Vietnam Veteran honored by Hamilton County on Friday

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)-  A Hamilton County veteran who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War is receiving a special honor.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp has declared Friday John George Sparks Day in Hamilton County.

Sparks was a Specialist Sixth Class in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, where he was taken as a Prisoner of War by the North Vietnamese after his plane was shot down in April 19-68.

Spc. John George Sparks receiving recognition at this week’s Hamilton County Commission meeting.

He ended up in a notorious prison known as the Hanoi Hilton, where many POW’s ended up during that war, and was a POW for five years until his rescue in 1973.

Specialist Sparks says that he hopes that by telling his story, he continues to keep the memory of his fellow soldiers alive.

He said, “It was a challenging experience, but a learning and growing experience for me…(I spent) two different six months, times in solitary confinement because of my uncooperative attitude I guess.”

This recognition of Specialist Sparks is part of National POW and MIA Day, designed to remember soldiers who were captured or lost in battle.