EX-POW BULLETIN American Ex-Prisoners of War
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EX-POW BULLETIN the official voice of the
American Ex-Prisoners of War
501(c)3 Veterans Service Organization
Volume 79 www.axpow.org Number 7/8/9
July~August~September 2022
We exist to help those who cannot help themselves
AXPOW Congressional Charter
MISSING MAN TABLE AND HONORS CEREMONY
As you entered the room, you may have noticed a special table; it is reserved to honor our missing men.
Set for six, the empty chairs represent Americans who were or are missing from each of the services –
Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard – and civilians, all with us in spirit.
Some here were very young, or not yet born, when the Vietnam War began; however, all Americans should
never forget the brave men and women who answered our nation’s call and served the cause of freedom in a
special way.
Let me explain the meaning of this table, and then join me for a moment of silent prayer.
The table is round – to show our everlasting concern.
The cloth is white – symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to serve.
The single red rose reminds us of the lives of these Americans….and their loved ones and friends who keep
the faith, while seeking answers.
The yellow ribbon symbolizes our continued uncertainty, hope for their return and determination to
account for them.
A slice of lemon reminds us of their bitter fate, captured or missing in a foreign land.
A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears of our missing and their families.
The lighted candle reflects our hope for their return.
The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain us and those lost from our country,
founded as one nation under God.
The glass is inverted – to symbolize their inability to share a toast.
The chairs are/chair is empty – they are missing…………….. (moment of silence)
Let us now raise our water glasses in a toast to honor America’s POW/MIAs, to the success of our efforts
to account for them, and to the safety of all now serving our nation!
table of contents July-September, 2022
From the day
Officers/Directors 4 when North
National Commander 5 K o r e a n s
CEO 6 a t t a c k e d
Medsearch 7 South Korea
Legislative 12 on June 25,
Andersonville 13 1950 to the
NamPOW 15 day of the
POW/MIA 22 armistice on
Civilian 24 July 27, 1953,
Allies in Healing 27 the events of
Application 29 the Korean War revealed the mass destruction, pain,
Contributions 30 and suffering Koreans had to endure. At the end of
Taps/Chaplain 31 the war, more than 3 million Koreans died while
Voluntary Funding 34 millions of refugees remained homeless and
distraught.
About 1 million Chinese died in this battle and
American casualties numbered 54,246 people.
Operation Big Switch began on August 5, 1953. It
Publisher was the final exchange of prisoners of war by both
PNC Milton M Moore Jr sides.
2965 Sierra Bermeja
Sierra Vista, AZ 85650 By December, 1953 the figures for repatriated POWs
(520) 249-7122 stood at 77,000 Communists for 12,700 UN men, of
tombstone490@gmail.com whom 3,597 were Americans.
Editor
Cheryl Cerbone On August 10, 1982, The American Ex-Prisoners of
23 Cove View Drive War received its Federal Charter.
South Yarmouth, MA 02664
(508) 394-5250
axpoweditor@comcast.net
PHOTO-Inside Cover: Recognition Ceremony – Airmen
Deadline for the Oct-Dec 2022 participated in an annual recognition ceremony at Spangdahlem
Bulletin is August 31, 2022 Air Base, Germany for prisoners of war and missing in action
Please send all materials to the service members. Photo by AF Airman 1st Class Valerie Seelye.
editor at the above address.
EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published quarterly (four times annually) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War,
PO Box 3445, Arlington, TX 76007-3445. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, TX and additional mailing offices. Postmaster:
send address changes to EX-POW Bulletin, AXPOW Headquarters, PO Box 3445, Arlington, TX 76007-3445. Founded April 14,
1942, in Albuquerque, NM, then known as Bataan Relief Organization, Washington State non- profit corporation, “American
Ex-Prisoners of War”, October 11, 1949, recorded as Document No. 133762, Roll 1, Page 386-392. NONPROFIT CORPORATION.
Nationally Chartered August 10, 1982. Appearance in this publication does not constitute endorsement by the American
Ex-Prisoners of War of the product or service advertised. The publisher reserves the right to decline or discontinue any such
advertisement.
© 2022 American Ex-Prisoners of War
axpow board of directors
National Headquarters
PO Box 3445, Arlington, TX 76007-3445
(817) 649-2979 HQ@axpow.org
National Commander ~ Robert Certain
5100 John D Ryan Blvd, Apt 1801, San Antonio, TX 78245
(770) 639-3313 rgcertain@icloud.com
operations board of directors
Chief Executive Officer
Fred Boyles
Athens GA 30606
912/674-5847 (cell) Sally Morgan
fredboyles@bellsouth.net Grand Prairie, TX
(972) 896-7252
Edward “Ted” Cadwallader sbmorgan@aol.com
Elk Grove, CA
(916) 685-5369 Jim 'Moe' Moyer
Chief Operations Officer DCadwall@aol.com Lake Wales, FL
Clydie J Morgan (407) 448-1181
PO Box 3445 David Eberly moehog@verizon.net
Arlington TX 76007-3445 Williamsburg, VA
(817) 300-2840 - Cell (757) 508-8453 Mary Schantag
hq@axpow.org eberlydsl@verizon.net Branson, MO
(417) 336-4232
Pam Warner Eslinger info@pownetwork.org
Chief Financial Officer Hammon, OK
Marsha M Coke (580) 821-1526 Charles A. Susino
2710 Charon Court eslingerpam@gmail.com Lebanon, NJ
Grand Prairie TX 75052 (732)221-0073
(817) 649-2979 – Office Alan Marsh charles.susino@gmail.com
(817) 723-3996 – Cell Lizella, GA
axpow76010@yahoo.com (478) 951-9247 Jan Williams
alanmarsh@bellsouth.net Guthrie, OK
(580) 821-2376
Milton ‘Skip’ Moore williamsjj72@ymail.com
Sierra Vista, AZ
(520) 249-7122
tombstone490@gmail.com
uniform, especially those of us And next February, as we
national who incarcerated by the enemy
in past wars, have a lot of
Vietnam POWs observe the 50th
anniversary of our freedom from
commander important history in our stories.
We lived and survived through
the prisons of North Vietnam, I
will lead a small group to Vietnam
very difficult times and and Cambodia with a cruise up
experienced in a few short the Mekong River and a flight into
months or years more than some Hanoi. The group will include
of our contemporaries will ever former POWs, family and friends,
experience in a lifetime. For that and other Vietnam veterans.
reason, I encourage all former When I wrote this article, there
prisoners of war to contact the were three cabins remaining.
Library of Congress about their Interested parties can check at
Veterans History Project to this web address to determine if
arrange an interview to tell your any are still available:
story. You can go online to https://brennco.com/MOAAVACA
https://www.loc.gov/vets/ or call TIONS/vietnam/
(202) 707-4916.
