Page 10 - Aerotech News and Review 8-7-15

Veteran’s News

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CZ,BSFO"CFZBTFLFSF 8QEUHDNDEOHVSLULW the tapping, but had no clue as to what
RAF Mildenhall, England 1DVP\WKZDVVXEMHFWHGWRFRQVWDQW
it was. His fellow Americans taught him
When 2nd Lt. John “Spike” Nasmyth WRUWXUHDQGQHDUVWDUYDWLRQGXULQJWKH
climbed into his F-4 Phantom II on Sept. ¿UVWWKUHH\HDUV7KHJXDUGVZRXOG¿QG the secret code: “The alphabet has 25
WRÀ\DFRPEDWPLVVLRQRYHU any reason to humiliate him and try to OHWWHUVQRµN¶)LYHOLQHVRI¿YHOHWWHUV
9LHWQDPKHQHYHUIRUHVDZWKDWKH¶GEH break his spirit. Refusing to acknowl- WKH¿UVWWDSLVIRUWKHOLQH7KHVHFRQG
blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air edge that Nasmyth was a prisoner of
missile. war, they referred to him as a war crimi- tap is the letter in the line. Remember,
nal, and, as far as they were concerned,
7KHODVWZRUGVKHKHDUGEHIRUHKLVMHW WKH*HQHYD&RQYHQWLRQGLGQ¶WDSSO\WR no ‘k;’ use ‘c’ for ‘k.’
was transformed into a lump of crum- war criminals.
pled, metal wreckage were from his “I had nothing but time on my hands,
“guy in back,” Ray Salzurulo, a pilot $IWHUVHYHUDOPRQWKVRIVROLWDU\FRQ-
systems operator—“Hey, Spike—here ¿QHPHQWKHZDVDOORZHGWRPL[ZLWK so I practiced,” he said. “I could do it so
comes another ...” the other “American air pirates,” as they
were called by their captors. Together, well and would send messages fast and
'LUHFWKLW the prisoners were held in a camp UHFHLYHWKHP¿UVWLWNHSWPHEXV\DQG
$VWKHPLVVLOHVWUXFNWKH¿UVWWKLQJLQ NQRZQDV³WKH=RR´
in the know.”
Nasmyth’s mind was disbelief. 6XQQ\VLGHRIOLIH
“As with all good fighter pilots, I Being reintegrated into the general The code helped keep the POWs safe

