Orson Swindle Orson Swindle ( born March 8 , 1937 in Thomasville , Georgia ) , a decorated Vietnam War prisoner of war , was a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States from December 18 , 1997 to June 30 , 2005 . He had previously served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce during the Reagan Administration . Swindle previously served as State Director for the U . S . Department of Agriculture . In 1994 and in 1996 he was a Republican candidate for Congress in Hawaii ' s 1st Congressional District . In 1996 he held the incumbent , Democrat Neil Abercrombie , to 50 % of the vote . Swindle served in the U . S . Marine Corps , and he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel . Education . Swindle received his Bachelors degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech in 1959 and a Master of Business Administration from Florida State University in 1975 . Marine Corps career . After graduating from Georgia Tech , Swindle reported to Marine Corps Base Quantico for The Basic School ( TBS ) . After earning his wings in May 1964 , he was stationed at MCAS Beaufort . On February 1 , 1966 , he deployed with VMF ( AW ) - 235 ( " The Death Angels " ) to DaNang Air Base and flew more than 200 sorties in the Vought F - 8E Crusader . On November 11 , 1966 , Capt . Swindle ' s Crusader was shot down while on a mission over the Quảng Bình Province , North Vietnam . It was his last scheduled flight . Captured by the North Vietnamese near the city of Vinh Linh , Capt . Swindle spent the next seven years being shuffled around various prison camps , including the notorious Hanoi Hilton complex . While in captivity , he shared a cell with future senator and presidential candidate John McCain . Politics and professional relationships . Swindle served as executive director of United We Stand America and spokesman for Ross Perot ' s 1992 presidential campaign . From late 2005 until August , 2009 , Swindle served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the law firm of Hunton & Williams LLP in Washington , D . C . His specific charge was within the firm ' s Center for Information Policy Leadership , which was founded to " " develop innovative , pragmatic approaches to privacy and information security issues from a business - process perspective while respecting the privacy interests of individuals . " " The Center has approximately 40 corporate members including American Express , Eli Lilly , GE , Microsoft , IBM , Procter & Gamble , and Wal - Mart . Swindle serves on the board of Citizens Against Government Waste ( CAGW ) , an independent political advocacy group that seeks to eliminate waste , mismanagement , and inefficiency in the federal government . Throughout its history , CAGW has been accused of fronting lobbying efforts of corporations to give them the appearance of " grassroots " support . In part , this is because CAGW has accepted donations from Phillip Morris , the Olin Foundation , the Bradley Foundation , Microsoft , Merrill - Lynch , and Exxon - Mobil . CAGW also has ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff . While CAGW describes itself as non - partisan , it has endorsed John McCain for president and donated $ 11 , 000 to his campaign or groups controlled by him . On September 2 , 2008 , he gave the opening speech on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul , Minnesota , during which he introduced veterans and fellow prisoners of war in the crowd . He also introduced President George H . W . Bush , who ran against Swindle ' s candidate Perot in the 1992 presidential election .