The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Operation Homecoming - Vietnam POW's Return (1973) - June, 11th 2003

Marilyn ^

[snippy_about_it]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

.

FReepers from the The Foxhole
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

.

.................................................................................................................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday"
Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different veteran each Wednesday. The "ordinary" Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who participated in the events in our Country's history. We hope to present events as seen through their eyes. To give you a glimpse into the life of those who sacrificed for all of us - Our Veterans.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

Resource Links For Veterans

Click on the pix

Operation Homecoming

In 1972-73, I was a young Air Force officer stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. It was one of the largest bases in the world, and was near the combat areas of Southeast Asia.

In early 1973, the United States and North VietNam reached an a greement which brought our prisoners of war home. Being part of the crowds who welcomed the men back was one of the most moving experiences of my life, and I'd like to share it with you.

My thanks to Larry Chesley, Lt. Col. USAF Retired, one of those who came home, for allowing me to quote liberally from his book, "Seven Years in Hanoi".

Thanks also to those who have commented on the earlier version of this page for allowing me to include their comments here. They have added much to my story and understanding of this event.

The images are courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.



These are C-141 aircraft, the workhorse of the airlift fleet. They can be configured as medical evacuation aircraft, including litters for more seriously ill patients. Specially trained flight nurses, and sometimes doctors, serve on these special aircra ft. Here, several C-141s are lined up at Clark, waiting for the order to fly to Hanoi to bring our men home. The red crosses on their tails indicate their mission.

No, that is not Mount Pinatubo, the famous volcano; it's Mount Arayat!

Barry Crocker, a young man in aircraft maintenance at Clark during Homecoming, put the red cross on the tail of the first aircraft. He remembers running around the base trying to find red tape that would be strong enough to stay on, but he said the crosses were finally painted on. Barry also was a member of the block crew for the first airplane when it returned from Hanoi and he still feels the honor!

That first C-141 is still flying and has become something of a memorial.



In posed photos, several of the men demonstrate POW life in a cell and the yard at the Hanoi Hilton. The lack of historical accuracy, however, was pointed out by Gordon "Swede" Larson who said that during almost 6 years as a POW, he never saw a bed. Everyone he knew slept on a cement bunk, planks on a sawhorse, or the floor! He also said that it was only during the last year that even a couple of the men were allowed outside together, and it was only during the last few weeks that more than a few were allowed out at the same time.

Larry Chesley was a young officer who had been a POW for almost eight years. In his book, "Seven Years in Hanoi", he wrote:

February 12th was a beautiful day in North Vietnam, - at least to 112 American POWs. We had received our going away clothes the night before and cleaned up our rooms as well as we could. We assembled in the courtyard and made our way under g uard to the gate of the Hanoi Hilton. This was the first time we had moved anywhere from there without being blindfolded and handcuffed.



These camouflaged buses carried the men to the airfield in Hanoi. Note the going away clothes: dark blue slacks, light blue shirts, a wind breaker, shoes and socks. Each also had a small bag for toiletries.

The men came out in the order in which they had been captured. The first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war



At Hanoi's Gia Lam airfield, the men marched in military style through the crowds. Maintaining their military bearing and discipline was a key to getting through the POW experience for many, as was their religious faith.



A group of Americans moves toward freedom.
It was an overcast day, but beautiful to the POWs.

Awaiting the POWs at the airfield was an American military commission. Larry wrote:



How good it was to see those United States uniforms again. As a Vietnamese officer read off our names one by one . . .



. . . we saluted Colonel Al Lynn, the U.S. officer in charge. He shook each of us by the hand...



...Then a U.S. military escort walked us to the plane, giving us a hug of welcome as they did so.



There was one woman POW. We Americans never heard much about her, but I believe she was a German civilian nurse. As you can see, she had the same going away clothes as the men had.



Meanwhile, in South Vietnam, another group of Americans also prepared to go home. They were prisoners of the Viet Cong, and only a very few of those POWs survived to return to freedom. They were taken to a release point in a rural area, not a city. And as you can see, they left in the pajama-style prisoner uniforms that they had worn throughout their captivity.



The men from the South definitely appeared to be in worse condition than those from the North. But their joy that day was certainly at least as great as that of their comrades from the Hanoi Hilton

Wayne Everingham was an aeromedical technician during Operation Homecoming. He commented that each of the newly freed men was dressed in the same colored clothing, carried a diddy bag and wore a very somber face. But that changed immediatedly to a beaming smile as they got inside of the aircraft - they hadn't wanted the Vietnamese to see any expression!

All the POWs were flown to Clark in the medevac C-141s. Larry Chesley commented:



We were met at the door by pretty young ladies, the first American women we had seen in years. We sat down in the seats and looked around. Everything seemed like heaven. Just like heaven. When the doors of that C-141 closed, there were tears in the eyes of every man aboard.



