Dan 
Captain Eugene McDaniel USN (ret.)
27 September 1931 – 7 August 2026
Captain McDaniel was piloting an A-6 Intruder of VA-35 Black Panthers from USS Enterprise when he was shot down over North Vietnam on 19 May 1967. He was immediately captured, and spent nearly six years in the hell of the Hanoi Hilton. He saved the lives of many fellow POWs, volunteering to take the torture and punishment of men who he knew would not survive the brutal treatment. He was a true Christian and a patriotic American, as well as a loving husband and father. Please say a prayer for Red, his wife and children as they mourn a remarkable man. His obituary:
Eugene “Red” McDaniel, 94, a Navy pilot shot down over North Vietnam who spent six years as a prisoner of war (POW) and later retired as a captain, died of congestive heart failure on August 7, 2026, in his home in Mount Vernon (Alexandria), Virginia.
Captain McDaniel was shot down near Hanoi on May 19, 1967, and was missing in action until March 1970, when the Hanoi government acknowledged he was being held as a prisoner of war. He was released on March 4, 1973, after the Vietnam cease-fire and returned home to his wife Dorothy and his three children, who were living in Virginia Beach, Virginia. When he returned from Vietnam, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy’s highest award for bravery. Among his other military decorations are two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit with Combat “V”, the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars with Combat “V”, and two Purple Hearts for wounds received during his torture as a prisoner of war. He is the author of “Scars and Stripes”, a book telling of his experiences in a prisoner of war camp in Vietnam.
When Captain McDaniel returned from Vietnam, he returned to flying the A6A Intruder and later served as Commanding Officer of USS Niagara Falls and aircraft carrier USS Lexington. He retired from the Navy in 1981, after serving as Navy/Marine Corps Liaison to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Following his retirement, Captain McDaniel founded the American Defense Institute and the American Defense Foundation, non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting a strong national defense. He served as president of the two organizations until 1998. He also founded a home health care agency, ACCFamily, based in Alexandria. He spent the past four decades pursuing the truth about the men who were missing in action and didn’t return from the war. He believed his bombardier navigator, LT James “Kelly” Patterson, had been sent to the former Soviet Union due to his vast technical knowledge about their state-of-the art A6A aircraft. He was a leader among thousands across the country pursuing the truth about the POW/MIA issue.
Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Dorothy Howard McDaniel of Alexandria; three children, Michael Howard McDaniel (Captain, US Navy (retired) and Leslie McDaniel Lindsay, both of Alexandria; and David Eugene McDaniel of San Diego, California, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
No flowers please!!! Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to: American Defense Institute (ADI) 9316 Craig Ave. Alexandria, Va. 22309.
A “Celebration of Life” service will be held on Saturday 8/22/2026 at 1:00 at Alexandria Presbyterian Church 1300 W Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22302 Burial at Arlington Cemetery TBD
Navy Cross citation:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Captain Eugene Barker McDaniel (NSN: 0-1319/4751406), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism as a Prisoner of War (POW) in North Vietnam from 14 June to 29 June 1969. Due to an unsuccessful escape attempt by two of his fellow prisoners, his captors launched a vicious round of torture to single out the senior POW’s who were to blame for the breakout. During these torture sessions a confession led to exposing him as the communications link between the senior ranking officer of the main prison camp and the adjacent annex detachment. He accepted the responsibility for the escape and fabricated a story of his own planned escape. After interrogation, the enemy severely tortured him in their attempt to obtain information about the organization and policies of the American POW’s in the camp. Under the most adverse of conditions, he heroically resisted these cruelties and never divulged the information demanded by the North Vietnamese. His exemplary courage, maximum resistance, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces.
Red’s veteran tribute can be found at this link.
Some YouTube videos of Red speaking about his experiences:
Godspeed on your final flight west, Red. GBU!
