Vietnam-Era POWs’ Values Are Timeless

“Where did we find such men?”

President Reagan asked that question as he awarded the Medal of Honor in 1981 to Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez for his exceptional bravery and intrepidity in saving eight of his fellow soldiers in Vietnam while gravely wounded and under withering enemy fire.

I was reminded of the president’s question while attending a 25-year reunion of 174 Vietnam-era prisoners of war held last week at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace to honor their sacrifice and commemorate their liberation.

The evening sought to replicate (down to the same menu by the same White House chef) a similar dinner held on the White House lawn in May of 1973. That 1973 dinner was memorable for the gathering of 1,300 of the most distinguished guests at the largest sit-down dinner in White House history. For me personally it was so because, as a junior White House aide, I had pulled the lucky straw to attend as the scribe recording the event for the president’s archives.

For Richard Nixon, that night in 1973 represented a brief respite from billowing Watergate storm clouds. It was festive and joyful. Bob Hope was the master of ceremonies. John Wayne gave a speech. Sammy Davis Jr. performed. The president eloquently toasted the wives, mothers and girlfriends of those returning POWs as “the first ladies of America.” And the night was fittingly capped by an aging Irving Berlin leading his audience in the most famous song he ever composed: “God Bless America.”

Last week it was clear that the passage of a quarter of a century had not dimmed the extraordinary memories as retold through gripping stories by the former POWs themselves.

Stories of personal strength and courage. The Communist prison guards made a mockery of the Geneva Convention’s protocols for the humane treatment of prisoners. These Americans were repeatedly subjected to brutal torture without provocation--wires slicing through their wrists, bones broken by beatings and the use of rubber fan belts to whip bloody cuts over their bodies. They did not succumb. And they not only endured, they prevailed.

Stories of ingenuity. Because communication was forbidden between the prisoners, they devised their own form of a “tapping code” to “talk” to each other between the walls. With only 25 ways of making the “tap” work and with 26 letters in our alphabet, the function of the letter K was performed by the letter C.

The Bible was written from memory on tiny scraps of paper.

A handkerchief-size version of the Stars and Stripes was fashioned by several of the men with various bits of thread scrounged from any possible source. They secretly recited the Pledge of Allegiance to it whenever possible.

Stories of comradeship. No man was alone if there was a fellow soldier nearby. They reinforced each other through the worst of all times, providing emotional succor, support and strength through each agonizing day. Admiral James Stockdale--there last week as he was 25 years ago--was awarded the Medal of Honor for inspirationally binding together the spirit of his comrades and sustaining them till their day of liberation.

Stories of faith. The POWs shared their faith, had an honorary chaplain, composed a POW hymn and “worshiped” in secrecy. Their faith from all they believed and in all they were defending was indomitable.

Naturally, the celebration, laughter and tears of last week’s reunion warmly touched those chords of emotion again. Merely by attending, a frail Bob Hope--soon to be 95 and accompanied by his beloved wife, Dolores--silently reprised his salute. Henry Kissinger was there to ensure with his remarks that history not ignore what U.S. determination achieved.

But most importantly, the night and its honorees bespoke an American spirit--a patrimony of the magnificent character of our people.

“Where did we find such men?” I remember President Reagan’s answer: “We found them where we always did--in our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops and on our farms.”

Reaching beyond today’s sordid headlines, we can reassure ourselves that the principles of honor, courage, integrity, honesty and selflessness are at the core of those who rise when liberty sounds the command to protect it.

Irving Berlin may have added a phrase: God bless America--and those who bless it back.