Skipping through all the crap - water boarded three times (yes - I finally gave them my age) slammed up against a tin shed walls and tricked into signing a "corrected" document that became a "confession", the last morning came after up all night in a cage the size of a dog house. We're all out there, cold and hungry, and the "guards" trot out one of our officers.
They put him on the water board and told the group he was about to be treated unless any of us wanted to volunteer to come up and take his place.
None of us stood up to take his place.
They gave it to him once - then again - then asked again if any of us wanted to relieve him on the board.
We all sat on our hands.
In retrospect the proper thing to have done would have been for any one of us - that one leader - to stand, and encourage others to stand... they couldn't water board us all.
But we sat on our hands until the school instructors correctly determined there were no leaders in our group, and gave up.
The National Anthem started playing - the red flag of the camp came down and the Stars and Stripes went up the pole - school was out.
What should have happened was every man-jack of us would have stood to replace the LT, and then the flag would have gone up.
We finished the school, but we all pretty much failed.
The cheering and crying and hugging each other was expected - they pulled the LT down off the water board and we all ate for the first time in a couple of days. It was oatmeal that had been stewing over a fire all night; it tasted terrible, but it was wonderful.
In 1976 I learned something about leadership, and compassion, how to not get tricked into signing a confession and how to go limp when thrown up against a tin wall. And next time - if, God forbid there is a next time for me, I'll be the one to stand up.
And that's why I'm here.
I was in SEE (survival, escape, and evasion) back in ‘73 (or ‘74), I believe, at Fort Knox. We did ok for the first mile dodging the enemy, took ravines, creeks, etc., on a moonlit night. But 5 guys is too many—too dam noisy. Me and another guy split away, but were eventually spotted. We both dropped into foot-high grass, I in shadowed grass (of a tree), and he, not shadowed. They got him, but missed me, no more than 4-5 feet from him. Couldn’t believe it. They hauled him off, and when clear, I boogied the last mile through the hills and valleys to the finish.
Should I have surprise assaulted them? Seemed a bit too much for the “exercise”.
It would have been interesting to be in the POW camp. I suspect they treated you guys worse than they would have me back then.
Thanks for your service!
Thank you for that