I didn't know the details of this picture, but Wayne also told me this story. No one on the ground or in the aircraft had noticed the dog, but Wayne did so he asked about it. The man had zipped the dog into his diddy bag and somehow kept it quiet. It was just a stray that some of the Americans had befriended and made kind of a camp mascot.

The man told Wayne that on the morning of this departure, the men were awakened early and given very short notice to load onto the bus, their first "official" notice of release. He saw the prison cook trying to catch the dog, so there wasn't much doubt about its fate! He broke ranks and got into an argument with the cook about the dog. The guards rushed in and because the American refused to board the bus and leave the dog, they gave in - they knew about the publicity that was focused on this release. The American took the dog with him and got on the bus.

[snippy_about_it]

At Clark, my friend, Stephanie, and I were in the crowd that met the first group to come home. It was a truly wonderful experience. We met as many of the flights as we could, whenever we were not working.



The greeting party consisted of Admiral Gayler, the commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific. The son of his predecessor in that position was one of the POWs and is now Senator John McCain from my state, Arizona. Also meeting the returning men were Roger Shields, President Nixon's top assistant for POW issues, and General Moore, the senior Air Force officer in theater.

Quoting Larry Chesley again:

There were perhaps a thousand people to greet us, and as we walked down the ramp one at a time, we heard them clapping, singing and cheering in welcome. I didn't start crying until after I had saluted and shaken hands with the admiral and the general who greeted us on the red carpet laid out for us.

Wayne Everingham continued the story of the man and the dog:

Our arrival in the Philippines was to be televised by satelite around the world. Fearing an international incident in bringing an undeclared animal into the Philippines without permission, I notified the aircraft commander. He arranged with ground personnel at Clark AB to meet the aircraft, out of sight, at the end of the runway. Landing to a full stop, we quickly open the door and dropped the dog onto a pick-up truck. As far as I know, the public only saw the aircraft land, hesitate at the end of the runway and then proceed back down the taxiway into position in front of Base Operations. Officials did let President Marcos know after the fact, and the next day's newspaper (Manila) explained that the dog was allowed to accompany the POW.



The C-141s came at all hours of the day and night, bringing our men home. Note here the bus which took the men to the Air Force hospital where they stayed for 3-5 days. These buses had become a very common sight at Clark throughout the war, bringing the wounded from the combat area to the base hospital. This was a much happier occasion!

Larry noted:

As we walked down the red carpet toward the waiting buses and heard the little children chanting, "Welcome home! Welcome home!" nearly everyone on my bus was crying again. The welcome at Clark was an extremely humbling and moving experience.

Also at many of the arrivals was Scott McLaughlin:

I was a fifteen year old dependent on the flight line along side that fence that led up to the tarmac and that red carpet awaiting our new "Heroes". I remember looking across the flight line and seeing Mt. Arayat. I'll always remember each manwalking off those planes as we all clapped, cheered, waved American flags, and sang songs. I also remember some of those men being carried off on litters as they saluted smartly to their greeting party. They were true patriots.

There were two Filippino POWs. President Marcos of the Philippines and his wife, Imelda, met the flight on which they came home. Elizabeth Badua-Smail continues the story:

My father, Candido C. Badua, and Arturo Balagot were working for Voice of America in Hue when they were captured.

Before Vietnam, my father worked for VOA in Baguio and Arturo at the VOA in La Union. They had just visited their families for Christmas vacation and went back to Vietnam on January 16. They're allowed to go home to the Philippines every 6 months. So my father said he was looking forward to coming home again, but little did he know it would last 5 years before he would see his family again. He was captured on Jan 31, 1968. Arturo was captured sometime in February '68. Both were released on March 5, 1973.



This picture has my father standing close to Mrs. Marcos looking to the side with my mother, my sister, brother and I. Between the Marcoses is one of the children of Arturo Balagot and to the right of the President is Mrs. Balagot and one of her sons.

Larry Chesley described the next phase:

At Clark hospital, doctors checked our general physical condition. I can't describe the ecstasy of that first shower . . . and . . .with a body which felt truly clean for the first time since 1966, putting on clean clothes. . . . we were all extrem ely keyed up; we didn't sleep for about three days, getting maybe an hour or so a night. Sleeping in a bed with a mattress and sheet was going to take a little getting used to. . .

Jeanne Worthington was a personnel officer at a fighter base in the States at the time. She was told to brief the families that the men would have to be on very controlled and limited diets at first, as they adjusted to the foods they had not had for so many years.



But that wasn't necessary, as Larry said:

What we lost in sleep, we certainly made up in food. It was good to eat with a knife and fork again. For our first meal in freedom, we had steak or chicken, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake and ice cream, all in huge quantities. I was to ld that the 112 in our group ate forty gallons of ice cream that first night!

