Defiant: The POWs Who Endured Vietnam's Most Infamous Prison, the Women Who Fought for Them, and the One Who Never Returned

by Alvin Townley

  “Like so many … GBU.” Mulligan 1981, 209.

  “Softsoap had returned … tea basket.” Denton 1998, 198.

  “You bastards … going home!” Mulligan 1981, 211.

  “When Howie … be together.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 508.

  “He reported in … No talk!” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 200–201.

  “Ron … no answer.” Jim Mulligan reported hearing Ron Storz being interrogated in or near Stardust in December 1969, but nobody else could corroborate this. Mulligan recognized Storz’s voice. Ron seemed to be refusing to cooperate, and to Jim it seemed as if he were irrational. The North Vietnamese threatened to return him to Alcatraz. Nobody recalled riding with Ron from Alcatraz to the Hilton, however. Nobody saw Ron after the group’s December 9 transfer to the Hilton.

  “When Jerry Denton … near Hanoi.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 509.

  “Whatever the … to take over.” Guarino 1990, 260.

  “Ah, Denton … don’t insult guards.” Denton 1998, 202–3.

  “The phantom … propaganda system.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 242.

  “Feast yourselves … truly optimistic.” Mulligan 1981, 214–15.

  20. MAYDAY!

  “Ah, Denton … think of something.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 220.

  “They hate me … break me.” Ibid., 222.

  “Jerry issued … fast ceased.” Denton 1998, 208.

  “He began singing … up in Wing.” MilitarySong, “There Are No Fighter Pilots Down in Hell” Air Force Drinking Song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtQQz8QcSiI (accessed March 6, 2012).

  “On May 15 … another way out.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 227.

  “In June … reporting, sir.” Return with Honor.

  “They remained … please, no more.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 233.

  “Shirley refused … shaky and uneven.” Ibid., 226.

  “The Air National … among the audience.” Allen 2009, 38–40.

  “Dornan wore … wrist in America.” Judy Davis, interview by Alvin Townley, August 20, 2012.

  “Under the leadership … POW/MIA issue.” Mike Anton, “Vietnam War Bracelets Come Full Circle,” Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2010.

  “Mary Helen … black-and-white flag.” Mark Woods, “A Symbol Made for Memories,” Florida Times-Union, August 9, 2009.

  “Designing the flag … then forgotten.” Andrea Brown, “Springs Man, Famous for POW Flag Design, Dies,” Gazette (Colorado Springs), May 17, 2009. Valerie J. Nelson, “Newt Heisley Dies at Age 88; Veteran Designed POW/MIA Flag,” Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2009.

  “As Sam sized up … a while yet.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 233.

  “He’ll get better … without being punished.” Ibid., 234.

  “Ah, Sông … speak for Stockdale.” Ibid., 234.

  “I assure you … a while longer.” Hubbell 1976, 527–28.

  “At a press conference … Geneva Convention.” David K. Bruce, “Violations of 1949 Geneva Convention by Democratic Republic of North Vietnam,” Commander’s Digest, January 16, 1971.

  “Several weeks later … bring the men home.” Richard Nixon, “A Pledge from the President,” White House, press release, December 26, 1970.

  “That last month … for Christmas.” Davis 2000, 227.

  “I am living … is alive.” Rutledge 1973, 134.

  21. O SAY CAN YOU SEE?

  “Roughly 250 … in North Vietnam.” Benjamin F. Schemmer, The Raid (New York: Avon, 1976), 307–10.

  “The flight roared … captured servicemen.” John Gargus, The Son Tay Raid (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2007).

  “Over the bark … without any POWs.” National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Rescue Attempt: The Son Tay Raid, March 24, 2011, http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=14410 (accessed August 22, 2012).

  “The Sơn Tây … nearby facilities.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 522.

  “It must be some … Heartbreak Hotel.” Mulligan 1981, 233.

  “Howie Rutledge had spent … through the wilderness.” Rutledge 1973, 88.

  “Bombardier-navigator … and they had.” Hubbell 1976, 540.

  “Hey, it’s still … not allowed.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 245–46.

  “How would you like … 1967 treatment?” Risner 1973, 216.

  “In Jim … down a gauntlet.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 530.

  “As they passed … are not tied.” Risner 1973, 219.

  “The POWs had begun … Eyes of Texas.” Hubbell 1976, 545.

  “In collegiate tradition … the hell is Six.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 531. Denton 1998, 223–24.

  “For a time … Riot of 1971.” Accounts of the Church Riot of 1971 vary in their details. The narrative draws on multiple sources, including writings and interviews from participants Jim Stockdale, Robbie Risner, Howie Rutledge, George Coker, Jeremiah Denton, Sam Johnson, and Bob Shumaker. Secondary sources such as Kiley, Rochester, and Hubbell were also consulted in developing the final narrative.

  “Sure enough … Big deal.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 248.

  “Well, I guess … Stockdale remarked.” Byron Fuller with Mike McGrath and Paul Galanti, Incredible Room Seven, November 17, 2001, http://www.nampows.org/room_7.html (accessed March 1, 2012).

  “The men’s primary … having fun.” Hubbell 1976, 545.

  “In all of American … prisoners of war.” For much of their time after 1970, Jim Thompson was imprisoned at the Plantation and Ev Alvarez was at the Zoo.

  “Camp authorize … Thank you, Lord.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 248. Prisoners of Hope.

  “Fellow naval … with a hangover.” Hubbell 1976, 547.

  “Orson Swindle … in that crowd.” Fuller et al. 2001.

  “Indignant, Sybil … thought to herself.” Stockdale 1984, 386.

  “Upon entering Zero … on their backs.” Mulligan et al. n.d.

  “From Rawhide … responded to Jim.” Hubbell 1976, 558.

  “Many prisoners still resented … the Damned Two.” Howes 1993, 111.

  “Many prisoners still resented … to the grave.” Following Stockdale’s wishes not to nag repentant sinners, the book does not include names of the Repentant Five. Upon return, senior POW officers did bring misconduct charges against the Damned Two, a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and a navy captain. Charges were ultimately dropped by the government.

  “It unfolded … in downtown Hanoi.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 252.

  22. PEACE IS AT HAND

  “U.S. Intelligence … made an attempt.” Kevin Dockery, Operation Thunderhead (New York: Berkley Caliber, 2008), 213–33, 276–77.

  “That spring, she … would not support.” Karnow 1983, 657.

  “Then he unleashed … bombed this time.” Herring 2002, 307.

  “Now he had … the proposed treaty.” Andre Sauvageot, interview by Alvin Townley, December 10, 2011.

  “In Camp Unity … spirits immediately fell.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 265.

  “It’s a B-52 raid … going home.” Mulligan 1981, 267.

  “Jim said … know we are here.” Ibid., 272–73.

  “The Christmas Bombing … harm’s way.” Tín 2002, 34–36.

  “The air force lost … operational failures.” McGrath, Michael. Mac’s Facts 46—B52 Combat Losses/Operational Losses in Vietnam, Colorado Springs, CO: NAMPOW.

  “As for the Americans … in modern dollars.” Stephen Daggett, Cost of Major U.S. Wars (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, July 4, 2008). Department of the Navy, American War and Military Operations Casualties, http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/american%20war%20casualty.htm (accessed March 16, 2013).

  “As the United States prepared … U.S. interests alone.” Karnow 1983, 668.

  “From their courtyard … at long last, ended.” Eugene B. McDaniel, Scars and Stripes: The True Story of One Man’s Courage in Facing Death as a Vietnam POW (Alexandria, VA:
American Defense Institute, 1981), 162.

  “To all of you … prisoners of war.” Richard Nixon, “Nixon’s ‘Peace with Honor’ broadcast on Vietnam,” Watergate.info, January 23, 1973. http://watergate.info/1973/01/23/nixon-peace-with-honor-broadcast.html (accessed August 17, 2012).

  “Standing stiffly … in return.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 572.

  “Each of the nine … dis … missed.” Ibid., 572. Coffee 1990, 269–70.

  “Later that afternoon … cautious optimism.” Coffee 1990, 271.

  “After some wrangling … khaki windbreaker.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 574. Keyes Beech, “POWs’ Welcome Simple, Heartfelt,” Chicago Daily News Service, February 1973.

  “The former general staff … the Vietnamese government.” Stockdale 1984, 436.

  “I haven’t answered … you’re a good man.” Denton 1998, 237–38.

  “The optimists … February 1973.” Mulligan 1981, 255.

  23. GOD BLESS AMERICA

  “The Camp Authority provided … the following weeks.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 581. Coffee 1990, 285.

  “Behind Shu … July 1966.” Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), Personnel Missing, Southeast Asia (PMSEA) (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2005).

  “He called to Ev…’er off, Ev.” Everett Alvarez Jr. and Anthony S. Pitch, Chained Eagle: The Heroic Story of the First American Shot Down over North Vietnam (Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2005), Kindle edition, 3790.

  “For a man … suddenly upon them.” Stockdale 1984, 436.

  “The men boarded … two warring countries.” Return with Honor.

  “An American airman … will never know.” Prisoners of Hope.

  “The busses stopped … he said matter-of-factly.” Denton 1998, 239.

  “To his left … white linen.” Davis 2000, 499.

  “To his left … a blue uniform.” Milton S. Baker, LCDR, USN, “Operation Homecoming: The Role of the Navy Public Affairs Officers: I: Hanoi,” Direction, July 1973, 12.

  “Within ten … B-52 crewmen.” Hubbell 1976, 599. Davis 2000, 501.

  “Thirty-eight-year-old … four turbofans.” Department of the Air Force, Hanoi Taxi—445th Airlift Wing, January 13, 2006, http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3396 (accessed April 15, 2012).

  “Marrott steered … on the ground.” Associated Press, “POW Return Near,” Victoria Advocate, February 5, 1973, 1.

  “As the 340,000 … into the sky.” Thomas Pepper, “1st POWs leave Hanoi on US Plane,” Baltimore Sun, February 12, 1973, A1.

  “What’s the Super Bowl … POW responded.” Kiley and Rochester 1999, 580.

  “When the third … one surely is.” Coffee 1990, 286.

  “Mulligan turned back … except for this one.” Mulligan 1981, 280.

  “Once inside … 3-20-66.” Ibid., 282.

  “Do you show Ron … Eleven had made it.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 280.

  “At 3:20 A.M.… in the Philippines.” Beech 1973.

  “People waved … WE LOVE YOU.” “POWs Come Home,” Time, February 26, 1973, 13–20. Rutledge 1973, 109.

  “We are honored … God bless America.” Denton 1998, 240. Return with Honor.

  “After Sam Johnson’s … rich American food.” Baker 1973, 19.

  “After Sam Johnson’s … to order both.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 282–83.

  “Originally limited to ten … averaged forty.” “POWs Come Home,” Time, February 26, 1973, 13–20.

  “When his wife … who strengthens us.” Rutledge 1973, 141.

  “In his first … a little style.’” Stockdale 1984, 444.

  “Jim Mulligan felt … get home.” Mulligan 1981, 288.

  “Not long thereafter … like many others.” Return with Honor.

  “By April 1 … of 566 military personnel.” Davis 2000, 511. Kiley and Rochester 1999, 587. Michael McGrath, U.S. POWs in North Vietnam (Colorado Springs, CO: NAMPOW). Many Operation Homecoming figures differ slightly given various assumptions and data sets.

  “When Jim completed … first plane with me.” Mulligan 1981, 289.

  “As the plane neared … enough of this for now.” Johnson and Winebrenner 1992, 299.

  “As he started … days straight.” Prisoners of Hope.

  “Lorraine turned … there’s your daddy.” Return with Honor.

  “For the past seven … His grace on thee.” Stockdale 1984, 440.

  “The New York Times … neither until now.” Davis 2000, 527.

  SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Allen, Michael J. Until the Last Man Comes Home. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009.

  Alvarez Everett, Jr., and Anthony S. Pitch. Chained Eagle: The Heroic Story of the First American Shot Down over North Vietnam. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2005. Kindle edition.

  Alvey, Carla. “Facing Torture.” Washington Times, July 7, 2005. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/jul/07/20050707-090816-1280r/ (accessed August 8, 2012).

  Annin Flagmakers. About Annin—History. http://www.annin.com/about.asp (accessed June 28, 2012).

  Anton, Mike. “Vietnam War Bracelets Come Full Circle.” Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2010.

  Associated Press. “Hanoi Claims Photo Shows Downed Fliers,” July 23, 1965.

  ______. “U.S. Planes Raid North Vietnam.…” New York Times, November 21, 1970, 1, 11.

  ______. “POW Return Near.” Victoria Advocate, February 5, 1973, 1.

  Atta, Dale Van. With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2008.

  Austin, Anthony. The President’s War. New York: J. B. Lippincott, 1971.

  Baker, Milton S., LCDR, USN. “Operation Homecoming: The Role of the Navy Public Affairs Officers: I: Hanoi.” Direction, July 1973, 11–28.

  Beech, Keyes. “POWs’ Welcome Simple, Heartfelt.” Chicago Daily News, February 1973.

  Bell, Garnett, and George J. Veith. POWs and Politics: How Much Does Hanoi Really Know. Center for the Study of the Vietnam Conflict Symposium, Lubbock, TX, Texas Tech University, April 19, 1996.

  Booth, Peter. Interview by Alvin Townley. August 22, 2012.

  Brown, Andrea. “Springs Man, Famous for POW Flag Design, Dies.” Gazette (Colorado Springs), May 17, 2009.

  Bruce, David K. “Violations of 1949 Geneva Convention by Democratic Republic of North Vietnam.” Commander’s Digest, January 16, 1971.

  Capen, Richard G. Finish Strong. San Francisco: HarperCollins/Zondervan, 2002.

  ______. Interview by Alvin Townley. June 26, 2012.

  Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party. “Politburo Resolution 194: The Policy Regarding American Enemy Pilots Captured in Northern Vietnam.” Hanoi, November 20, 1969.

  Central Intelligence Agency. Vietcong Policy Toward and Exploitation of U.S. Prisoners of War. Declassified, Saigon, 1967.

  Chance Vought/LTV History. http://www.utdallas.edu/library/specialcollections/hac/vought/history.pdf (accessed May 17, 2012).

  Chesley, Larry. Seven Years in Hanoi: A POW Tells His Story. Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1973.

  Coffee, Gerald. Beyond Survival. New York: Berkley, 1990.

  Collins, Jim. Good to Great. New York: HarperBusiness, 2001.

  Comptroller, Secretary of Defense. Casualty Statistics on Southeast Asia, by Month. http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/vietnam/vwc24.htm (accessed August 21, 2012).

  Conrad, Joseph. Lord Jim. New York: Doubleday, 1899.

  Cooper, Chester L. The Lost Crusade: America in Vietnam. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett, 1972.

  Cronkite, Walter. Walter Cronkite’s “We Are Mired in Stalemate” Broadcast, February 27, 1968. https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/Cronkite_1968.html (accessed July 28, 2012).

  Daggett, Stephen. Cost of Major U.S. Wars. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, July 4, 2008.

  Dalton, Anne Chancey. Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.: Vietnam War Hero. Birmingham, AL: Seacoast, 2012
.

  Davis, Judy. Interview by Alvin Townley. August 20, 2012.

  Davis, Vernon E. The Long Road Home. Washington, DC: Historical Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2000.

  “Defectors: By Mutual Consent.” Time, July 15, 1966.

  Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO). History of the National League of POW/MIA Families’ POW/MIA Flag, 1998. http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/pow_day/history (accessed April 29, 2012).

  ______. Personnel Missing, Southeast Asia (PMSEA). Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2005.

  Denton, Jeremiah A., Jr. When Hell Was in Session. Los Angeles: WND Books, 1998.

  Department of the Air Force. Hanoi Taxi—445th Airlift Wing. January 13, 2006. http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3396 (accessed April 15, 2012).

  Department of the Air Force. Places and Dates of Confinement: Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps PWs, North Vietnam, 1964–1973. SEAsia PW Analysis Program Report. Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force, 1975.

  Department of Defense. Letter from DoD to Mrs. Ronald E. Storz, November 27, 1973.

  Department of the Navy. American War and Military Operations Casualties. http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/american%20war%20casualty.htm (accessed March 16, 2013).

  Destatte, Robert. Interview with Alvin Townley. March 5, 2012.

  Dockery, Kevin. Operation Thunderhead. New York: Berkley Caliber, 2008.

  Federation of American Scientists. C-141B Starlifter. http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/air/cargo/c141b.html (accessed April 18, 2012).

  Foster, Gary. Interview by Alvin Townley. June 28, 2012.

  Foster, Gary, and Michael McGrath. The Hanoi March, July 6, 1966. Colorado Springs, CO: NAMPOW.

  Fuller, Byron, with Mike McGrath and Paul Galanti. Incredible Room Seven. November 17, 2001. http://www.nampows.org/room_7.html (accessed March 1, 2012).

  Galanti, Paul. Interview by Michael Denton. September 7, 2012.

  Galloway, John. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 1970.

  Gallup. Public Opinion and the Vietnam War. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/vietnam/vietnam_pubopinion.cfm (accessed June 26, 2012).

  Gargus, John. The Son Tay Raid. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2007.