My reason for arranging this trip
I gave my interview several years was to “connect the dots” from
ago and have done other things our long struggle in Southeast
Robert G. Certain to preserve my own history. I Asia to the present day – 50 years
5100 John D Ryan Blvd, wrote an autobiography in 2000 of important personal and world
Apt 1801 (Unchained Eagle) and am adding history. Whether our memories
San Antonio, TX 78245 to it now. I was recently featured and actions are good or bad, we
(770) 639-3313 in a short film produced by “Old can learn a lot by reviewing them.
rgcertain@icloud.com Guys and Their Airplanes”, also As future generations study our
titled “Unchained Eagle.” That stories, they might be able to
HISTORY IS NUTRITIOUS video has won several awards and avoid the mistakes we made and
is available on YouTube at build on our successes.
When a soldier dies, a library is https://www.youtube.com/watch
lost. All of us who have served in ?v=029rKjT_VTs&t=86s Commander Certain
Happy Anniversary Commander &
Robbie!! Hawaii looks beautiful!
Andersonville Thursday night. Friday,
we’ll attend ceremonies at
from the CEO Andersonville National Historic Site
and take time out to visit the National
POW Museum – our legacy and our
Cheryl Cerbone focus for the future.
At this meeting, we will be making
more decisions as we continue our
transition. If any of you have any
suggestions for AXPOW and what you
see as our next steps, please let any
of us know. Names and information
July 4th kicks off the “SEASON” here on are on page 4 of each issue of the
Cape Cod. The waters are warmer; our Bulletin. This has always been YOUR
unofficial trademark – the shark – looks organization.
to a banner summer’s dining on our
unofficial mammal – the seal. One of our members recently
commented that we need to be looking
Every year, the suggestions to curb the at a firm date for completing our
shark population range from moving the seals to another tasks; he said he didn’t want to see a
island…to corralling the sharks…to hosting “Jaws” parties on slow fade-away with one or two lone
the beach. Healthy respect for our waters has always been POWs being helped to a dais and
the best answer, so I spend my time on the beach walking or nodding. Hard as it feels, I agree with
reading. The rest in my gardens. I hope wherever in this him.
beautiful country you are, you are doing what you love most
in the summer. And for the 4th of July, if your town has Butwhen? We are down to fewer than
ceremonies, try to take part in them. Our freedom did not 5,000 in our organization – including
come lightly as you can all attest to. Next of Kin. The VA puts the figure of
former POWs at fewer than 1,000.
July is also a little bittersweet in the last few years. Our
National Conventions came to an end after more than 70 years. That’s both a good and bad thing.
As our membership has dwindled, so did attendance and we Good in that we are not getting more
made the hard decision to end them. I always looked forward POWs; bad in that our POWs are aging
to July and the opportunity to see old friends – both mine and out. WWII ended 77 years ago…Korea
my parents. It makes me miss them more. 69 years ago…Vietnam will have its
50th homecoming anniversary next
In September, AXPOW is having our board meeting in year. Iraq 1 and 2 POWs also came
Americus, Georgia – right by Andersonville. We meet on home decades ago.
Thursday, then have a nice social time with the Friends of
We don’t have answers yet to our
future; we’ll be working through
AXPOW BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING options for the next few years. I love
ANDERSONVILLE, GEORGIA this organization – most of my life has
SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 been spent in it. And I want to honor
my dad – and all the dads and moms
The board will arrive on Wednesday, Sept. 17 and depart out there – the best way I can.
Saturday, Sept. 20.
We will be participating in POW/MIA Recognition Day God Bless you all and God Bless
ceremonies on Sept. 19 and meeting with the Friends of America.
Andersonville as we continue our transition as voted on by
our membership. If you have any ideas for the future of Fondly
AXPOW, please send them to me at:
axpowceo@comcast.net. Cheryl Cheryl
pow medsearch Ruth Powell, Director
Marsha Coke, Chairman 665 NC Hwy 121
e-mail: axpow76010@yahoo.com Greenville, NC 27834
PO Box 3445 781-296-6307 cell
Arlington, TX 76007-3445 powell.rut@verizon.net
(817) 649-2979
Peripheral
Neuropathy
Every now and then we focus on When damaged, your nerves
one or more of the presumptives can’t communicate properly, and Signs and Symptoms
for former prisoners of war. This that miscommunication causes Neurologic symptoms may occur
month, our article is on peripheral symptoms such as pain or related to your central nervous
neuropathy. Sources: NIH and numbness. system, which consists of your
the Mayo Clinic. brain and spinal cord, or your
Peripheral neuropathy often peripheral nervous system, which
Peripheral neuropathy is a term affects people with diabetes and links your spinal cord and brain
used to describe disorders of your autoimmune diseases such as to all other parts of your body.
peripheral nervous system. Your rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The extensive network of
peripheral nervous system Certain vitamin deficiencies, peripheral nerves helps your
includes nerves in your face, some medications and alcoholism muscles contract (motor nerves)
arms, legs, torso, and some can also damage peripheral and allows you to feel a range of
cranial nerves. In fact, all of your nerves. sensations (sensory nerves). In
nerves not located in your central addition, your peripheral nerves
nervous system — which includes Treating the underlying condition help control some of the
the brain and the spinal cord — may relieve some cases of involuntary functions of the
are peripheral nerves. peripheral neuropathy. In other autonomic nervous system, which
cases, treatment may focus on regulates your internal organs,
Neuropathies may affect just one managing pain. Peripheral nerves sweat glands and blood pressure.
nerve (mononeuropathy) or have a remarkable ability to
several nerves (polyneuropathy). regenerate themselves, and new Unfortunately, peripheral nerves
Your nerves provide treatments using nerve growth are fragile and easily damaged.
communication between your factors or gene therapy may offer Damage to a peripheral nerve can
brain and your muscles, skin, even better chances for recovery interfere with the communication
internal organs and blood vessels. in the future. between the area it serves and
medsearch, cont’d… control certain functions of the autonomic nervous system, you
might have bowel or bladder problems, reduced sweating or
impotence. You might also experience a sharp fall in your blood
your brain, affecting your ability pressure when you stand up, which may cause you to faint or feel
to move certain muscles or feel lightheaded.
normal sensations. Your
symptoms will depend on the
cause of your neuropathy and on Causes
which nerve or nerves are A number of factors can cause neuropathies. When a single nerve
involved. is affected, the most likely cause is trauma or some type of
repetitive use that puts pressure on the nerve. Nerve pressure
If a sensory nerve is damaged, can result from using a cast or crutches, spending a long time in
you’re likely to experience an unnatural position — such as typing at a computer keyboard
symptoms that may include: — or having a tumor or abnormal bone growth.
Pain When damage occurs to several nerves, the cause is frequently
Numbness diabetes. About half of all people with diabetes develop some type
Tingling of neuropathy. Other common causes include alcoholism,
Burning HIV/AIDS, inherited disorders and a deficiency of certain vitamins,
Loss of feeling especially B vitamins.
These symptoms often begin Autoimmune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis,
gradually. You may have a kidney disease, liver disease and an underactive thyroid
tingling sensation or numbness (hypothyroidism) also can damage peripheral nerves. So can
that starts in your toes or the balls exposure to poisons, some toxic substances and certain medications
of your feet and spreads upward. — especially those used to treat cancer. You may even inherit a
Tingling might also begin in your tendency to develop peripheral neuropathy.
hands and extend up your arms.
In some cases your skin may Sometimes bacterial or viral infections may cause neuropathy. An
become so sensitive that the acute condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome frequently causes
slightest touch is agonizing. You severe damage to all or part of your peripheral nerves by destroying
may also have numbness, or even the myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers. The myelin sheath acts
a complete lack of feeling, in your as an insulator for your nerves and helps conduct nerve impulses.
hands or feet. Although the exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome isn’t known,
approximately two-thirds of cases occur after an infection, surgery
At times your symptoms may be or immunization.
barely noticeable, and some
people go years without realizing Risk Factors
anything is wrong. For others, Having diabetes places you at high risk of developing peripheral
symptoms are constant, and nerve damage. In fact, about half of people with diabetes have
especially at night may be almost some form of neuropathy. The risk increases the longer you have
unbearable. Signs and symptoms diabetes, and is highest for those who’ve had the disease for more
may include: than 25 years. Your risk is even greater if you are older than 40 or
The sensation that you’re wearing have difficulty controlling your blood sugar level.
an invisible glove or sock
Burning pain Although researchers don’t understand exactly how damage occurs,
Sharp, jabbing or electric-like pain a high blood sugar level seems to impair your nerves’ ability to
Extreme sensitivity to touch, even transmit signals. You can help reduce your risk by carefully following
light touch a medically approved plan for keeping your blood sugar level as
Lack of coordination close to normal as possible.
If your motor nerves are affected, Your risk of developing peripheral neuropathy is also higher if you
you may have weakness or have one or more of the following risk factors:
paralysis of the muscles Alcohol abuse. Excessive drinking of alcohol can affect your nervous
controlled by those nerves. And if system, causing numbness of your hands and feet.
you have damage to nerves that
medsearch, cont’d… sleep or you feel depressed, your doctor may be
able to suggest treatments that can help.
Vitamin deficiency. A lack of certain vitamins, Screening and Diagnosis
especially B-1 (thiamin) and B-12. Pernicious Peripheral neuropathy isn’t a single disease, but
anemia, which occurs when your body can’t absorb rather a syndrome with many causes. For that
B-12 properly, often leads to peripheral neuropathy. reason it can be difficult to diagnose. To help in the
Autoimmune diseases. You’re more likely to develop diagnosis, your doctor will likely take a full medical
peripheral neuropathy if you have an autoimmune history and perform a physical and neurologic exam
disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or if that may include checking your tendon reflexes,
your immune system is compromised by the human your muscle strength and tone, your ability to feel
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS. certain sensations, and your posture and
Other health problems. Medical conditions including coordination.
certain types of cancer, kidney and liver disease,
also can put you at risk for nerve damage. Your doctor also may request blood tests to check
Repetitive stress. A job or hobby that puts stress your level of vitamin B-12, a urinalysis, thyroid
on one nerve for long periods of time increases your function tests and, often, electromyography (EMG)
chances of developing peripheral neuropathy. — a test that measures the electrical discharges
In carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, the median produced in your muscles. As a part of this test
nerve that extends through your wrist into your you’ll be asked to have a nerve conduction study,
fingers becomes compressed. Repetitive assembly which measures how quickly your nerves carry
line work or work involving prolonged, heavy electrical signals. A nerve conduction study is often
gripping can compress the median nerve. Playing used to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome and other
golf, tennis or a musical instrument and using peripheral nerve disorders.
vibrating power tools or even crutches also can put
pressure on peripheral nerves. Your doctor may recommend a nerve biopsy, a
Toxic substances. Exposure to some toxic procedure in which a small portion of a nerve is
substances can make you susceptible to peripheral removed and examined for abnormalities. But even
nerve damage. These substances include heavy a nerve biopsy may not always reveal what’s
metals, such as lead, mercury and arsenic; organic damaging your nerves.
solvents; carbon monoxide and certain medications,
such as those used to treat cancer or AIDS. Complications
Diabetic neuropathy may cause a number of
When to seek medical advice complications. Damage to the nerves in your feet,
See your doctor regularly if you have diabetes, a along with poor circulation, can lead to ulcers and
compromised immune system or any other chronic even gangrene. But it’s not only your feet that are
medical condition. vulnerable — diabetes-related neuropathy can affect
any organ in your body.
If you have a cut or sore on your foot that doesn’t If nerves related to digestion are damaged, for
seem to be healing, is infected or is getting worse, instance, your stomach may empty too slowly,
see your doctor promptly, especially if you have which may cause constant nausea, vomiting and
diabetes. Even minor sores that don’t heal can turn bloating. Or you may have frequent constipation or
into ulcers. In the most severe cases, untreated foot diarrhea. In some cases you may have problems
ulcers may become gangrenous — a condition in with bladder control or impotence.
which the tissue dies — and require surgery or even
amputation of your foot. Other complications include:
Partial or complete loss of movement or sensation
Seek medical care right away if you notice any Ulcers
unusual tingling, weakness or pain in your hands or Relationship problems due to impotence
feet. Early diagnosis and treatment offer the best Depression
chance for controlling your symptoms and Weight loss
preventing further damage to your peripheral Difficulty breathing or swallowing
nerves. If your symptoms are interfering with yourmedsearch, cont’d… nerve growth factors to reproduce the chemicals
that signal your body to repair small nerve fibers.
Other scientists are studying the use of the
Treatment antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (thioctic acid) to treat
The goal of treatment is to manage the underlying diabetic neuropathy. Unfortunately, no medications
condition causing your neuropathy and to repair can repair nerve damage yet, but the body can
damage, as well as provide symptom relief. If your regenerate nerves if the offending substance is
doctor hasn’t been able to determine the cause of removed.
your neuropathy, he or she may try a variety of
medications to see which help ease your symptoms. Therapies
Several drug-free therapies and techniques may
Controlling a chronic condition may not eliminate also help with pain relief. Doctors frequently use
your neuropathy, but it can play a key role in them in conjunction with medications, but some
managing it. Here’s what your doctor may may be effective on their own. They include:
recommend for treating various underlying
conditions: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
Your doctor may prescribe this therapy, which may
Diabetes. If you have diabetes, you and your doctor help prevent pain signals from reaching your brain.
can work together to keep your blood sugar level TENS delivers tiny electrical impulses to specific
as close to normal as possible. Maintaining normal nerve pathways through small electrodes placed on
blood sugar levels helps protect your nerves. your skin.
