Tortured 93 Days Straight—He Still Refused To Break #blackhistory On October 22, 1965, Air Force Major Fred V. Cherry's F-105 Thunderchief was shot down over North Vietnam. He ejected with catastrophic injuries—a broken ankle, broken wrist, and crushed shoulder—and became the first Black American POW of the Vietnam War. His captors immediately recognized an opportunity: exploit American racism. They told him repeatedly: