AIR FORCE NOW

I think we slowed him down at any rate and we made him work pretty hard I feel that I walked out walked out to that c141 in Hanoi with my uh with my head held high and I fell about 10 ft tall so we brought our honor home with us a little scarred but we brought it [Music] home AAA hit the aircraft the aircraft started to roll and descend then I got out somewhere under 350 ft that was the longest day of my life the day that I got shut down [Music] every move they made from the day I arrived in there was designed to get something out of me or to get something against the United States it was war in that camp just as if it were War down on the Battlefront every single day every minute of the [Music] day e [Music] [Music] he [Music] the North Vietnamese told us when we were their prisoners that when we came home we we would be immediately thrown in jail that uh the average American citizen thought that we were in fact criminals they were very much against us of course we didn't believe this but we didn't know to what degree the lie was made and it was about as far to the other side as possible because the reaction that we received since we've come since we have returned home has just been fantastic sir let me you okay okay how are are you huh hi boy I'm great you're all just wonderful you're just wonderful really are although I'm not a very religious man I shut my eyes and said about 30 seconds of Silent prayer and I uh I felt as I've never felt before in my life quite obviously the realization it really is true we are here and we can't go back and we were here and uh at that time I probably in those instance I probably became a better American than I've ever been well we're really see receiving the things that uh I think would be more appropriately do to the guys that are will always be over there uh that are buried in the the dirt in the mud of North Vietnam and the jungles of South Vietnam also we're a symbol of the people that were lost we happen to be regained we always knew that you would not forget us that you would not leave us in that foreign land and our thoughts were always of our God our families and the honor the honor of America God Bless America his wonderful people thank you it was in 1967 that I was sent by the defense department to do some documentary paintings about the air people at work in Southeast Asia then I just got the message from the other Pilots that if I was painting their story sincerely I should include in my efforts some kind of documenting of the man in the prisons up in the north I knew that there was isolation I knew they were holding them in in communicado I knew our men and I knew that they would under the most severe circumstances try to be strong but I visualized it would be dark and lonely and and and terribly Bleak I remember especially uh Colonel Flynn's comment when he said yes he says that's they're very good but they're not harsh enough and then he said something to the effect that our story is not just coming off the plane and going to the barber shop you have to know something of our six years there and he said can you paint torture they went through an incredible amount of pressure both casual pressure from just being in prison camp but more particularly from organized physical and psychological abuse and usually alone well I found a a closeness to God that I had never found before and a couple of times when I really needed him while I came booming through faith in God was probably the the the Cornerstone of my uh resistance I was able to to stand firm when I thought that uh the end looked like it was in sight and uh uh all was lost Colonel day told me about the uh his upper arm that was broken for a period and then paralyzed after uh being constricted and told me that the arm was about the size of a bone plus maybe a blood vessel or two and I had evaded the as as I say 32 patrols and unfortunately was uh shot and captured by an ambush Patrol on the uh uh my 13th day out he was in solitary for 37 months or something like that and uh he say they just look at his arm and his hand and try and get him to move and eventually he thought he could see him move and then he knew he could see him move and that gave him enough uh to look forward to so he just kept working at it and it's amazing it was easier to go through each month than it was to go through each day yeah Ian he used to watch be legs hatch that takes about 11 days but they had a big push to get the American P to write these statements condemning the war in hopes that internationally it would embarrass the United States of course each of these was a carbon copy of the one before and everyone that I know of was EXT Ed by means of torture in my capacity as a debriefer I have spoken to half of the returnees that have come to this Hospital one of the most important things we have learned is how vital Communications was for their daily existence within a camp they used uh some very ingenious methods of communicating uh primarily they would learn to uh talk through walls and by talking through walls we're talking about walls that may be 18 in to 2 feet thick would pass poetry through the wall learn poems uh if you're fortunate enough to live by somebody who knew a foreign language well they would instruct you and you could study a foreign language they utilize their sense of humor which sounds sort of macra to talk about a sense of humor when you're getting the hell beat out of you but they were able to utilize their sense of humor to resist this in a very real way then of course as soon as they got together they were able to band back together and gain support from their their common uh uh against their common Enemy by staying organized and uniting against a v We forced them to give us