U.S. Air Force Capt. William A. “Bill” Robinson will be the guest speaker at the annual NAS Meridian and 186th Air Refueling Wing POW/MIA ceremony.

This year’s ceremony is scheduled at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 on the third floor of Meridian City Hall.

Robinson is one of the longest held enlisted POW in American history, according to an NAS Meridian news release.

Flying aboard an HH43B helicopter during a rescue mission on Sept. 20, 1965 over North Vietnam, A1C Robinson and his crew were shot down by enemy fire. They survived the crash, but were captured by enemy forces on the ground, according to the news release.

Robinson spent 7 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. After his release and return to the United States in 1973, he was one of three enlisted men to receive a direct commission to lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force by the president, according to the news release. He is the first enlisted man to receive the Air Force Cross, a medal for valor, second only to the Medal of Honor, according to the news release.

Robinson’s story is shared in the book “Honor Bound, American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia,” as one of the longest held enlisted POWs in American History. “The Longest Rescue” by Glenn Robins is a biography of Robinson’s life.

He retired in 1984 after serving for 23 years.

Robinson is the recipient of the Silver Star and Bronze Star, along with two Purple Hearts. His Air Force Cross is on display at the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall, a museum located on Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

Robinson resides in Lenoir City, Tennessee, and travels most of the year making speaking engagements.