Jack Ensch served three years in the U.S. Army but would spend decades as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy. As a "backseater" in an F-4, Ensch served four tours in Vietnam but he will forever be linked to two major events in 1972.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ensch walks us through the dramatic May 1972 mission in which he and his pilot successfully shot down two Soviet MiGs. He also details being shot down three months later, being taken prisoner, and suffering unimaginable torture at the hands of his enemies. He also explains how the other prisoners in the Hanoi Hilton sustained him during the darkest moments of captivity and how that awful experience impacted the rest of his career.