medical attention even though it wasn't much it was more than we would have got before it was a it was a lot of hours of of pure boredom and there are a few moments of the start Terror too Captain brazzleton was called to quiz which was their uh joggin for interrogation and uh during the process of the conversation with his interrogator uh he asked Captain brazzleton a question uh Captain brazzleton gave him the answer and uh the interrogator got a a puzzled look on his face for a moment then he leaned across the table and putting his elbow on the table and summoning up uh all of his uh knowledge of American idioms he sted into cap Captain brazelton's eyes and said Honest Engine [Music] chewing on a piece of grass walking down the [Music] road tell me how long you going to stay here Jo [Music] some people say this town don't look good in snow you don't care I [Music] know Venture a highway in the sun moonshine where the days are longer the nights are stronger than moonshine [Music] none of them seem to have any bitterness about what they've been through and that really impressed me they were all so warm and open Colonel lury came up one day to the nursing station very straight-faced and said do you know why they give second lieutenants gold bars and I said no sir and he said that's to tell you apart from the officers I'm Colonel George Fong I'm the homecoming processing team team Chief the job entails supervising the processing of our rures coordinating of such activities as Finance Personnel the debriefing and the medical aspects we're pretty much involved in almost everything that the PWS do after the first group of rures came in I had to be real sure that I had on my uniform one I went downstairs the thought was that I shouldn't be done in the ward in a pair of black pajamas because the retur might think I'm a VC I'm joking of course and when it's convenient for us they bring in the experts and they're bringing them in apparently from all over the Air Force and they're taking the time to tell us what we want to know to give us the answers to our questions where do we go from here hey well that looks like pretty good L you got there oh don't matter how' everything going just fine sir uh every place we go while we meet with with a fine reception you know we had a lot of thoughts as to what kind of diet would be required for these gentlemen and almost without exception they required nothing in the way of a special diet they ate as much as they wanted of anything they chose the only somewhat unique thing about the diet for those of us who are based in the hospital was there apparent relish for the hospital diet which of course not shared by the rest of us not a fallen star waiting for the early train [Music] sorry boy but I've been hit by Purple Rain oh come on Joe you can always change your name thanks a lot just the [Music] same a high in the sunshine where the days are longer the nights are stronger than [Applause] moonshine you're going to go there have been U some surprises the length of hair the style of clothes the material clothes are made of I really like the mini skirts I was just afraid that they were going to be out of style before I got got back and you know getting used to many skirts is a big shock I think the men's styles are really uh quite a change I really like them the colors the Styles the flared pants the double nit trousers especially I really think they're the most comfortable thing I've ever worn I just wonder where they've been all my life I have not heard a single good thing about the United States in 6 years I got the clock everything you heard was bad the whole world is watching peace now keep the Bandit high with the order about Fai stop the war and now they got [Music] the I'm sure that we will all be better men and better officers for the experience that we've had I knew the day I was captured that I was going to be released there was no doubt in my mind about that I knew that we would get out most of them if they weren't reflective when they went over there have come back reflective and appreciative of a lot of the things that most of us take for granted I have more of a purpose in life I think I know more of what I want to do compared to before just walking out of the out of the front door and doing a 360 and looking the clouds and the stars and the grass and that sort of thing is really an experience happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday dear happy birthday to [Applause] you I had a suspicion something was coming up by the way people were Milling around but I didn't expect this really was expecting The Bachelors to pull something sneaky I'm impressed you thank you very much for everything I sure will really thank you when the first group of uh returnees left I really felt like we were losing friends because we really got to know them especially because they came in at um in different groups of small groups and uh we really we got to talk to them a lot more and got to know them each one of them and I I really felt like I was losing a friend as each one left right John have fun thank you thank you very much it's been a pleasure to working on you thank you same here good seeing you again yeah set see primarily the last couple of weeks have been uh sort of a gentle re reintroduction into uh normal society but once I climb into my automobile and drive back toward my home it's going to be a uh an opening of of a large door it seems from a small [Music] room and the days surround your daylight Seas cying no despair alligator lizards in the air in the air [Music] you know approximately where he punch do about 40 mil east of Hanoi about 40 miles to East just coming into the Rolling Hills North of high Farm we're interested in uh specifics of his