WKRXJKW , ZDV LQYLQFLEOH´ VDLG WKH population of the camp brought new and sane, and enabled them to share
\HDUROG9LHWQDPYHWHUDQDQGIRU- challenges for Nasmyth. Primarily, this
PHUSULVRQHURIZDUGXULQJDYLVLWWR meant getting along with others and which lies they would tell their torturers.
Royal Air Force Mildenhall July 8. “I sharing a cell. An antagonistic relation-
FRXOGQ¶WEHOLHYHWKDWWKH\¶GJRWPH%XW ship between cellmates could make long If they all said the same thing, then there
then, as I realized I was falling toward GD\VDQGPRQWKVHYHQZRUVH ZDVPRUHFKDQFHRIEHLQJEHOLHYHG
the ground at an appalling rate, I said to
P\VHOIµ(MHFWRUGLH6SLNH¶,WORRNHG “I only had one I considered killing,” All the while, the prisoners were on
OLNHDPRYLH²,ZDVWXPEOLQJWRZDUG said Nasmyth, in a tongue-in-cheek
WKHJURXQGDQGLWMXVWORRNHGOLNHLWZDV way. “Luckily, I had great cellmates; the lookout for the Vietnamese guards.
spiraling toward me at a hell of a rate. P\EHVWRQHHYHUZDVDJX\QDPHG-LP
7KDW¶VZKDWPDGHPHHMHFW´ Piere, from Bessemer, Ala. Nothing If caught communicating, they were
JRWKLPGRZQHYHU\WKLQJZDVDMRNH VXEMHFWHGWRVHYHUHSXQLVKPHQW2QH
In 1966, Nasmyth was assigned to I was with him for six months, and we
the 555th Fighter Squadron, 8th Tac- laughed the entire time.” prisoner would be down on his hands $LU)RUFHSKRWRE\*LQD5DQGDOO
tical Fighter Wing, at Ubon Air Force
%DVH7KDLODQGZKHUHKHÀHZFRPEDW 1DVP\WK¶VSRVLWLYHRXWORRNLVZKDW and knees looking through the gap 5HWLUHG0DM6SLNH1DVP\WKVSHDNVZLWKDLUPHQGXULQJDOXQFK-XO\
missions in support of the Vietnam War. he said got him through dark times DW5R\DO$LU)RUFH0LOGHQKDOO(QJODQG1DVP\WKVSRNHDERXWKRZ
ZKHUHRWKHUVZRXOGKDYHJLYHQXS under the door, keeping watch for the SULVRQHUVRIZDUFRPPXQLFDWHGZLWKRQHDQRWKHULQWKHFDPSE\WDSSLQJ
&UDVKODQGLQJ PHVVDJHVRQWKHZDOOV+HZDVD32:IRUPRUHWKDQVL[\HDUV
After what seemed like an eternity, “I’m a perpetual optimist and always boots of their captors.
KDYHEHHQ´1DVP\WKVDLG³,DOZD\VVHH ³,GRQ¶WWKLQNWKH\HYHU¿JXUHGRXW Hanoi Hilton, where someone read the WDQNHUVOLQHGXSRQWKHÀLJKWOLQHDQG
his parachute opened and brought him the light at the end of the tunnel. Most whole thing to them—in Vietnamese. reminisced about the memories they
GRZQ WR (DUWK VRPHZKHUH QRUWK RI ¿JKWHUSLORWVDUHRSWLPLVWVEHFDXVHÀ\- the extent of our communications,” said brought back.
Hanoi. Struggling to free himself from LQJD¿JKWHUSODQHLVGDPQGDQJHURXV 1DVP\WKDVKHODXJKHG³7KH\¶GKDYH “None of us understood two words
his canopy harness, Nasmyth realized It’s nothing but a little tube full of fuel SUREDEO\MXVWFXWRXUKHDGVRII7KH\ of it and it took them about an hour to A KC-135 was the last aircraft he
KH¶GEHHQLQMXUHGGXULQJWKHHMHFWLRQ and bombs. So you don’t get worried MXVWGLGQ¶WKDYHDGUHDPWKDWZHZHUH read,” he recalled, adding that an inter- saw before getting hit by the missile.
A shard of metal had gouged through about things going ‘boom.’ DVFOHYHUDVZHZHUH:HFRXOGJHWD SUHWHUHYHQWXDOO\UHDGLWLQ(QJOLVK ,WKDGMXVWUHIXHOHGKLV)DQGKHZDV
KLVDUPDQGJRQHLQMXVWEHORZWKHHO- PHVVDJHWKURXJKWKHFHOOVLQWKH=RR full of praise for them.
bow, out the other side and straight into “Most fighter pilots figured they’d LQWKUHHGD\V(YHQWKRXJKLWZDVFDYH- Approximately 300 men were re-
his leg. VXUYLYHDQGJHWRXW²PRVWRIXVGLG´ PDQSULPLWLYHKRZZHGLGLWZHGLGLW leased. For most, this was the first “It was exhilarating and amazing
KHFRQWLQXHG³7KHRSWLPLVWVVXUYLYHG SUHWW\FOHYHUO\´
³,WZDVMXVWOLNHDSLHFHRIUHGUDZ WKHSHVVLPLVWVGLHG(YHU\JX\,NQRZ
meat was coming out of my right arm,” who died was a pessimist. If you look at Free at last chance they’d had to see each other. to see them (on RAF Mildenhall).
said Nasmyth, as he showed off his fore- the dark side and think you’re probably ,QVLGHWKHSULVRQWKH\¶GQHYHUEHHQDO-
arm and the scars he still bears today. not going to make it, you don’t.” As B-52 Stratofortresses attacked I thought, ‘my God—how old are
lowed to all be together.
Once on the ground, he was immedi- µ5HPHPEHU²QRµN¶¶ Hanoi during Operation Linebacker II they?’” Nasmyth said.
ately surrounded by the North Vietnam- The prisoners learned to communi- “My big worry the whole time was ³:HORYHGWKHWDQNHUVEHFDXVHWKH\
ese, some of whom started to beat him from Dec. 18-29, 1972, Nasmyth re- WKDW,¶GZDNHXSIURPDGUHDP(YHQ
before hauling him away to collect their cate in the form of tapping on the walls FDOOHGKRZWKHPHQDWWKH=RRHQGXUHG VDYHGRXUEDFRQ´KHUHFDOOHG³7KH\
bounty. They took him to the infamous and quickly passed messages around the DYHU\YLROHQWWZRZHHNVWKDWHQGHGDV the day I was released, I kept poking ZRXOGGHYLDWHIURPWKHLUURXWHDQG
+DQRL+LOWRQ²WKH¿UVWRIVHYHUDOSULVRQ camp in this manner. An entire commu-
camps which would become his “home” nications network was built upon “the quickly as they had begun. myself, saying ‘don’t wake up, man.’” come north to get us if we were really
for the next 2,355 days. tap code.” ³7KHQHYHU\WKLQJVWRSSHG7KH3DULV
Nasmyth said. “When I was on that short on fuel. They did it regularly, and
When he first entered the camp in peace talks were happening and after
VROLWDU\FRQ¿QHPHQW6SLNHKDGKHDUG American plane—a C-141 Starlifter— I’m sure it was against orders, but they
we bombed Hanoi, the Vietnamese de- DQGÀHZRXWRIWKHUH,ZDVVWLOOWKLQNLQJ MXVWGLGLW7KH\ZHUHJRRGJX\V´

