We must choose to keep a positive attitude. 312-374-9333, Tuesday Saturday Admittedly, harsh interrogation techniques do produce answersfast answers. This created a unique situation in most previous American wars, the majority of prisoners were enlisted men captured by the enemy, often times in groups. God Bless and keep driving that Corvette!! Email. But a few days later we got out. Harker and his company were on patrol when they broke contact with the enemy in a creek bed. The Vietnam War lasted from 1964-1973the longest war in American history until it was overtaken by the one in Afghanistanand servicemen typically did one-year tours of duty. If there is any justification to that argument, we certainly could have applied it to the soldiers who served the Nazi and Japanese regimes. Due to consolidation at the Defense Department, the Air Force had been ordered to use them, too. It is a great motivator to get you engagedIts better to find out what happened to the missing than to endlessly stay in a state of uncertainty and frustration that you cant do anything about it, she said. I was 35 years old, a husband and father of three small children. As a POW in the Hanoi Hilton, I could recall nothing from military survival training that explained the use of a meat hook suspended from the ceiling. The cheers continued when they landed in the Philippines, Hawaii, and Andrews AFB, Maryland. Vietnam We were under a 1-to-1 prisoner-to-guard ratio, and the guards would trade manioc and so we would put baskets on our backs and go back and forth over miles of mountain trails carrying 70-80 pounds of root. He is among the finest American soldiers I have ever known. The staff judge advocates at MACV headquarters quickly realized that if American GIs were going to have any chance whatsoever of surviving their captivity, the Saigon government had to be convinced to change its policy and start giving POW status to captured VC and treating them in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. Equipped with new weaponry provided by China and Soviet Russia, North Vietnam launched a more conventional, multipronged, and full-scale attack from Laos, Cambodia, and across the demilitarized zone, leading to a gradual South Vietnamese retreat but ultimately repelling North Vietnamese forces. That February, Operation Homecoming aired on American television showing the release of American POWs from North Vietnamese prison camps. They got me, he said. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Browse our unique collection of books, exhibit merchandise, precious coins and more. American troops were using a form of waterboarding on captive Filipino insurgents as early as 1900. He was an athlete in high school and received his associates degree from Bluefield College before transferring to Virginia Tech in 1966. My dads supervisor said he could get me in the National Guard, but I thought that would be shirking my responsibility. The stories were usually very specific. In a famous incident in 1966, prisoner Jeremiah Denton, Jr. blinked the word torture in Morse code during a televised propaganda interview, confirming suspicions of mistreatment. Experience shows that slow, methodical, long-term rapport-building interrogation tactics always produce better results. WebThe greatest war film every made. Eventually we were moved to Alcatraz, a special prison located in a courtyard behind the North Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, along with eight other diehard POWs. Phisayavong has found that with the passage of time, locals are more willing to help in recovery efforts: I feel that now when I go to missions, people openly cooperateThe first time, villagers did not fully cooperate. In the end, I was the last man to be released from solitary, after three and half years. The partition of Vietnam led 130,000 French-led troops to relocate from the North to South Vietnam, and between 50,000-90,000 Viet Minh to relocate to the North. But what kind of information did McCain provide? Like The key word for all of us at first was fragility. the Vietnam War You Probably Believe We operated out of a fire base, with one company pulling security while the other three were out doing search and destroy missions. POW Nearly 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, and more than a quarter century since the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations, Vietnam is emerging as a rising power at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region and an increasingly important U.S. partner. My family never heard anything from their CAO. Built by the French and used to imprison political dissidents, American prisoners were kept there from 1964 onward. McCains amendment passed, and has since been called the Detainee Treatment Act. At what point do the compromises to our most cherished ideals as a nation start to corrupt our institutions and corrode them from within? In part as a result of the fallout from the oppressive and violent policies in Diem's government, the U.S. indicated support for a military-led coup in South Vietnam. I remember the day when David returned to Preston Glenn Airport in his hometown of Lynchburg, VA. Many others do not. In April 1970, Jerry also personally ordered and led a camp hunger strike, which was successful in obtaining my release from solitary confinement. With nearly 40,000 young men being drafted every month, disillusionment spreading in particular through universities, and news of battlefield casualties reaching the American population, antiwar protests began to gain in size. Resulting in the deaths of 305 American troops, and an estimated 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers, the Battle of Ia Drang Valley pivoted the war from one primarily of small conflicts to full-fledged assaults. This form of protest would continue for much of 1963, and the impact it had on the Diem government gave it the label "the Buddhist Crisis.". That group included Naval aviators Jerry Denton and Jim Stockdale, the highest-ranking officer in the prison, who taught me the tap code on the prison walls so we could communicate to each other and other POWs. I remember saluting an Air Force general who was sitting with a North Vietnamese officer, and when we saluted, we had been officially repatriated. They didnt pursue it much. The date Sept. 14 was assigned the number 001and all in all, only numbers 1 through 195 were called to duty. POW In late spring of 1966, Jerry was severely tortured and was forced to make a public TV interview appearance. Army Veteran recalls his time as POW during Vietnam - VA News He was a military guy who had fought in Laos as a 17-year old in the early 1960s, and he looked out for us. I remember that night vividly. Americans at home were confronted with defeated, weary, and terrified airmen paraded around by their captors. The planes we were flying, F-4 Phantom IIs, were really Navy aircraft designed for fleet defense. Once one of the worlds poorest and most isolated countries, Vietnam is now a middle-income My parents found out that a couple of those who were released were at Fort Jackson, and so they went there and got onto base and met with them and heard from them that I was alive. There were over 130,000 American service personnel captured during World War II alone; over 7,000 were taken POW during the Korean War; and nearly 600 returned from Vietnam to U.S. control during Operation Homecoming in the spring of 1973. We were separated from civilization in the middle of nowhere and we couldnt communicate; had no food, and no medical attention thats torture enough for an individual. What Life Was Like for a POW In Vietnam - YouTube They gave us food and told us the peace agreement was broken and we were right back down in the depths of despair. Theres a guy with a rifle telling me to get up. In part a test of Vietnamization, U.S. troops were not permitted to cross into Laos, though they did provide air support. On Dec. 8, 2020, U.S. Army Veteran David Harker will celebrate his 75th birthday. Because the Korean War never officially endedno peace treaty was ever formally signedthe recovery of American remains is complicated. Uncertainty is a killer. Torture brought each man to his breaking point, and many prisoners were forced to write confessions or sign statements under atrocious coercion. WebYet the POWs of Vietnam seem to occupy a special place in the narrative and legacy of the war. Vietnam In spite of these conditions, there were many instances that I will never forget of my fellow POWs demonstrating profound patriotism. By 1893, France had annexed neighboring Cambodia and Laos as well and created out of the three nations a territory referred to as Indochina. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Library (Members Only) https://www.historynet.com/torture-lesson-vietnam/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, Why? I learned firsthand that the trying times do have a purpose and that we must choose to let them make us stronger. This picture was taken on Nov. 10, 1967, shortly after he and his companions took part in Operation Wheeler a series of search and destroy missions aimed at weakening the Peoples Army of Vietnams 2nd Division. A brand new Mustang was awaiting his arrival. While out, wed move about 1,000 meters a day and get resupplied every fourth day with c-rations if the helicopters could get through.. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. Staging his protest in front of the Pentagon, Morrison was a Quaker and pacifist from Baltimore, and though his actions did not lead to any direct changes in policy from the U.S. government, he was lauded in Vietnam for his sacrifice. But that begs a more fundamental question: Does it work? 27 Apr 2023 04:34:24 Glory Denied: The Saga of Jim Thompson, America's Longest-Held Prisoner of War, Oral History: John Borling, Major General, Medal of Honor Recipient Jon Cavaiani Interview, American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day, Medal of Honor Recipient Leo K. Thorsness Interview, Vietnam POW John Borling on holidays endured at the "Hanoi Hilton", 2022 Pritzker Military Museum & Library. The first American POW was captured in 1964, but most airmen were captured as part of OperationRolling Thunderfrom 1965 to 1968, with around 800 airmen being captured at this time. Missing in Action: How Military Families Spurred the MIA Movement With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973, the American withdrawal had a firm end date. You may also like: 50 best American war movies. I decided to comply with the order, but took considerable artistic license in the process. The next morning theyd put a ball of rice on a