Our Pow's Return Home

It is impossible to over-estimate the impact of the events of Tuesday, the 13th of February 1973. I was there and stand on firm ground when I say nothing like this has happened before - or since. The release of American POW's from North Viet Nam stands as an emotional Everest in their lives, and the lives of those of us who first greeted their return to American soil.

Our commanders had strongly suggested personnel at Clark AFB/PI (Philippines Islands) should stay away from the flight line when the POW's returned. The prevailing belief was that the excitement would overwhelm them, might damage their "delicate" psyches. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Think this through - withstanding years of captivity and torture from their captors, would it make sense that seeing old friends would send these men into uncontrollable depression? Granted, we knew little to nothing about their condition but if this day taught us anything, it was a lesson in the resilience and vigor of the human spirit. These men had not only survived, they had thrived in conditions unimaginable to most Americans, and which today seem impossible to comprehend.

I was well into the 2nd year of a two-year tour at Clark AFB/PI, having served most of my first year deployed to various bases in South Viet Nam and Thailand as a C130 aircraft commander. As my unit stood down and disbanded, I chose to remain at Clark for a 2nd year as the 405th Fighter Wing Life Support Officer. Returning to the states for training, I married my fiancé (Marlee Jane Beard) and she joined me upon my return to Clark.

Marlee and I waited with intense excitement to hear the news of the final release of the POW's. Now, having learned they were airborne on their way to Clark, wild horses could not keep us away. When we arrived on the flight line, it was late afternoon. There, we were joined by our fellow soldiers and airmen, families, and civilians in a huge rope line numbering maybe 2,000 people. It was the antithesis of what our commanders had wanted, and exactly what our POWs needed.

My memory of the events that day is a bit frayed around the edges, but I vividly remember the raw emotion, and some few details never to be forgotten. We screamed and we cheered until we were hoarse; we grabbed offered hands and slapped backs; we stood and as one and welcomed our men home. It was divine for us, and must have been beyond description for those men we welcomed.

Several hours before, two C141 Starlifters and one C9A Nightingale had departed for Clark AFB carrying 107 soldiers and airmen along with one civilian POW. The C141's departed Hanoi's Gia Lam airport and the C9A left Saigon after picking up POW"s held in South Viet Nam. All told, there were 107 men on these 3 aircraft bound for freedom. In the gathering twilight, we watched as the first aircraft coasted down final approach carrying its precious cargo from their Vietnamese "Hell on earth".

Having flown the C141 before deploying to Clark, I knew the aircraft intimately and was mentally onboard with the flight crew as we watched those final moments before touchdown. I thought my way through the "Before Landing Checklist", and pictured myself in the aircraft commander's seat as the first of aircraft touched down. It was 4:12 PM on Tuesday, the 13th of February 1973 and our boys were finally home!

In the gathering dusk, the huge overhead ramp lights came on, providing a soft glow to this most surreal of moments. After a slow taxi into position in front of the crowd, an air-stair rolled into position alongside the aft crew door. The first airman stepped into the light, bathed in the noise of a welcome home party like none ever seen. As senior officer onboard, Navy Captain Jeremiah A. Denton was first off. Captain Denton was shot down on July 18th, 1965 and after 7 ½ years a prisoner, he was home.

As Captain Denton stepped from the aircraft, he turned and saluted the American flag and the senior officers awaiting the POW's arrival! Next off was Navy Lt. Commander Everett Alvarez, a POW for over 8 ½ years. One after another, each man exited the aircraft in order of the date of their shoot down. Each stood and saluted the flag.

These were men who time forgot. But, they never gave up on themselves, and we never gave up on them. Now, their first act was to stand and salute the American flag. If there were no tears before, they flowed freely now.

Among the returnees was Major Floyd Thompson, a POW just 10 days shy of 9 years; Lt. Commander John McCain, a POW for over 5 ½ years and a future US Senator; and Capt. Garland D. Kramer, a POW for over 6 years who held a hand-lettered sign reading "God Bless America and Nixon". These men and so many others had returned with honor, with their dignity intact.

We learned later of that which most sustained them - thoughts of their fellow airmen; of their families; of America and the people who loved and prayed for their safe return; and of their God who was ever-present with them. The unspoken meaning that February afternoon lies not in words, but in the emotions which remain yet today. Imagine the pure shock of going from torture, unimaginable debasement, and treatment like an animal - to this! Something light to eat, a great flight crew, freedom to move and speak, and now, thousands of fellow Americans screaming welcome home.

Many of us present that day wore POW bracelets. Here, now, we had the chance to see, touch, and welcome home the very man whose name we had carried these many years. A prayer fulfilled, both for the POW's and for all of us who knew and loved these men.

As each man deplaned, he was greeted with shouts, clapping, and singing. Each and every man received the same approbation as if he, and only he, were the one returning home alone. Descending the steps from the aircraft, each man then walked the line comprised of thousands of military personnel and their families. We grabbed their hands, we called out to them, we shouted and cheered, we stood and clapped and most of all, we loved these men as they had not been loved for years - perhaps ever.

We knew these men personally. They were our brothers in arms and we wanted them to know they had not been forgotten. No man there was without those in the crowd who knew and loved him personally. This was no ordinary crowd, it was we who had loved, prayed for, and supported these men during all the years of their captivity. This, more than all else, explains the magic and emotion of the day. These were our friends and comrades. Each military man there also knew that there, but for the grace of God, any one of us might have been them.

First stop was the base hospital where each man was checked and debriefed, all to determine their mental and physical health. Amazingly, these men were for the most part far healthier than any conceivable expectation. They had not just survived these horrid conditions, but had managed to thrive. Both mentally and physically, they were incredibly vigorous.

While there would be numerous reports and studies later, the sum total of "why" this was possible seemed best summarized by one word - relationship. These men, while prisoners, had become brothers and found ways to share suffering and give support even in the midst of torture, starvation, and disease. They had kept faith with each other and with their God. With very few exceptions, they had returned with their honor and dignity intact, American fighting men who understood who they were and what they held sacred.

Navy Commander Charlie Plum became a motivational speaker following his release. He explains the key to prison survival in this way: "Today, there are millions of Americans walking around physically free but who are prisoners of their minds. If you are to survive captivity, you must understand that "prison think" will kill you. You may be in prison, but by harnessing the power of your mind you can be free - even while a captive pacing an 8'X8' cell in the Hanoi Hilton." (Paraphrased)

In the days which followed their initial release, these men became a part of the fabric of Clark AFB. They visited hospitals, ready rooms, the Base Exchange, and our schools - all with a message of love and thanks that they had not been forgotten. Marlee, while volunteering at the base elementary school, still has strong memories of their visits to her 3rd grade class and the profound impression they made on these young children and the children on these men. It was love fully shared and freely given.

We also learned of the devastating effects of visits to North Viet Nam by American "peaceniks" such as Tom Haden and Jane Fonda. Attempts by some of the POW's to secretly send messages during these visits resulted in extreme and brutal torture. Then too, following these visits our enemies found reassurance that the American leadership might falter, thereby encouraging an implacable enemy and extending the time when we could bring our POW's home.

At the end of this day, everyone present was emotionally spent, all for a great cause. To welcome home these heroes, these men who had given a significant portion of their lives for the cause of freedom, was both an honor and a duty. They serve yet today as examples of what the human spirit is capable of, when engaged in a just cause.

The appropriateness of the Viet Nam was is really not at issue here. These men did their duty when asked by their country to serve and serve they did. No one present that day will ever forget these men, and all those who never came home. God Bless America!