Booncy Fullam Ingvalson, who became a leading advocate for the return of American Prisoners of War, has died.
The Chattanooga resident and member of First Presbyterian Church became involved in the POW issue after her husband, pilot Wayne Fullam, had been shot down in Vietnam.
She was so active locally and on a broader scale pushing for return of POWs that she was invited to speak at the Paris Peace Talks. The talks were concluded with an armistice signed Jan. 27, 1973.
Ms. Fullam was raising three small sons at the time.
Afterward, she married Col. Roger Ingvalson, who had also been shot down and had been a prisoner of war for five years before his release. His wife had died while he was imprisoned.
Col. Ingvalson founded the Chattanooga Prison Ministry and ran it for a number of years. He was an elder at First Presbyterian Church.
Roger Ingvalson, who flew numerous missions over North Vietnam and was shot down May 28, 1968, died in 2011.
She has two grandchildren who are Air Force pilots, one of whom is married to another pilot. All three are deploying to Afghanistan at the end of June.