Vietnam POW James Bell dies at 83

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Retired Navy Capt. James Bell is being remembered as a hero for enduring 7 1/2 years as a prisoner of war after the plane he was flying was shot down over Vietnam in 1965.

The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/1yMQnbJ ) reports that Bell died Sept. 30 in Alexandria at age 83. His widow, Dora, says he died of complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Bell was born in Akron, Ohio, and attended high school in Cumberland, Maryland. He graduated in 1954 from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Bell described his treatment as a POW in a number of books, including one written by his wife. He said he spent about two months in leg chains for refusing to fill out a questionnaire that he thought might be used for propaganda.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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