Vitamin deficiency. If your neuropathy is the result Biofeedback. This therapy uses a special machine
of a vitamin deficiency, it’s likely your symptoms to teach you how to control certain body responses
will improve once the deficiency is corrected. Your that reduce pain. You then learn how to control
doctor may recommend injections of vitamin B-12 these same responses yourself.
daily for a few days, then once a month. If you have
pernicious anemia, you’ll need regular injections for Acupuncture. The National Institutes of Health have
the rest of your life, and possibly additional vitamin found that acupuncture can be an effective
supplements. You’ll also need to eat a healthy diet. treatment for chronic pain, possibly including the
Autoimmune disorder. If your neuropathy is caused pain of neuropathy.
by an inflammatory or autoimmune process, Hypnosis. Many adults can be hypnotized by a
treatment will be aimed at modulating your immune trained professional, but for hypnosis to be most
response. effective, you also have to be a willing and
motivated participant.
Nerve pressure. In cases where neuropathy is the
result of pressure on a nerve, treatment will likely Relaxation techniques. Designed to help reduce the
focus first on eliminating the source of the pressure. muscle tension that makes pain worse, relaxation
That might mean adding ergonomic chairs, desks techniques range from deep-breathing exercises to
or keyboards to your home or office, changing the visualization (imagining yourself floating in a
way you hold tools or instruments, or taking a break tropical ocean, for example), yoga and meditation.
from certain hobbies or sports. In some cases of You might want to take classes in one or more of
nerve compression, you may need surgery to these techniques, or you can learn them yourself
correct the problem. using books or tapes.
Toxic substances or medications. If toxins or Talk to a counselor or therapist. Insomnia,
medications are responsible for the neuropathy, it’s depression and impotence are possible
critical that you stop taking the medication or avoid complications of peripheral neuropathy. There are
further exposure to the toxin to prevent the treatments that can help.
neuropathy from progressing further.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Research aimed at finding more effective 9000 Rockville Pike
treatments for peripheral neuropathy is ongoing.
For example, researchers are looking at developing Bethesda, MD, 20814PRESUMPTIVE 10. PSYCHOSIS duodenum (the first part of the
A generic term for any of the small intestine).
SERVICE CONNECTED insanities.
DISABILITIES 20. CIRRHOSIS
11. PANIC DISORDER Scar tissue replaces normal,
Public Law 97-37 Characterized by discrete periods healthy tissue, blocking the flow of
by William Paul Skelton, Ill, MD F.A.C.P.
of apprehension or fear. blood through the organ and
preventing it from working as it
12. GENERALIZED ANXIETY should.
DISORDER
All ex-POWs should keep these.
21. STROKE & COMPLICATIONS
Whenever you open your claim,
13. OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE A stroke occurs when the blood
take them with you and make sure
DISORDER supply to part of the brain is
the adjudication officer sees them
This may be either obsessions or suddenly interrupted or when a
and have him read them! Make
compulsions. blood vessel in the brain bursts,
sure he knows all about them. Tell
spilling blood into the spaces
him your own story as it relates to
14. POST TRAUMATIC STRESS surrounding brain cells.
your problem.....
DISORDER
The re-experiencing of a trauma of 22. HEART & COMPLICATIONS
1. ARTHRITIS, TRAUMATIC
a past recognized stress or that can Heart disease includes
Also known as articular trauma.
produce symptoms of distress. atherosclerotic heart disease, and
hypertensive vascular disease
2. AVITAMINOSIS
15. ATYPICAL ANXIETY DISORDER (including hypertensive heart
The total lack of vitamins in the
This is a category that is used for disease, and hypertension).
diet.
diagnosis when the affected
individual appears to have an 23. OSTEOPOROSIS
3. BERIBERI
anxiety disorder that does not meet Osteoporosis is a disease in which
Caused by a severe lack of vitamin
the criteria for entry into any of the bones become fragile and more
B1 (thiamine) in the diet.
other known anxiety disorders. likely to break.
4. DYSENTERY, CHRONIC
16. DEPRESSIVE NEUROSIS
A disease characterized by frequent
/DYSTHYMIC DISORDER Disability compensation is a
and watery stools, usually with
Characterized by depressive monetary benefit paid to Veterans
blood and mucus, and accompanied
periods in which the patient feels who are determined by VA to be
by rectal and abdominal pain,
sad and/or down and has a loss of disabled by an injury or illness that
fever, and dehydration.
interest in the usual activities that was incurred or aggravated during
cause pleasure or involvement in active military service. These
5. FROSTBITE
usual pastimes. disabilities are considered to be
The actual freezing of tissue.
service connected.
17. PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
6. HELMINTHIASIS
Literally Greek for the suffering of To be eligible for compensation, the
Infection with any type of worms
nerves outside of the brain and Veteran must have been separated
that parasitize the human.
spinal cord. or discharged under conditions
other than dishonorable.
7. MALNUTRITION
18. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
Merely means bad nutrition.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is Monthly disability compensation
a common disorder of the intestines varies with the degree of disability
8. PELLAGRA
that leads to crampy pain, gas, and the number of eligible
It is caused by a virtual lack of
bloating, and changes in bowel dependents. Veterans with certain
vitamin B3 (niacin) in the diet.
habits. severe disabilities may be eligible
for additional special monthly
9. ANY OTHER NUTRITIONAL
19. PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE compensation (SMC). Disability
DEFICIENCY
A peptic ulcer is a sore or hole in compensation benefits are not
The lack of protein and calories in
the lining of the stomach or subject to federal or state income
the diet generally produces no
tax.
lasting side effects.legislative
Most recently, the House has linked to military sexual trauma
passed a group of Veterans’ Bills (moderate chance of passage)
onto the Senate for action. True of 5. H.R. 6052 – VA OIG
all proposed legislation, bills having Training Act- training VA employees
varied probabilities of becoming on reporting wrong doing
laws. In summary: 6. H.R. 7375 – To direct the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
Most notably as referenced above, update the payment system of the
Bill HR 3967: Honoring our PACT Department of Veterans Affairs to
Act of 2021 directly addresses the allow for electronic fund transfer of
health and benefits of the veterans educational assistance,
regarding toxic exposure. It would administered by the Secretary, to
provide a list of presumptive a foreign institution of higher
conditions associated with burn pits education
Legislative officer and establish a permanent 7. HR 6962- to improve
Charles A Susino presumptive framework to address hearings before the Board of
any toxic exposure, foreign or Veterans' Appeals regarding claims
As another Memorial Day has domestic, past, present, and involving military sexual trauma
passed, I hope each and every one future. The scope would help Post- (MST).
