1 00:00:01,659 --> 00:00:03,603 Today , the largest contingents of 2 00:00:03,603 --> 00:00:06,210 repatriated prisoners . So far , 60 men 3 00:00:06,219 --> 00:00:08,386 were flown from park to Kram Air Force 4 00:00:08,386 --> 00:00:09,386 Base . California 5 00:00:12,310 --> 00:00:15,949 entered the Air Force in 1965 . Retired 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,159 in 1993 October to 7 00:00:19,170 --> 00:00:23,170 October . And my whole job in the air 8 00:00:23,180 --> 00:00:27,180 force was flying and I retired as a oh 9 00:00:27,190 --> 00:00:30,309 five lieutenant colonel . And , uh , 10 00:00:30,540 --> 00:00:34,220 just had a , a great career as a pilot . 11 00:00:34,229 --> 00:00:38,069 I flew in undergraduate pilot training 12 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,880 the little T 37 They call it the tweet 13 00:00:42,220 --> 00:00:44,770 and then the T- 38 and then I 14 00:00:44,779 --> 00:00:48,340 volunteered to go to Vietnam And 15 00:00:48,459 --> 00:00:51,060 went to F four training and over to 16 00:00:51,069 --> 00:00:54,659 Ubon Thailand to fly with the 17 00:00:54,669 --> 00:00:56,240 Great Robin Oles 18 00:01:00,419 --> 00:01:04,220 Thailand was the Vietnam war . We flew 19 00:01:04,230 --> 00:01:08,129 several bases in Thailand . I was on 20 00:01:08,139 --> 00:01:11,739 about my 51st Total 21 00:01:11,750 --> 00:01:15,589 Missions . We were going in 22 00:01:15,599 --> 00:01:18,279 bound just across the border of North 23 00:01:18,290 --> 00:01:22,000 Vietnam . And the , uh 24 00:01:22,519 --> 00:01:26,250 EC 121 started making radio 25 00:01:26,260 --> 00:01:28,370 calls , Bandits , Bandits , Bulls , 26 00:01:28,779 --> 00:01:31,580 that means Hanoi Bandits , you know , 27 00:01:31,589 --> 00:01:35,400 120 bearing 55 , you know , that type 28 00:01:35,410 --> 00:01:38,400 of thing . And I'm flying with Billy 29 00:01:38,410 --> 00:01:41,309 Gordon who just shot down a mig the 30 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,480 week before . And I said , Billy , I 31 00:01:44,489 --> 00:01:46,600 think they're , I think they're right 32 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,779 behind us . And then my wingman , Ted 33 00:01:49,790 --> 00:01:52,470 Hupp said MS 5:00 . 34 00:01:53,730 --> 00:01:56,699 So we turned to avoid 35 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,169 any heat seekers and we turned the 36 00:02:01,180 --> 00:02:03,419 wrong way . We pointed our left engine 37 00:02:03,430 --> 00:02:05,769 evidently at a heat seeker and it flew 38 00:02:05,779 --> 00:02:08,112 right up . The left engine and exploded . 39 00:02:11,350 --> 00:02:14,199 It became obvious that we had to eject 40 00:02:14,210 --> 00:02:17,970 within the next few seconds . And 41 00:02:19,009 --> 00:02:22,899 So Billy Gordon Ejected 1st I 42 00:02:22,910 --> 00:02:25,669 waited till the airplane rolled . And 43 00:02:25,679 --> 00:02:28,220 also I wanted to punch out up , not 44 00:02:28,229 --> 00:02:31,800 down . And then I ejected . And I saw a 45 00:02:31,809 --> 00:02:34,220 little valley down there with six ft 46 00:02:34,229 --> 00:02:36,419 tall elephant grass looked like a 47 00:02:36,429 --> 00:02:39,699 pretty good place to land that I guided 48 00:02:39,710 --> 00:02:43,110 it over the ridge . And in the last 500 49 00:02:43,119 --> 00:02:46,600 ft I'm looking down at the grass that 50 00:02:46,610 --> 00:02:50,389 6-foot tall elephant grass And it's 51 00:02:50,399 --> 00:02:52,580 got four ft tall people in it . 