cided they’d had enough of that, so they it was a dream. But it wasn’t.” Hearing war stories from the past
signed the Paris Peace Accords Jan. 3, DLGVLQNHHSLQJKLVWRU\DOLYHDQGFDQ
1973,” he said. From past to present KHOS JLYH$LUPHQ RI WRGD\ D FOHDUHU
$V WKH 9LHWQDP YHWHUDQ DUULYHG DW
One of the stipulations of the accord picture of the struggles of those who
was that it had to be read to all the pris- RAF Mildenhall on his way to talk to VHUYHGEHIRUHWKHP
oners, so they were marched outside the airmen July 8, he saw KC-135 Strato-
“Heritage is important to the 100th

Nasmyth’s positive outlook is what he said Air Refueling Wing and it should be
IRUHYHU\DLUPDQ´VDLG&RO7KRPDV'

Torkelson, the 100th ARW commander.

got him through dark times where others “To hear such incredible stories of ser-
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would have given up. the Vietnam era is an amazing honor.

Spike Nasmyth and his fellow POWs
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RIXVWRJLYHDOLWWOHPRUHHYHU\GD\´

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CZ"VESFZ.D"WPZ The cemetery and the military allowed media to FOHVLGHQWL¿HG eteries in Hawaii. In 1950, they were reburied as
Associated Press unknowns at Punchbowl.
REVHUYHDFHUHPRQ\DIWHUZDUGGXULQJZKLFKÀDJV ³7KH\ZDQWWKHLUORYHGRQHVKRPHDQGZH¶UH
The military July 27 exhumed more caskets The military is acting now, more than 70 years
FRQWDLQLQJWKHXQLGHQWL¿HGUHPDLQVRI866Okla- ZHUHGUDSHGRYHUWKHFRI¿QV$QKRQRUJXDUGDQG happy to help them in that process,” Linnington DIWHUWKHPHQGLHGEHFDXVHDGYDQFHVLQIRUHQVLF
homa crew members killed in the 1941 bombing FHPHWHU\VWDIIWUDQVSRUWHGWKHFRI¿QVWRWUXFNV science and technology as well as genealogical
of Pearl Harbor. said. KHOSIURPIDPLO\PHPEHUVKDYHPDGHLWSRVVLEOH
that carried the remains to a laboratory at Joint The OklahomaLGHQWL¿FDWLRQSURMHFWLQYROYHV to identify more remains.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
GLVLQWHUUHG¿YHFRI¿QVIURPIRXUJUDYHVLWHVDW Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. GLVLQWHUULQJFDVNHWVDWJUDYHVLWHVDWWKH+R- The agency expects to identify about 80 per-
WKH1DWLRQDO0HPRULDO&HPHWHU\RIWKH3DFL¿F cent of Oklahoma crew members now considered
LQ+RQROXOXZKHUHWKH\KDYHUHVWHGIRUGHFDGHV Michael Linnington, a retired Army lieutenant nolulu cemetery commonly known as Punchbowl. PLVVLQJ,WH[SHFWVWKHZRUNZLOOWDNHDERXW¿YH
The work is part of an effort announced in April general who currently leads the Defense POW/ $ERXWFDVNHWVKDYHEHHQH[KXPHG years.
to account for up to 388 Oklahoma sailors and
0DULQHVVWLOOFODVVL¿HGDVPLVVLQJ MIA Accounting Agency, told reporters the lab The Oklahoma capsized after being hit by tor- Some of analysis will conducted at the Armed
)RUFHV'1$,GHQWL¿FDWLRQ/DERUDWRU\DW'RYHU
10 in Hawaii will identify some remains using dental pedoes during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack. Air Force Base in Delaware.

records. The remains will then be sent to another Altogether, 429 sailors and Marines on board August 7, 2015

lab in Omaha for DNA analysis. ZHUHNLOOHG2QO\ZHUHLGHQWL¿HGLQWKH\HDUV

He said family members of those missing are immediately after.
HDJHUWRKDYHWKHLUIDWKHUVJUDQGIDWKHUVDQGXQ- Hundreds were buried as unknowns at cem-

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