Scott McLaughlin remembers:

I worked as a Red Cross Volunteer at the base hospital at the time all these service men were returning home. I had opportunities to meet many of them while they got stronger. I remember wearing a POW bracelet for a long time, and having the pleasure of returning it to "my" soldier when he was at Clark. I delivered many cards, letters, cookies while at the hospital.

The men were found to be in better condition, generally, than had been expected. In addition to medical exams, food, and trips to the base exchange, they were able to talk with their families in the States. After their medical review, many of t he men visited children at the schools on base.



Mark Cash was a 10 year old student at the time and said although most of the students were too young to understand the significance of the event, they nonetheless were touched deeply by the experience. He gave one man a child's magazine and the man acted as though it was one of the most important things he had received.

There were of course several reporters at Clark covering this story, including Peter Jennings and Peter Arnett. But the military tried to keep them away from the returnees until all of the POWs were released. They didn't want to take a chance on jeopard izing anything, although then as now, the Press did not appreciate these restrictions. Bill Near,an Air Force communications technician at Clark who worked long hours in support of Homecoming, remembers that the press in effect took over the Silver Wings recreation center on base.

Bill Near,an Air Force communications technician at Clark who worked long hours in support of Homecoming, remembers that the press in effect took over the Silver Wings recreation center on base.



When the men left Clark a few days later, several of them addressed the crowds seeing them off. New uniforms could not disguise how thin the men were.

As they headed home, I like to imagine their joy and feelings of anticipation. But many of them spent a few minutes saying good by to the children and others who came to see them off. The flowers on the man here are a Thai tradition, not unlike a Hawaiian lei.



I think the emotion on the children's faces shows how all of us who were there felt.

Operation Homecoming was a wonderful experience. I'm so glad I was there. Thank you again to those who contributed to these pages. And a special thanks to those who have worked on the memorial Hanoi Taxi

[snippy_about_it]

First Into Hanoi, 12 Feb 1973
An Aeromedical Evacuation of POWs Mission

Primary Aeromedical Evacuation Crew Members:

Capt Linda Moore, Flight Nurse
Capt Patricia Mayer, Flight Nurse
1Lt Joyce Fester, Flight Nurse
MSgt William Horn, Med Tech
SSgt Terry Cole, Med Tech
SSgt William Rodgers, Med Tech

Additional Medical Crew Members:

LtCol Robert L'Ecuyer, Flight Surgeon
Maj Robert Williams, Flight Surgeon

Aircraft: C-141A, tail number 60177
(now a C-141B model based at the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio)

Operation Homecoming started 12 Feb, 1973, with three C-141A aircraft heading to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft to Saigon, South Vietnam. They all departed Clark Air Base, Philippines, early that morning, with the C-9A departing first. Later that day, the arrival of each aircraft was to be broadcasted live by satellite around the world (a telecast of this scale was a first ever).



All aircraft had an aeromedical team of two flight nurses and three aeromedical evacuation technicians with a couple of flight surgeons. The areomedical crew for the C-141 aircraft were composed primarily of 10th Aeromedical Evacuation Group (10th AEGp) personnel. Front end crews were from various bases of their aircraft. The C-9A aeromedical crews were from the 9th Aeromedical Evacuation Group (9th AEGp) based at Clark AB, Philippines. Their front end crews were from the 20th Aeromedical Operations Squadron and co-located with the 9th AEGp. The flight surgeons were from the Clark AB Hospital. Along with the medical and flight crews were two escorts for each POW and an AF News media team.

Each dedicated C-141A aircraft (all were 'A' models back then) was especially painted white and marked with a red cross on their tail to clearly mark its peaceful intention to all. All C-9A aircraft had those markings, already. Back then, aircraft 60177 was assigned to the 63rd Military Airlift Wing at Norton AFB, California.



The mission was for three C-141As to fly towards the North Vietnam border as a group, then enter North Vietnam, one at a time. While aircraft 60177 and its medical crew (above) flew into Hanoi to pick up our American POWs, the other two C-141s circled to distanced themselves by 30 minutes each. This was a precaution before preceeding across 'enemy territory' to minimize potential loss.

Aircraft 60177 and its crew, like the others, brought back 40 POWs. These POWs had been imprisoned the longest. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POWs released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison.