52 00:02:58,789 --> 00:03:01,199 I'm captured . And at one time , the 53 00:03:01,210 --> 00:03:03,266 helicopter showed up and was looking 54 00:03:03,266 --> 00:03:05,432 for me . At one time , I could see the 55 00:03:05,432 --> 00:03:08,910 P J with his hand on the cable up 56 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:11,309 through the jungle canopy go right over 57 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,649 me . But I had seven or 810 58 00:03:14,779 --> 00:03:17,750 Vietnamese around me and couldn't do 59 00:03:17,759 --> 00:03:21,100 anything . And then we uh 60 00:03:22,250 --> 00:03:25,289 walked for many , many miles to a 61 00:03:25,300 --> 00:03:28,800 village . I stayed there three days and 62 00:03:28,809 --> 00:03:31,570 I got a personal jeep ride all the way 63 00:03:31,580 --> 00:03:33,747 down into Hanoi and right to the Hanoi 64 00:03:33,747 --> 00:03:36,229 Hilton , I go to New Guy Village and 65 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,500 there's a room for interrogations 66 00:03:38,509 --> 00:03:41,350 called the knobby room and they bring 67 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,880 in a pair of black pajamas and I get 68 00:03:44,889 --> 00:03:46,833 out of my flight suit , put on the 69 00:03:46,833 --> 00:03:50,759 black pajamas and an entourage of five 70 00:03:50,770 --> 00:03:53,470 or six Vietnamese . Come in 71 00:03:53,899 --> 00:03:56,740 all at , didn't know what the rank was 72 00:03:56,750 --> 00:03:59,029 exactly , but they were all officers . 73 00:03:59,250 --> 00:04:02,300 Ok . And then they read the standard 74 00:04:02,309 --> 00:04:04,660 propaganda . You are Yankee or pirate 75 00:04:04,669 --> 00:04:06,891 killer of women and Children . Blackest 76 00:04:06,891 --> 00:04:08,960 of the black , uh , you're in an 77 00:04:08,970 --> 00:04:11,470 illegal unjust immoral war , blah , 78 00:04:11,479 --> 00:04:14,850 blah , blah . And I'm ok . 79 00:04:16,070 --> 00:04:18,292 And they said , who are you ? And I'm , 80 00:04:18,809 --> 00:04:21,380 I'm a lieutenant . Ok . United States 81 00:04:21,390 --> 00:04:25,260 Air Force F V 3158661 . And then the 82 00:04:25,269 --> 00:04:27,380 guard came and got me and blindfolded 83 00:04:27,380 --> 00:04:31,140 me . They lead you through the complex . 84 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:35,320 They took me to a room . Ok . And it 85 00:04:35,329 --> 00:04:38,679 was the most psychologically 86 00:04:38,690 --> 00:04:41,380 devastating thing that they could do to 87 00:04:41,390 --> 00:04:43,700 a first lieutenant fighter pilot 88 00:04:43,899 --> 00:04:47,589 possible . They put me in a room with 89 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,070 two navigators . 90 00:04:50,940 --> 00:04:51,690 Ok . 91 00:05:00,010 --> 00:05:03,829 One day they called everybody out 92 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,519 into the courtyard . Very unusual . And 93 00:05:06,529 --> 00:05:08,660 a Vietnamese guy got up English 94 00:05:08,670 --> 00:05:11,529 speaking and he said we have agreed to 95 00:05:11,540 --> 00:05:13,920 tell you that there are some 96 00:05:13,929 --> 00:05:17,779 arrangements being made in Paris at 97 00:05:17,790 --> 00:05:20,730 this time for your release . We're 98 00:05:20,739 --> 00:05:23,500 required to tell you that I just told 99 00:05:23,510 --> 00:05:27,380 you that few weeks roll by and they 100 00:05:27,390 --> 00:05:31,239 bring us little blue pants and shirt . 101 00:05:31,250 --> 00:05:34,470 And about two or three days later they 102 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,329 open the doors , lined 103 00:05:38,339 --> 00:05:41,470 us all up in order of shoot down 104 00:05:43,140 --> 00:05:46,679 And there was a 141 , I'm gonna cry . 105 00:05:47,649 --> 00:05:51,309 And on the ramp , a reception 106 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,230 committee , every one of us walked up , 107 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,250 reported for duty , sir . 108 00:06:04,019 --> 00:06:07,850 got on the 141 flew to Clark and were 109 00:06:07,859 --> 00:06:10,859 free just like that .