Robert (Bob) Certain

Robert Certain (Air Force) was serving as a Navigator-Bombardier on a B-52 Stratofortress in Vietnam when his aircraft was hit by two surface-to-air missiles over Hanoi on December 18, 1972. Though the entire crew ejected, only Robert and two others survived the crash. Robert spent 101 days as a Prisoner of War until he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 29, 1973, when he returned home with honor. Following the Vietnam War, he became an Episcopal priest and served as a chaplain in the Air Force. He retired from the Air Force Reserves in 1999 at the rank of Colonel. When former President Gerald R. Ford died in late 2006, Father Certain led all the memorial services and presided at his burial. He was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame in 2014 and elected National Commander of the American Ex-Prisoners of War in 2019. Robert was born in Savannah, Georgia, and currently lives in San Antonio, Texas.