shootdown so that we can learn the lessons which may improve our equipment or our tactics uh for the future considerations we want to know of this treatment we want to be able to understand the mentality of the people that kept them in captivity we're interested in things that they may do to their own people how do they treat their own people what is life like you just can't realize the pressure anybody's under when they're Mia and then eventually you know you find out that they are a PO just changes your whole outlook on everything have you heard about when your husband should be back when he's expected I know the last date he'll come home would be the 28th of March so at least that's not too long so I don't think there'll be any problem at all about flying again yeah speaking of flying you know uh I got shot down in F100 up there F100 F weiselberg and you know for many years we uh we s of made a few jokes about sack Etc wondering when they were going to get into the war yeah and I'll tell you then finally came December 18th and we knew sack was there the guards initially tried to control uh the prisoners but in very short order were so frightened themselves they were they were ducking in their manhole covers and under boards and they didn't see him for the rest of the missions and after the first evening they never even came to see what they were doing in inside their cells during the bombing raids well I'd flown about 160 missions yeah and the B52 over there and then to watch the last three or four nights from the other end was was really impressive uh there was a man on my crew uh that didn't turn up and Camp he kept looking for him cuz he had checked in that he was okay on the airplane and uh come to find out he had been evading the enemy for 12 days before he surrendered to the enemy Captain Peter P Kamara uh Captain Peter Camara was the man's name he did a good job bu evading for 12 days I'd like I'd like to thank everybody for the warm welcome we've gotten all the way across and uh it's great to be back home at [Applause] March I'm glad the pows are back and I'm just curious as see how they will adjust to but certainly when they get back with their families it isn't going to be isn't going to be too hard or take too long to fit in my wife has done such an outstanding job then that when I got home actually it was like being gone for months rather than years there there has been absolutely no transition problem at all and I'm very grateful for that I I did receive a few pictures in North Vietnam if I hadn't i' I'd have probably been scared out of my wits when I came home and actually did see my children when I left in February of ' 66 my my son my youngest of three was 9 months old but basically there's no change in their personalities I I recognize them my son is a is a new entity to me but he's accepted me very very quickly and very easily uh I've gone to this little fellow School room and and answered a bunch of very surprisingly intelligent questions from what grade is he in second grade second grade they want wanted to know how I like being a prisoner they wanted to know what I ate who who won the war they wanted to know who won the war which is an interesting question in itself they wanted to know if it was cold they wanted to know if it was hot but they knew what was happening they were aware and that was when they were even in first grade I think probably more aware than some adults well I think that the release of the prisoners of war is uh one of the greatest things happened in this decade well it's really wonderful to have everybody home together again and I think it's a very good thing for the spirit of the country we believe that we as a group are not unique we think that the 575 or 600 people that are involved are representative of the services uh representative of all of the people within our services because after all uh we were not handpicked to be sent over there we were on the Wheel of Fortune and I just I wish that we could bring them all back but we can't and we never have from any engagement that we've had and those are those are the people that really caught the brunt of the war and I think those are those are the people that we owe so much to S had told us for so long that the American public was behind us but yet they were out there holling God Bless America we you could tell that there were the Americans that fought in every war since time began since we've been our country and it made you proud again To Be An American Proud that maybe that we did something there that it wasn't all in vain there were Americans behind us and that people like the V Will Never Last and never endure with theirs because they r rule with fear and that's the only thing they know they only know force and they only know fear and if they can't rule with that they don't rule we don't act like that those Americans are free and they're there because they're free men those children were hollering and screaming because they wanted to not because someone was forced them to or someone drove them up there to make them do it and that's enough to make you proud in those five or six years that we spent up there or seven or whatever they may maybe or worth that and maybe those children won't have to go fight I hope so Colonel Lynn was the first man in blue that I had seen since April of 1966 he represented everything that I stood for the reason why I had spent so much time in North Vietnam in that he stood for Freedom the right to say and do what you want and I was going back to that watching that 141 that had just come in to pick us up I think I had a bit of apprehension not really knowing what to expect but knowing that there was Freedom out there and the 141 represented my flight to Freedom [Music]