National Geographic Channel announced today that Locked Up Abroad will be returning for its ninth season on April 17 at 9 PM. The season opener features a profile of Ernie Brace, the longest-held American POW of the Vietnam War. The North Vietnamese imprisoned Brace for almost 8 years, during which he suffered torture, starvation and more. Former GOP Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain met Brace when the Navy man himself was a POW in Vietnam and in solitary confinement. Though the two never saw each other face-to-face until they were released, they communicated through the walls of their prison. Here’s a Locked Up clip with McCain (via Politico) talking about Brace: