Longest-Held Marine Prisoner of War Buried with Honors at Arlington

Vietnam War veteran and Marine fighter pilot Harlan Chapman, who endured more than seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam — the most extended captivity of any Marine during the conflict — was laid to rest Oct. 20, 2025, at Arlington National Cemetery, nearly six decades after his capture.

Chapman, who died May 6, 2024, at age 89 after battling Parkinson’s disease, was honored in Section 83 of the nation’s most hallowed military ground. Family, fellow veterans, and service members gathered as Navy chaplain Cmdr. Trenten Long led the ceremony.

“A significant amount of sacrifice was required,” Long stated. “And now he arrives at his ultimate destination.”

Hailing from Ohio, Chapman was a Marine Corps captain who took to the skies in an F-8E Crusader fighter jet, flying deep into North Vietnam on November 5, 1965. The final aircraft in a 32-plane strike group, Chapman maneuvered skillfully under heavy anti-aircraft fire to drop his 2,000-pound bombs. An enemy shell struck his plane just moments before he was set to complete his mission. He made a daring parachute landing into a rice paddy, only to be swiftly apprehended by local militia and subsequently handed over to North Vietnamese forces.

Chapman spent 2,656 days — more than seven years — imprisoned in Hanoi’s Hỏa Lò Prison, infamously known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” He faced relentless interrogations and torture, yet he revealed nothing beyond his name, rank, and serial number. In a tense moment, when confronted by his captors at gunpoint, Chapman cleverly responded with the name “Clark Kent.”

In a remarkable display of resilience, he and fellow inmates created a “tap code” to communicate through the walls separating them. “They’re your comrades, your buddies — they’re in the same deep trouble you’re in,” Chapman said in an interview with the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. “Facing challenges side by side creates a unique connection.”

Following the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, Chapman was released with 591 other American POWs during Operation Homecoming. His steadfast determination led to the recognition of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, Legion of Merit, and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Following his return, Chapman remained in the Marines, advancing to the rank of lieutenant colonel and leading Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 until his retirement in 1976. He later revisited Vietnam with his wife, Frances “Fran” Chapman, including the site where his aircraft was shot down.

“He didn’t emphasize his time as a prisoner,” Fran told The Chronicle. “He believed people needed to understand his current identity and character.”

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith honored Chapman after his passing, stating, “We all owe a debt of gratitude to the heroes of our Corps who came before us.” Harlan Chapman stands out as a true hero. We cannot possibly ever repay his sacrifice.”

For Fran, her husband’s story stands as a testament to resilience and dignity. “If you were to inquire,” she remarked, “the principle ‘Return with Honor’ embodies everything they represented — and they truly lived by it.”

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