BUCHANAN ­— Captain Bill Robinson still has a sense of humor.

When he laughs, his whole body shakes and he flashes a grin over to his wife, Ora Mae, to ensure she is getting in on the fun.

His ability to laugh at himself and his own situations may come as a surprise to some, as Robinson spent the years of 1965 through 1973 as a prisoner of war.

“It screwed up a few weekends,” he said with a hearty laugh.

The Buchanan American Legion has arranged for Robinson to speak about his experiences as a POW at 11 a.m. Saturday at the legion in honor of Veterans Day. Additionally, Robinson will speak at 7 p.m. Friday at Michigan Lutheran High School in St. Joseph, and he addressed crowds at Buchanan High School Thursday.

Each Veterans Day, the Buchanan American Legion hosts a similar event and invites a notable veteran to speak, said Larry Money, commander of the American Legion

“This year we are so pleased to have in our midst Captain Bill Robinson,” Money said. “We once again have the great pleasure of having a high-profile veteran joining our ranks.”

Robinson, of Madisonville, Tennessee, spent seven and a half years as a POW during the Vietnam War, giving him the record as the longest held enlisted prisoner.

“I’m the longest held enlisted man going back to the Revolutionary War. It’s a title I hope I never lose,” Robinson chuckled.

During his time as a POW, Robinson spent a large portion of his time in solitary confinement.

Despite going through what he called “a horrible situation,” Robinson said that he never lost his positive outlook or his faith, joking that, as he was in solitary, there was no one around to steal those things from him.

“I always looked at it as a three-day tour: today, yesterday and tomorrow,” he said. “I never looked at it as seven years. I looked at it as one day at a time.”

When Robinson and other POWs were eventually rescued, he said it was difficult for him to trust that he was going home, and only began to believe it once he was on a plane, flying away from Vietnam. When he touched down in the United States, he and the others were greeted by a mass of people welcoming them home.

“For all those people to be out there in the cold just to wave a flag, it meant a great deal to all of us,” he said. “Then, the healing process started.”

Long after that day in 1973, Robinson began sharing his story publicly. He said he saw a need to speak, so that he could help mend some of the wounds and the hurt that many Vietnam veterans were left with due to treatment they had received from the public.

“So many of these men had served their country honorably, and the first thing people tell them is that they can’t wear the uniform they wore so proudly,” “It’s had a lasting effect on those who have chosen not to speak on their experiences. Myself and the other POWs were the first to be allowed to come home in our uniforms. I guess we represented an end to the war that they wanted. The real heroes were the ones who didn’t get that recognition.”

Because he was treated with respect upon his return from Vietnam, Robinson said he is in a position to talk about his experiences that other Vietnam veterans are not. By sharing his story, he hopes to help others.

“My mission in life is to make sure we never do [what was done to Vietnam War veterans] to any veterans ever again,” Robinson said.

Now that he has been sharing his story for years, Robinson is a seasoned public speaker and said he is excited to share his story in Buchanan on Veterans Day, believing that on that day, his words may hold more weight.

“[Veterans Day] is about the veterans and it’s about America’s sacrifices for others, not only for the freedoms of Americans, but for the freedoms of the world,” Robinson said. “[Veterans’] sacrifices should never go unnoticed.”