A retired major general in the U.S. Air Force, John Borling’s military career spanned 37 years. A highly decorated officer, his medals include the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor, and two Purple Hearts. An F-15 Eagle fighter pilot and commander of the famed “Hat in the Ring” squadron, Borling was shot down by ground fire during the Vietnam War. Seriously injured and captured while trying to evade, he spent 6½ years as a POW in Hanoi. During captivity, Borling created and committed poems to memory to maintain his connection to country, family, and his fellow servicemen. The poems were shared with fellow prisoners using a secret tap code, and decades later were published in a collection titled Taps on the Walls: Poems from the Hanoi Hilton.