banana leaf and wed carry that with us for lunch as we moved. I signed up to become a fighter pilot, even though I had never set foot on a planeI thought it sounded exciting. After basic and advanced infantry training, Harker was approached and offered an opportunity to go to Officer Candidate School. The Annapolis, Maryland, academy hosted this event. Im surprised they didnt just shoot me, but they took some commo wire and duck-winged me that night.. Even after the war ended, the potency of the POW issue was not diminished. The Paris Peace Accords marking the end of the Vietnam War were signed on January 27, 1973. China supplied primarily infrastructural support, sending engineering troops to build defense infrastructure. Advances in DNA technology, increased access to crash sites or battlegrounds in territory once hostile to Americans and ongoing international negotiations have helped bring more and more open cases to a close. The majority of those on both lists are Vietnam veterans, and several of them have written for or been interviewed by Vietnam Magazine over the years. Drama like The Guns of Navarone. In the wake of the Vietnam War, families of military members who never returned from service banded together to demand an accounting. To subscribe, click here. The bodies of more than 2,800 people were discovered, and another 3,000 residents of Hue were missing. He eventually signed a confession written by his captives in the stilted comic-opera language of Communist rhetoric, admitting to black crimes and other vague generalities. The ropes were tightened to the point that you couldnt breathe. A classic!! I think of all the love behind it every time I drive it.. American PoWs in North Vietnam attempted to register every individual in the system and recorded at least 766 verified captives at one point or another. We came together really well in that respect., During the Vietnam War only one American doctor was ever taken prisoner. In defiance of his captors, he repeatedly blinked his eyes in Morse code during the interview, spelling out the word T-O-R-T-U-R-Eand thus confirming to U.S. intelligence for the first time that we were indeed being tortured. Starting in 1982, it became the day the POW/MIA flag was flown over the White House just below the American flagthe only other flag to do so. Sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter. As such, the North Vietnamese released the POWs they still held. Between February and March 1973, 591 American servicemen were released by the North Vietnamese. Today, the mistreatment of American POWs and the suffering they endured remains a powerful legacy of the Vietnam War. Cooper and 30 other unsolved mysteries, Milestones in women's history from the year you were born, a whole host of life-threatening illnesses, A history of US submarines from the American Revolution to today, an estimated 182,000 Vietnamese civilian deaths, 50 insights into the US military-industrial complex, A timeline of WWII, one of the most devastating conflicts in world history, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1. In the mountains the men had to forage for food, mostly the manioc root, also known as kasava root. B-52s bombed all night long after talks broke down. However, in the years since the first revelations about Abu Ghraib, there have been additional exposures of prisoner mistreatment at Guantanamo and other locations. I was called on to serve my country and thats what I was going to do.. The whole theory was that we needthe Vietnam veterans needa place they would be recognized, says Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They wanted to get us away from the battlefield but a few days later they did it again. Kush and I talk about that all the time were not professional POWs. Under the agreement, Vietnam remained divided into North and South at the 17th parallelthough North Vietnam swiftly resumed planning the takeover of South Vietnam. On a human level, the war was disastrousan estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians were killed, and over 1 million Vietnamese soldiers lost their lives. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Then there were the battles Americans lost that precluded the recording and burial of fallen American soldierslike the Battle of Chosin, where 1,200 Marines were lost. I drew a picture of a ships deck with a large swimming pool on the fantail, the captains quarters in a chain locker, and various other imagined embellishments.. Beginning in 1969 and 1970 and lasting until 1973, U.S. National Security Advisor (and later Secretary of State) Henry Kissinger conducted negotiations over the course of 68 meetings with Le Duc Tho, the fifth-ranking member of North Vietnam's politburo. He had worked for a power company during World War II and so was exempt from the draft, Harker recalled. In October of 1972 the Vietnamese allowed prisoners to be outside together for the first time since they arrived, and it looked like the war might be over. Unfortunately, that was not out of the ordinary. Of the 15 men who entered the rice paddy that evening, only four made it out. In one incident, a military judge advocate named Captain Edwin Glenn was actually court-martialed for his direct role in super vising the water torture of a Filipino prisoner. Flipboard. Vietnam Vet Pilot Tells His POW Story - Audacy Pejoratively labeled the Viet Cong by the U.S. and the government in Saigon (for Communist traitors to the Vietnamese nation), the NLF differed from its predecessor the Viet Minh in that it was not directly tied to a provisional government until nearly a decade later. There can be little doubt that reports of prisoner abuse at the hands of Americans only gives the radical Islamic militants a blank check in their own minds to subject American captives to the most barbaric treatment possibleand so far they have been doing just that. I mean, we won: The Century-Long Battle Over This Confederate Flag, Revisiting the Small but Important Riots between Brandy Station and Gettysburg. And let me tell you, those years of physical and mental torture, away from my family, were hell. With the help of God, I did my best to defy my captors, stand up for freedom and return with honor. This operation marked the beginning of the use of chemical warfare by the U.S. in Vietnam, known most infamously as Agent Orange. Le Duan had been a prominent and influential figure throughout Vietnam's early 20th-century history, and he is generally considered to have had a more militaristic approach than Ho Chi Minh. David Harker stands next to the 1973 Corvette he received. CantWriteToSaveMyLife@yahoo.com. Aired: 04/26/23 Comments like those of Donald Trump, or any other American, suggesting that veterans like Senator John McCain or any other of America's honorable POWs are less brave for having been captured are not only misguidedthey are ungrateful and nave. If your organization is interested in becoming a Stacker The embarrassment of the Pentagon Papers led President Nixon to attempt to illegally discredit Ellsberg, efforts which came to light during the Watergate scandal and resulted in Nixon's resignation in 1974. In the end, we did not get anywhere near the reciprocity from the VC and North Vietnamese that we had hoped for; but as badly as American POWs were treated, it could have been much worse. Though sentenced to life in prison, he would serve only three years under house arrest and be released in 1974. It was a long journey and I was glad to be home and for them to be there for me meant so much. Commander Denny Moore endured seven and a half years in eight different North Vietnam prisons The war saw the Americans and the South Vietnamese fighting against the commies of North Vietnam. Once we compromise those values, we find ourselves on the slippery slope to being just the same as we think they are. Furthermore, as McCain so correctly points out, this debate isnt about themits about usabout who we are and what makes us different from the enemy we are fighting. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Dan Brinzac/New York Post Archives /NYP Holdings, Inc./Getty Images, Kim Komenich/The LIFE Images Collections/Getty Images, Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images, Lost Tuskegee Airmans Body May Have Been Found, third of captured Americans died in captivity, mishandling and misidentification of American remains, What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Familys Search for Answers, https://www.history.com/news/missing-in-action-mia-vietnam-war, Missing in Action: How Military Families in Tortuous Limbo Galvanized a Movement. Senator John McCain knows from firsthand experience what it is like to be a POW, and to endure prolonged brutal torture in violation of every norm of international law and every basic standard of decent human behavior. Shocking images such as Nick Ut's "Napalm Girl" and Eddie Adams' "Saigon Execution" have become synonymous with the widespread outrage and disapproval of the war in the United States. In accordance A person being tortured will simply say anything he thinks his tormenters want to hear in order to stop the pain. WebA Vietnam POW spent nearly seven years in captivity. Its about our values and our standards. While Harker is open to discussing his time in Vietnam to serve as an education for younger people, he said it was a part of his life that hes put behind him. If you are a Veteran in crisis It was a day I will never forget. Over 25,000 Vietnamese civilians were killed, and an estimated 1 million were displaced as a result of this conflict. Of the many precipitating events that followed, few were as pivotal as the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in setting the stage for the outbreak of the Vietnam War. In one incident, a military judge advocate named Captain Edwin Glenn was actually court-martialed for his direct role in super vising the water torture of a Filipino prisoner. The oppressive heat and Im sure Vietnam Vets will tell you the country had a smell of its own., The soldiers on their way home watched them deplane and Harker heard them say, theres my replacement.. Sponsor: U.S. A staunch Catholic nationalist, Ngo Dinh Diem's rule over South Vietnam gave rise to violent religious oppression, including the deadly suppression of protesting Buddhist monks. Unfortunately, it has. The Vietnam War was a conflict with profound international implications that changed the landscape of American international policy for decades to comea phenomenon called Vietnam syndrome. Then, in a bid to challenge the NLF's supply lines, President Johnson launched Operation Rolling Thunder, beginning a three-year-long continual bombing