Terry Uyeyama (Class of 1957) oral history and papers relating to the Vietnam War (AMS.1U.U2)

Biographical/Historical note

Major Terry Jun Uyeyama was born in San Francisco, CA on July 16, 1935 of Japanese parents. His father, a general practitioner before World War II, enlisted in the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, a decision that enable the Uyeyama family to avoid being placed in on of the retention camps that were set up early in the war for most of the Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast. When his father went overseas during the war, Terry moved with is mother and sister Toyo to Leonia, NJ where they grew up and attended high school. Uyeyama was a member of the Class of 1957 but received his degree in January, 1958. He received his commission in the Air Force and earned his flying wings by the Spring of 1958.

He was sent to Vietnam in October of 1967. When he had flown 90th mission he was and informed that he would next be assigned to Wiesbaden, Germany after completing just 10 more missions. On March 18, 1968 he was flying his 91st mission when his F-4 fighter was shot down by a direct hit. His navigator, Tommy E. Gist, was probably killed instantly. Uyeyama ejected his seat and parachuted into the Gulf of Tonkin. He was captured by North Vietnamese militia who sped out in fishing boats and pulled him from the water. He was then taken to Hanoi to the prison call the Hanoi Hilton located in the center of the city. He was held there as a POW for almost 5 years, until March 14, 1973 and spent 14 months in solitary confinement.

Colonel Uyeyama served with the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Bergstrom AFB from March 1974 to July 1978, and then served at Lackland AFB until his retirement from the Air Force on June 18, 1980.

He married Kazuye "Kay" Uyeyama on October 1, 1960. They had three daughters: Jody Lee (1961), Wendy Lee (1965) and Sherry Jaye (1967).