Top medal for GI held captive

SF Chronicle ^ | 7-8-02

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Washington -- Thirty-seven years after he was executed by his Viet Cong captors, Rocky Versace is to be honored today with the Medal of Honor -- the first Army soldier to receive the award for his actions while in captivity, defense historians say.

[dennisw]

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[dennisw]

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[dennisw]

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[jellybean]

FYI

[bandleader]

I Was Totally Unaware Of This!It's About Time That His Service To Our Country Was Acknowledged!!

[Boonie Rat]

May he rest in The Father's Peace.

Boonie Rat

MACV SOCOM, PhuBai/Hue '65-'66

[lodwick]

bttt

[B4Ranch]

I become ashamed that we left hundreds of POW's in Viet Nam when I read about these HEROES who refused to give up!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

He was taken captive in 1963.

[southland]

We also left several thousand in Korea. Over 8,000 are still missing in that forgotten war.

[carlo3b]

A real HERO, it's about time! Bless the ground were he rests. ATTENTION, SALUTE!

[B4Ranch]

The treatment of our POW's is disgusting. Washington puts politics before the troops! There is no reason whatsoever that we should ever leave any troops behind!!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

In 1963, when Rocky Versace was captured, the US was still in the "win" mode in South Viet Nam. But by 1968, even before the media's big lie about the VC's Tet "victory" (in which they were largely wiped out)our profile changed and we were ready to settle for a 'tie' like we got in South Korea.
I personally don't think we left Americans behind after 1975. Some AWOL troops stayed in country and a few came back in the Jimmy Carter clemency.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

GARRY OWEN, Sir (U.S. 7th Cav Salute)

ALOHA RONNIE / Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 / Landing Zone Falcon / www.LzXray.com

[Middle Man]

"The treatment of our POW's is disgusting. Washington puts politics before the troops!"

I'm amazed anyone would volunteer to defend this country. Not just 'Nam and the Korean War, but FDR's inciting the Japanese to bomb Pearl Harbor, then leaving the base's commanding officer -- who was totally in the dark about the impending attack -- to take the blame.

Another disgrace and scandal was the treatment of American POW's by the Japanese in WWII. Washington never asked for an official accounting or reparations for those atrocities, because our politicos were already looking ahead to renewing trade with Japan after the war.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Not completely true. The US Army tried, convicted and executed several Japanese officers within months of taking back the Philippines.
Our history is rife with examples of mistreatment of American fighting men by our own government. An example would be my dad, who flew C-46's and C-47's over the Hump in the China-Burma-India Campaign, but recieved no veterans status.

[vooch]

Gen Yamashita

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Yup. Forgot his name. I think he was tried and hanged in about ten days.

[stumpy]

The V.F.W. Post in Redondo Beach Ca. is named after him.