of North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh trail that resulted in an estimated 182,000 Vietnamese civilian deaths. North Vietnam and the NLF suffered massive casualties from the offensive, with an estimated 60,000 dead. July 1954: Vietnam is split in two by an international conference in Geneva, 1955: North Vietnam becomes a communist state while South Vietnam is led by a Catholic nationalist with U.S. backing, May 1959: North Vietnam begins building the Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport supplies, July 1959: The first U.S. soldiers are killed in South Vietnam, September 1960: Ho Chi Minh gives up his party position and Le Duan rises to power in North Vietnam, December 1960: The National Liberation Front, later known in the U.S. as the Viet Cong, is formed in South Vietnam with backing from North Vietnam, May 1961: The U.S. sends soldiers and helicopters to South Vietnam to help combat the NLF, January 1962: Operation Ranch Hand employs the widespread use of Agent Orange in South Vietnam, 1963: Ngo Dinh Diem opens fire on a crowd of Buddhist protesters in May and Buddhist monks begin immolating themselves in public spaces in June, November 1963: The U.S. backs a coup that assassinates Diem, beginning the first of 12 different governments to leave South Vietnam during the next two years, August 1964: Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution after the USS Maddox is attacked by North Vietnam torpedo boats, November 1964: North Vietnam receives more support from the USSR and China, February-March 1965: Operation Flaming Dart launches bombing campaign of North Vietnam, August 1965: Operation Starlite marks the first major ground offensive conducted by U.S. troops in Vietnam, November 1965: Norman Morrison sets himself on fire in front of the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War, November 1965: The first large-scale battle of the war, the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, kills roughly 300 Americans and injures hundreds more, 1966: The number of U.S. troops in Vietnam rises to 400,000, April 1967: Massive protests against the war occur in New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, September 1967: Nguyen Van Thieu becomes president of South Vietnam under a new constitution, March 16, 1968: U.S. troops murder more than 500 civilians at the My Lai Massacre, March 1968: President Johnson halts some bombing of Vietnam in the face of public backlash, September 1969: Ho Chi Minh dies of a heart attack, The Sydney Morning Herald // Getty Images, December 1969: The U.S. begins the first draft lottery since World War II, Consolidated News Pictures // Getty Images, 1969-1972: U.S. troops are gradually pulled out of Vietnam, February 1970: Henry Kissinger meets with Le Duc Tho for secret peace negotiations, March 1969-May 1970: The U.S. conducts Operation Menu, a series of secret bombings in Cambodia, May 4, 1970: National Guardsmen open fire on antiwar protesters at the Kent State shooting, June 1970: Congress repeals the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, January-March 1971: Operation Lam Son attempts to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail and fails, June 1971: The New York Times publishes the Pentagon Papers, March-October 1972: North Vietnam launches the Easter Offensive against South Vietnam, December 1972: President Nixon launches Operation Linebacker, dropping about 20,000 bombs on densely populated regions in Vietnam, January 1973: The U.S. ends the draft lottery and President Nixon signs the Paris Peace Accords, February-April 1973: Operation Homecoming sees the return of 591 American prisoners of war from Vietnam, January 1975: President Ford says the U.S. will have no further involvement in Vietnam, April 1975: The U.S. transports more than 1,000 American troops and 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees out of Saigon as South Vietnam surrenders to Communist forces, July 1975: Both North and South Vietnam are officially united under the Communist rule of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Civil rights history from the year you were born, Famous propaganda posters from the last 100 years, A history of Puerto Rico's relationship with the US, Weird, wild UFO sightings from throughout history, Leading theories about D.B. WebArmy Veteran recalls his time as POW during Vietnam - VA News On Dec. 8, 2020, U.S. Army Veteran David Harker will celebrate his 75th birthday. torture stopped': 1969 brought temporary changes to infamous It was on that fateful 25th mission over North Vietnam that my co-pilot Chesley and I were shot down. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2008 POW MIA Help Bring Them Home 1-1/4" Button Pin Pinback Prisoners Of War S4 at the best online prices at eBay! | Photos courtesy of congressional offices. Harkers first prison was in Quang Nam Province, a difficult, mountainous country that made food scarce and meant deplorable living conditions for the POWs. Efforts to recover the bodies of American MIAs are ongoing. He believes to this day that had he not been captured, he would have died there in Italy, as his own army did not have the medical resources necessary to save his life. I got through those hellish years by the grace and mercy of God, who provided me with a strong POW support system.