of our veterans received all they 9/11 veterans, Persian Gulf War 8. H.R. 6376 – Student
deserve. veterans, K2 veterans, Atomic Veteran Work Study Modernization
veterans, and Vietnam veterans, Act- to extend eligibility for a
Life moves so quickly yet the speed including those who served in certain work-study allowance paid
of Congress to address the basic Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
unquestionable needs of our Fortunately, this Bill has a to certain individuals who pursue
veterans take so long, much too reasonably high probability of programs of rehabilitation,
long, many decades long. One becoming law but its chances of education, or training on at least a
example, all of society has known passage are improved if our half-time basis, and for other
for more than a generation the members and their families contact purposes.
toxic exposures our veterans have Senators. 9. H.R. 5738 – Lactation
experienced and the resulting Spaces for Veteran Moms Act, as
suffering, yet we continue to ask, Other proposed bills included in this amended
plead, and demand Congress to package from the House are: 10. H.R. 7335 – to allow for
enact the laws so our veterans’ 1. H.R. 5754 – Patient electronic fund transfer of
suffering is treated both medically Advocate Tracker Act- veterans to educational assistance,
and financially. I am here to report electronically submit complaints administered by the Secretary, to
that “progress” continues and this about the delivery of health care a foreign institution of higher
article will outline the most recent services education
advancements in Congress. 2. H.R. 7153 – VA Principles 11. H.R. 6961 – Dignity for MST
of Benefits Automation Act- mod- Survivors Act, as amended-to
Timeliness is important and when ernize the information technology improve hearings before the Board
acknowledgement and appropriate systems of the VA of Veterans' Appeals regarding
response takes so long, too many 3. H.R. 6604 – Veterans claims involving military sexual
veterans have died before any of Eligibility to Transfer School (VETS) trauma.
this comes to pass. How sad. How Credit Act 12. H.R. 2724 – VA Peer
pitiful. Past National Commanders 4. H.R. 6064 – To direct the Support Enhancement for MST
have said to all of us many times Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Survivors Act- to provide for peer
to communicate and act while the seek to enter into an agreement support specialists for claimants
veteran is there so they know they with the National Academies of who are survivors of military sexual
are appreciated for who they are Sciences, Engineering, and trauma.
as an individual and how they Medicine for a review of
served our nation. The latter being examinations, furnished by the
the veterans benefits they painfully Secretary, to individuals who CAS
earned. Unfortunately, Congress submit claims to the Secretary for
hasn’t followed the same compensation under chapter 11 of
philosophy. title 38, United States Code, for
mental and physical conditionsThe staff and I are working hard on several exciting
andersonville projects. There has been a recognition across the
National Park Service that the 14 national
cemeteries in our care need rehabilitation and
restoration work in almost every area: turf, tree
and shrub plantings, wall repairs, and monument
and headstone restoration. A group of experts from
across the country are coming the Andersonville
National Cemetery the week after Memorial Day to
inspect and offer treatment plans for projects to
occur in 2023 should the proposed federal budget
be passed.
The other cemetery project that is moving forward
is the re-contouring of Section Q. The US Army
Corps of Engineers is conducting geotechnical
surveys of this section in June. We are hoping to
secure funding for the dirt work in 2023 or 2024 so
Andersonville NHS we can open this large section for burials. The
496 Cemetery Road headquarters building (Cemetery Lodge) will get
Andersonville, GA 31711 new exterior paint, and the maintenance sheds will
(229) 924-0343 be re-roofed.
Gia Wagner, Superintendent
Museum projects this year are the design work for
Gia_Wagner@nps.gov replacement of the museum doors, restrooms, and
HVAC system. We are also working on the design
for repairs to the museum water feature which has
Greetings from Andersonville not been operational for the past year. Sadly, we
National Historic Site! have had a request to return the bone ship exhibit
to the US Navy Museum in Annapolis. Park staff are
working on finding a replacement for this important
museum piece.
We just completed our Memorial Day
commemorative events, and it was We were fortunate to receive funding for two
wonderful to see so many faces internships this year. The first is “The Women Who
come to remember and honor our Saved Andersonville” was funded by a grant through
fallen service members with us. We the National Park Foundation and the Friends of
have a new volunteer group assisting park staff with Andersonville. The internship has been filled by
the Avenue of Flags event. On Friday, May 20, Andrew Bellecomo (Georgia Southwestern
Rolling Thunder, Chapter 3 from Warner Robbins University) who will be working through the
helped get the job done in record time. On American Conservation Experience youth program
Saturday, May 28, 243 volunteers came to place for collecting new primary documentation that
the flags on each service member’s headstone in highlights the vital contributions of key women who
the National Cemetery. The ceremony on Sunday were at the forefront of preserving Andersonville
was attended by many from the community and NHS. Mr. Bellecomo will be visiting the Georgia
was highlighted by music played by the US Army Archives and the Grand Army of the Republic
Maneuver Center of Excellence Band with speeches Museum in Springfield, Illinois to collect new
from AXPOW board member Fred Boyles, information that will be included in the park archives
Congressman Sanford Bishop, and retired US Air for park staff and researchers to utilize in the future.
Force Lt. Col. James Wolfe, as well as the customary Mr. Bellecomo will consult with park staff in creating
laying of wreaths. new interpretive and educational programming that
utilizes this information.andersonville, cont’d… finding opportunities to connect to have Mr. Andrew Miller of
visitors from far and wide to the Vicksburg National Military Park
The second is the “25th American POW story. Mr. Brooks fill her role for a short time, and
Anniversary of the National will also be a vital additional to he has done excellent work
Prisoner of War Museum the park’s commemorative during his short tenure.
Internship”. Bobby Brooks planning for the 25th Anniversary
(Georgia Southwestern of the opening of the National We are grateful to AXPOW for the
University) has been selected for Prisoner of War Museum. Mr. funding to establish an
this 45-week internship. The NPS Brooks will create social media informational wayside at the
Youth program funded this posts, assist in designing Memorial Grove and complete
internship through the American temporary exhibits, and provide oral history transcriptions. We
Conservation Experience (ACE) a monthly program on prisoner of have also received a donation
program. Mr. Brooks will be war experiences leading up the from the Descendants of
training in museum operations, April 2023 anniversary. American POWs which will be
greeting visitors, giving an used to complete even more oral
introductory orientation to As you may know, Jody Mays was history work. We anticipate
Andersonville NHS and the promoted to a different park in starting this work in late summer
National Prisoner of War Museum, late winter. We wish her all the this year. Thank you so much for
conducting interpretive best and hope to fill her position your continued support of our
programming in the park, and this summer. We were fortunate joint mission.
Memorial day at Andersonvilleinspiration often overlooked during the
namPOW news conflict itself.
