Overlooked in this year’s parting tributes was one of Richmond’s true heroines, Phyllis Galanti. She will be especially remembered by those who served in the armed forces. As the young wife of a Navy pilot, Paul Galanti, shot down over Vietnam in 1966, she was instrumental in bringing international attention to the treatment and plight of prisoners of war in Vietnam. Her focus was singular, her perseverance and determination unrelenting. She and the nation were rewarded for her efforts by the release of Paul and other POWs in 1973. The picture of her and Paul on the cover of Newsweek magazine in February 1973 is iconic. She will be missed.

Bill Fagan
Midlothian