Charles Klusmann
Charles Frederick Klusmann (born 7 September 1933) is a retired United States Navy combat pilot who was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War and later escaped captivity. Military career. Shootdown, capture and escape. He was a navy Lieutenant (O-3) when he was shot down over the Plain of Jars, Laos () on 6 June 1964 flying an RF-8A Crusader aircraft from the VFP-63, . He was the first airman shot down and captured by the Pathet Lao and the first to escape three months later on August 30, "First in, first out". He was rescued two days later  by CIA Officer Terrence Michael "Terry" Burke. This is notable because the United States government never negotiated for the release of any prisoners held in Laos, and so, not one American held in Laos was ever released. Awards and decorations. Klusmann's military awards and decorations include: His Distinguished Flying Cross Citation reads: Personal life and retirement. Klusmann retired from the Navy as a captain in 1980. A father of two children and a grandfather of three, he retired to Pensacola, where he went to flight school in 1996.