The First POW
The first American taken prisoner by the Viet
Cong was Army Spec. 4 George F. Fryett,
Honor Bound seized Dec. 26, 1961, while riding a bicycle
By Stewart M. Powell on the way to a swimming pool on the
outskirts of Saigon. He was freed in June
Reprint Courtesy of Air Force Magazine 1962: His captors simply came out of the
jungle at a main road and put him on a bus
back to Saigon.
Navy Capt. Jeremiah A. Denton was the senior officer of the
The last POW was seized Jan. 27, 1973-the
40 Prisoners of War who left Hanoi on Feb. 12, 1973, aboard
day the cease-fire was signed in Paris. Navy
the first Air Force C-141 out of North Vietnam. Once
Lt. Cmdr. Phillip A. Kientzler, shot down near
airborne, Denton calmly asked a flight attendant for a piece
the Demilitarized Zone, was held for two
of paper. He thought for a moment and then scribbled the
months in North Vietnam under perhaps the
memorable words that he would utter in a short time as he
most benign conditions of the war, with
and his comrades stepped off the airplane into the arms of
captives and captors awaiting prisoner
freedom at Clark AB in the Philippines.
releases. Kientzler was freed March 27,
1973, with the last wave of captives to go
“We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our
home.
country under difficult circumstances,” Denton declared.
“We are profoundly grateful to our Commander in Chief and
Between these two bookends, the story of
to our nation for this day. God bless America.”
American POWs unfolded. Their triumphs
and tragedies are vividly recaptured in Honor
With that, the Navy pilot who went down in an A-6 carrier
Bound: The History of American Prisoners of
attack aircraft during a bombing run over North Vietnam’s
War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973. The
Thanh Hoa bridge complex on July 19, 1965, marked the
immensely detailed 592-page study was
end of the longest wartime captivity of any group of US
prepared by Stuart I. Rochester, deputy
prisoners in history.
historian of the Office of the Secretary of
Defense, and Frederick Kiley, a former Air
It was a triumph for Denton, who had alerted the world to
Force Academy professor and noted POW
the communists’ torture of prisoners in May 1966. Dragged
historian. Drawing from memoirs,
before propaganda cameras after 72 hours of nonstop
interviews, classified documents, and other
indoctrination, the sleep-deprived pilot had numbly blinked
sources, the historians provide the most
his eyelids to relay the message “t-o-r-t-u-r-e” in Morse
sweeping view of American POWs since the
code as a Japanese television news crew filmed the interview.
return of the prisoners in 1973.
A total of 771 Americans were captured and interned during
“We were convinced in the end that, on the
the Vietnam War. Of those, 113 died in captivity and 658,
whole, the PWs [the acronym commonly
or 85 percent, were returned to US authorities during or at
used by the military services] of the Vietnam
the end of a grueling conflict that claimed the lives of more
War were indeed an extraordinary company
than 58,000 American troops in Southeast Asia.
of men who endured an extraordinary
captivity,” the historians wrote. “Both
The number of prisoners taken during the Vietnam War was
suffering and valor, tragedy and triumph,
relatively small. Of the 142,255 Americans captured and
occurred on a large scale.”
interned during major wars in the 20th century, a total of
17,033 died in captivity. The Korean War had the highest
Prisoners captured and held in South
casualty rate among US prisoners–with 38 percent of the
Vietnam had a far different experience than
7,140 prisoners perishing.
the aviator officers shot down and held in
the North. During the early years, one out
For Americans searching for meaning in a controversial
of three Americans taken prisoner was
conflict and yearning for heroes, the POWs became a
expected to die in captivity–a toll reduced to
touchstone for the traditional values of loyalty andtorture.” Knutson was subjected
Honor Bound, North and South
to this technique on Oct. 25, 1965.
Prisoners in the North suffered far
cont’d… more extensive and systematic
The prisoner was forced face down
onto a bunk with his ankles in
torture than comrades held
one out of five by war’s end. In the stocks and a rope tied at his
captive in the South. “With the
North, only one in 20 captives died elbows, with the rope then pulled
expanding American war effort,
in prison. up to run through a hook in the
prison authorities were under
ceiling. The guard hoisted the
increasing pressure to obtain
The longest held POW was prisoner off the bunk so he could
information and statements that
captured in the South and spent not ease any of his weight-
could be used for propaganda
much of his imprisonment there. producing extreme pain and
purposes,” the historians said. “To
Army Ranger Capt. Floyd J. “Jim” constricting breathing.
produce these they had to break
Thompson, commander of a down the PWs’ resistance.”
Special Forces USAF Capt. Konrad W. Trautman
suffered the rope torture on a
The Air Force lost its first pilot in
detachment in Quang Tri Province, dozen occasions. “The pain is
early 1965. Air Force Lt. Hayden
was captured March 26, 1964, literally beyond description,” said
J. Lockhart, flying an F-100, was
following the shootdown near the Trautman, who was shot down and
seized by the communist forces
DMZ of his low-flying captured Oct. 5, 1967. “After
March 2, 1965, after evading
reconnaissance aircraft. He was about 10 or 15 minutes in this
capture for a week. He was locked
held at a dozen jungle sites during position, tied up so tightly, your
in the dreaded central prison in
the nearly nine years before his nerves in your arms are pinched
Hanoi soon thereafter.
release on March 16, 1973. off, and then your whole upper
Thompson’s captivity made him torso becomes numb. It’s a relief.
The complex, ringed with guard
the longest held Prisoner of War You feel no more pain. … However
towers, soon became known as
in American history. when they release the ropes, the
the “Hanoi Hilton,” with sections
procedure works completely in
known as “Heartbreak Hotel,”
In the North, Navy Lt. j.g. Everett reverse. It’s almost like double
“New Guy Village,” “Little Vegas,”
Alvarez Jr. became the first jeopardy-you go through the same
and “Camp Unity.” The complex
American pilot shot down. His pain coming out of the ropes as
was so formidable that not a single
carrier-based A-4 Skyhawk was hit you did going in.”
US serviceman managed to make
during retaliatory airstrikes on an escape during the entire war.
Vietnamese patrol boats and oil
storage facilities Aug. 5, 1964, not
Hanoi March
The most systematic torture of
long after the Gulf of Tonkin On July 6, 1966, 52 prisoners were
American POWs during the conflict
incident in which Navy destroyers assembled, blindfolded,
began in fall 1965 and didn’t end
Maddox and C. Turner Joy handcuffed in pairs, and taken by
until fall 1969, when the Nixon
reported coming under North truck to downtown Hanoi. The plan
Administration finally went public
Vietnamese attack. was to parade the Americans in
with evidence of the mistreatment.
public view and then use them as
An estimated 95 percent of the
Alvarez, who ejected not far from props in a war crimes show-trial
prisoners in the North experienced
shore, was captured by armed to take place at a nearby stadium.
some form of torture.