This first mission crew also brought back the first litter-carried POW patient. He was placed on a crudely made Vietnamese litter that gave very poor support. It had two very rigid support struts that went straight across from pole to pole, positioned directly under where a normal size person would place their neck and mid thighs. I'm told that this POW rode that litter for hours over rough roads the morning of his release, very much in discomfort. Even with the discomfort showing, the Vietcong would not allow time (nor the publicity) for the crew to transfer him onto an American made litter. The medical crew had to wait until he was placed onto the aircraft, well out of sight, before they could transfer him. The litter was brought back by the medical crew and is now part of the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Wayne Everingham, USAF Retired

Homecoming Remembered 30 Years Later

According to the Paris Agreements of January 27, 1973, all "captured military personnel and foreign civilians" of the signatory powers were to be returned to their respective homelands. To the Americans, this meant primarily the PoWs held in North Vietnam. They were to be released progressively, in line with U.S. troop withdrawals from the south: as soon as the last U.S. soldier left Vietnam, the last PoW would be set free.


Operation Homecoming brought back 600 POWs, including then Maj. R.E. "Gene" Smith, who was among the jubilant group repatriated in March 1973 and who went on to become an AFA president and board chairman. He had been a POW since 1967.

The Communists provided a list of 587 American citizens in their charge (a figure amended later to 591 as the Chinese agreed to release men held by them). Operation Homecoming began on February 12, 1973, when the first batch of PoWs was handed over. Hanoi soon fell behind schedule, however, and it was only after President Nixon had suspended U.S. troop withdrawals that the process continued smoothly, ending on March 29. Meanwhile, in Vietnam itself, Saigon officials released 26,508 NVA and VC prisoners, while the Communists repatriated about 5,000 South Vietnamese. Since 1973, there have been persistent rumors of U.S. prisoners still in Communist hands, as part of the total of 2,494 servicemen and civilians missing from the Vietnam War era.-- "Vietnam Decisive Battles," by John Pimlott (1990), pg. 178



"In the Vietnamese conflict, a major concern in negotiations between the United States and North Vietnam was the release of hundreds of American prisoners of war and the repatriation of both North and South Vietnamese prisoners. By 1971 the prospects of U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam depended largely on a solution of the prisoner-of-war problem, which had been employed as a bargaining point by North Vietnam. On February 12, 1973, after the signing of the cease-fire in January, the first contingent of 143 American military and civilian prisoners of war arrived in the Philippines. During the following weeks, 444 prisoners were released. Two decades later, more than 2000 U.S. soldiers remained unaccounted for and are listed as missing in action." - Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Additional Sources:

www.aeromedevac.org
members.aol.com/bear317/nwvets.htm
www.wpafb.af.mil
www.sandiego-online.com
www.flughafengallery.com

[snippy_about_it]

The Hanoi Taxi



During its long career, C-141 tail number 66-0177 has carried vital cargo all over the world. However, on Feb. 12, 1973, there was a very special cargo - this was the aircraft that brought the first 40 American POWs from Gia Lam Airport, Hanoi, North Vietnam to start Operation Homecoming.

Today this aircraft is assigned to the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, and is still flying. When crew chief MSgt. Dave Dillon saw a label, "Hanoi Taxi", on the flight engi neer's panel, he checked it out and found that this was indeed the first plane out of Hanoi.

Dillon then led an effort to commemorate the aircraft so that those who board it now will understand that momentous event in 1973. Pictured with him are (from the left) TSgt. Henry Harlow, Dillon, SSgt. Jeff Wittman and TSgt. Susan Denlinger. This group were the key players in making this memorial come to life.

[snippy_about_it]

[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Morning Everyone!


If you would like added or removed from our ping list let me know.

[E.G.C.]

Good Morning, Snippy.

Had storms move through last night. Got about a quater inch.

[snippy_about_it]

Good Morning E.

Must have left you and came through here, woke up to it.

I think we've had what, two days without rain in what seems like weeks. lol. Everythings growing like crazy!

[w_over_w]

Thanks Snippy.

God bless all our Nam Vets and the beyond brave that survived the POW camps.

Uncle Willie, I'll see ya when Lord returns . . . until then.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning snippy, SAM, everyone!

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather.

[manna]

Present!

[Diver Dave]

Thanks for this extra special thread. Kleenex?

[snippy_about_it]

[snippy_about_it]

:)

[snippy_about_it]

It was heartwarming, wonderful and sad at the same time. Kleenex was needed.

A couple things stood out. The fact that the POW's waited to show emotion until on the plane, marching all the way there, dignified, honorable.

The story of the POW who brought the dog home.

This tells so much about the American spirit.

The enemy will never understand us and therefore always lose.

Thanks DD for falling in. :)

[Darksheare]

I'm in.
The POW bringing the dog home with him was interesting.
Heck, history itself is interesting.

Thanks for the ping.
I'll be wandering around here somewhere.

[snippy_about_it]

I'm in.

Good!

Me too, workin' and lurkin'.

[Darksheare]

Just read the thread about "Psychiatric Association Debates Lifting Pedophilia Taboo" and near puked.
The psychiatric profession has become quite a.. piece of work.

Gotta watch our kids closer than ever now, thanks to these clowns.

[snippy_about_it]

Yes. I saw that. Disgusting.