

Born in 1952 in DeWitt, Iowa, Steven Blunk volunteered for the United States Army in 1974 and served for twenty-one (21) years. After training, he served with the 3rd Infantry Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 8th Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Division. Steven Blunk retired in 1995 with the rank of major.