Vietnamese in a fishing vessel. By This event came to be known as
Aug. 11, he had been taken to the “Hanoi March” and is viewed
Navy Lt. j.g. Rodney A. Knutson,
Hanoi’s notorious Hoa Lo Prison, a as a watershed in the propaganda
a radar intercept officer captured
turn-of-the-century French-built war. “Oh boy, I love a parade,”
with pilot Lt. j.g. Ralph E. Gaither
facility with thick two-story quipped USAF Capt. Robert B.
when their F-4 was shot down on
concrete walls known in Purcell, captive since July 27,
Oct. 17, 1965, got an early taste
Vietnamese as the “fiery furnace.” 1965, when his F-105 went down
of what lay ahead. His captors
Rats infested his cell. Food, 30 miles west of Hanoi.
bound his arms so tightly that they
consisting of animal hooves, lost circulation. He was denied
chicken heads, rotten fish, and The prisoners were prodded
food and water. He was beaten.
meat covered with hair, was through the streets at the point of
When he still refused to cooperate,
sickening. bayonets, past the Soviet and
his torturers moved on to a new,
Chinese Embassies and through
more sinister method-the “rope
threatening crowds standing 10One prisoner estimated that Guards found a second note, and
Honor Bound, communist torturers exacted Shumaker was threatened with
cont’d… statements of some sort from 80 punishment. His persistence paid
percent of the POWs. As soon as off in the summer of 1965 when
deep. One prisoner estimated the they recovered from the physical he left another note in the latrine
crowd as high as 100,000. Guards trauma, the prisoners faced the that was read by Air Force Capt.
incited the angry mob with torment of having collaborated Ronald E. Storz, downed while
loudspeakers. Over a two-mile and, theoretically, having violated flying a small observation airplane
route, the POWs were punched the Code of Conduct. However, the near the DMZ. Storz scratched his
and pummeled by flying bricks and Code, updated after the Korean name in reply on a piece of toilet
bottles. The march highlighted the War and reviewed after the USS paper with the burnt end of a
lengths to which Hanoi would go Pueblo incident off Korea in 1968, match.
to score propaganda points assumed that captors would
against the US. observe the minimum provisions “Thus was accomplished the first
of the Geneva Convention exchange of messages among
Air Force Capt. Earl G. Cobeil, governing POWs. Under relentless American PWs in North Vietnam,”
captured on Nov. 5, 1967, feigned torture, “the Code increasingly the historians said.
mental illness, as did some other seemed to be a noble, but
POWs, to protect himself from the meaningless, abstraction that The names of captured pilots soon
paled into irrelevance before the appeared on the undersides of
experimental brainwashing carried harrowing reality of the ropes and plates and the handles of food
out by a dreaded Cuban stocks,” the historians found. pails as makeshift communications
interrogator. The Cuban, known began. By the summer of 1965,
among POWs as “Fidel,” convinced Cherry’s Ordeal Air Force Capt. Carlyle S. Harris
that Cobeil was faking, mercilessly perfected and spread a tap code
Vietnamese communists played
beat him day after day. One day, that became the gold standard for
the race card. Air Force Maj. Fred
Cobeil refused to bow. For the communication throughout the
V. Cherry, the highest ranking
offense, Cobeil on May 21, 1968, prisoner population. Harris
black POW in the North, recalled
was trussed in ropes overnight and recalled the code from survival
his captors trying to exploit him
mauled for 24 hours straight. training at Stead AFB, Nev., where
by treating him differently. The
Fidel, enraged, emerged from one an instructor had shown him the
Vietnamese housed Cherry with
torture session to shout to code during a coffee break.
Navy Lt. Porter A. Halyburton in
prisoners within earshot: “We’ve apparent hopes of sowing
got [a POW] that’s faking. The prisoners used a five-by-five
dissension between a black aviator
Nobody’s gonna fake and get away grid for the letters of the alphabet,
and a white Southerner. The tactic
with it. … I’m gonna teach you all with two numbers assigned to
backfired. Cherry later credited
a lesson. … I’m gonna break this each letter. They dropped the “K.”
Halyburton with saving his life,
guy in a million pieces.” Cobeil was Prisoners quickly reverted to short
when his injuries from being shot
last seen in the fall of 1970 and cuts–so that “God bless you”
down became so infected that he
did not return with the other POWs became GBU–the universal sign-
had to be fed by hand and assisted
in 1973. The Vietnamese later off.
with his bodily needs.
reported Cobeil had died in
November 1970; his remains were By the summer of 1966, Navy
Cherry’s resistance won him some
returned March 6, 1974. Cmdr. James B. Stockdale, the
of the war’s most severe
senior officer and the POW leader,
exactions-including one 93-day
The prisoners believed that, when had become so proficient that he
stretch of unbroken torture and 53
captured, “their mission had carried on a virtual conversation
straight weeks of solitary
changed, from one of active with Air Force Maj. Samuel R.
confinement.
fighting to one of resistance and Johnson, a prisoner in an adjoining
survival,” the Pentagon historians cell.
Prisoners fashioned elaborate
said. “They still had a soldierly means of reaching out to
function to perform-to disrupt, to In his memoir, Stockdale
comrades. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Robert
stymie, to exhaust the enemy, recounted, “Our tapping ceased to
H. Shumaker spied a fellow
finally to defeat him, in this case be just an exchange of letters and
prisoner in March 1965 and
on the battlefield of propaganda words; it became conversation.
surreptitiously left a note in the
and psychological warfare.” latrine that was never found.that attempts could jeopardize the
Honor Bound, cont’d… lives of other prisoners.
Elation, sadness, humor, sarcasm, excitement, depression-all came Air Force Capt. John A. Dramesi, who
through. … I laughed to think what our friends back home would was captured April 2, 1967, was
think of us two old fighter pilots standing at a wall, checking for determined to escape despite the
shadows under the door, pecking out a final message for the day odds. The pugnacious former star
with our fingernails-‘Don’t let the bedbugs bite’ [DLTBBB].” high school wrestler and son of a
boxer had already tried to escape en
The grueling, day-to-day stresses took a toll. A generational split route to Hanoi. For months, he and
developed between prisoners captured between 1965 and the fellow conspirators squirreled away
bombing suspension of November 1968 and the younger generation string, wire, and bamboo that could
of pilots shot down after resumption of bombing in December 1971. be used for tools or weapons.
Newly seized prisoners tended to be more cynical about the war, Donated scraps of food were hidden
the Pentagon historians found. They also operated under a more in a cache. They gathered straw,
flexible interpretation of the Code of Conduct. thread, and cloth to weave civilian
attire. Conical peasant hats were
“Peace Committee” fabricated from rice straw taken from
Dissension remained an undercurrent. sleeping mats. Dramesi acquired
brown iodine pills for water
“In truth, over the years, there would be breakdowns of authority, purification and to help darken the
lapses in the chain of command, intramural squabbling, even skin color of those attempting to
instances of resentment and outright disobedience of the escape. On May 10, 1969, Dramesi
leadership,” the historians found. For example, by the fall of 1971, and Air Force Capt. Edwin L.
a group of at least eight enlisted prisoners became known as the Atterberry advised the leadership,
“Peace Committee,” its members receptive to the communists’ “We’re going tonight.”
propaganda. “Whether they were turncoats who willfully disobeyed
orders, ratted on comrades, and bartered anti-war messages for Horror Chamber
special privileges, or were simply confused youngsters who sincerely They did. Dramesi calculated that, by
opposed the war and saw no downside to expressing their feelings, dawn, they had traveled four or five
depends on the perspective of participants,” the historians said. miles from the compound. But that
was it. A North Vietnamese patrol
In January 1973, after the signing of the Paris peace accords, found the pair hiding in a bramble
freedom drew near. Resentful American prisoners weighed the idea thicket near an abandoned
of executing members of the Peace Committee. USAF Lt. Col. churchyard. The two were captured,
Theodore W. Guy, the senior officer in charge at the POW camp blindfolded and handcuffed, and
called “Plantation,” spent two weeks persuading the angry returned to prison. Dramesi was
conspirators to drop that plan. He also talked them out of a tortured for 38 days, flogged with a
subsequent plan to shave the Peace Committee members’ heads. fan belt, punched, strapped into
He planned to file court-martial charges after their release. excruciating positions by ropes, and
kept awake. He was strung in the
The most prominent turncoat of the war was Marine Pfc. Robert R. ropes 15 times. Eventually he broke.
Garwood, 19, a motor pool driver who disappeared on Sept. 28,
1965, near Da Nang, South Vietnam. He cooperated with the enemy In a horror chamber close to
and remained in Vietnam long after the other Americans had been Dramesi, the communists tortured
repatriated. Garwood himself voluntarily returned to the US on Atterberry so gruesomely that his
March 22, 1979, and was immediately taken into custody. The shrieks of pain could be heard two
historians found that Garwood “did cross over [to collaboration with blocks away. Atterberry died on May
the communists] but that his ‘defection’ stemmed more from 18, 1969, just eight days after the
opportunism than any genuine political or ideological conversion.” breakout.
Throughout the war, barriers to escape were indeed formidable, so The communists didn’t stop with
much so that not a single GI made it to freedom from North Vietnam, punishing Dramesi and Atterberry.
according to the historians. While the Code of Conduct called for They tortured other prisoners-some
prisoners to “make every effort to escape,” senior commanders for weeks-who had not participated i
realized that escape attempts triggered such Draconian retaliationHonor Bound, cont’d… morning 1967. He was taken in
early 1968 to North Vietnam,
where he was held with Air Force
in the escape attempt and even extended the torture to other prisons. Lt. Col. Robert R. Craner and
Capt. Guy D. Gruters. His Air
“So traumatic had been the overall experience that even when escape Force Academy buddy Gruters
became a more feasible option late in the captivity, the prisoners were did not recognize him. The
still haunted by the catastrophic consequences of the DramesiAtterberry strapping 220-pound former
attempt,” the historians wrote. football player had lost a great
amount of weight. His leg was
To the South, the historians found that about two dozen Americans-about badly infected, yet he asked his
10 percent-managed to escape from their captors and make it to freedom. comrades to help him exercise
so he could escape. Sijan died
Perhaps the most stunning getaway was the one that was staged by Army of pneumonia on Jan. 22, 1968.
Lt. James N. Rowe, a Special Forces advisor seized Oct. 29, 1963, in the In March 1976, Sijan was
Mekong Delta, along with Army Capt. Humbert R. Versace and Army Sgt. awarded the Medal of Honor-the
Daniel L. Pitzer. Versace later was executed by his captors. Pitzer was first graduate of the Air Force
released in 1967. Academy to receive the award.
On Dec. 31, 1968, after more than five years of jungle captivity, forced Some prisoners were lucky
marches, starvation, and disease, Rowe and his Viet Cong guards cowered enough to win early release.
in the underbrush to elude US gunships and advancing South Vietnamese Prisoner leaders, including Navy
troops seeking battle. Suddenly, Rowe found himself alone with a single Lt. Cmdr. Richard A. Stratton
guard. He clubbed the man unconscious, rushed to a clearing, and waved and Navy Lt. Cmdr. John S.
frantically toward a descending US helicopter gunship. McCain III (now a US senator
and Presidential candidate)
Luckily, the commander of the air cavalry group, Army Maj. David rejected Vietnamese offers of
Thompson, spied what he thought was a Viet Cong guerrilla vulnerable immediate repatriation, fearing
to capture and, rather than opening fire, swooped in to pick him up. “Only that such a release would yield
when the command ship swept in and lifted the black-clad figure out of a propaganda bonanza for Hanoi
the jungle amid a hail of fire from VC in the woods did the helicopter crew and have a disastrous impact on
realize that it had bagged an American,” the historians wrote. POW morale and cohesion. They
also thought that such an act
Rowe left the Army in 1974, returned to duty in 1980, and died in April would run contrary to their duty
1989, victim of an ambush by left-wing Marxist terrorists in the Philippines. to stay with their men until all
were safe.
Dreams of escape similarly inspired two GIs who received the Medal of On Feb. 16, 1968, in the midst
Honor posthumously for valor during captivity. Marine Capt. Donald G. of the Tet Offensive, North
Cook remained endlessly defiant after being captured east of Saigon in Vietnam released three
late December 1964, when Viet Cong overran the South Vietnamese force prisoners from Plantation,
he was advising. Cook nursed civilian Douglas Ramsey, a US foreign turning them over to peace
service officer captured in January 1966, back from a sinking malaria- activists Daniel Berrigan, a
induced coma and saved his life, despite the ravages of his own illnesses. Jesuit priest, and Howard Zinn,
On Dec. 8, 1967, as the POWs were moved to another camp, Cook died a professor of history and
on a jungle trail, probably from a malaria seizure, stated the historians. government at Boston
Ramsey’s account of Cook’s heroism, provided upon his release in 1973, University. Navy Ensign David
led the US on May 16, 1980, to bestow on Cook the nation’s highest P. Matheny, a 24-year-old pilot,
decoration for valor. Air Force Maj. Norris M. Overly,
and Air Force Capt. Jon D. Black
Tale of Lance Sijan were turned over. The freed
Air Force 1st Lt. Lance P. Sijan also received the Medal of Honor. The officers became known at
backseater on a disabled F-4 that crashed in Laos on Nov. 9, 1967, Sijan Plantation as the “MOB,” an
bailed out at low altitude and evaded capture for 46 days, despite a acronym for their last names.
compound leg fracture, mangled hand, and head concussion. North The stay-behinds debated
Vietnamese soldiers found him by the side of the road on Christmas whether the freed prisoners had
broken faith. Many saw theYou can also read
