By Alvin Townley
During the Vietnam War, more than six hundred American pilots were held in prison camps in and around Hanoi, North Vietnam. These POWs endured torture, beatings, and isolation, desperately clinging to the Code of Conduct as their captors attempted to extract intelligence, confessions, and propaganda. From those six hundred brave POWs, the North Vietnamese identified eleven men as the most uncooperative and subversive captives—the worst troublemakers and the leaders of the American resistance. The Camp Authority kicked them out of the Hanoi Hilton and sentenced them to a terrible prison called Alcatraz, where they become known as “The Alcatraz Gang.” At home, three of their wives started a nationwide movement to bring attention to the plight of the POWs. These courageous women battled unhelpful governments in Hanoi and Washington alike and were ultimately responsible for the men’s safe return in 1973. Their historic movement was marked by millions of POW/MIA bracelets and the still-ubiquitous black-and-white POW/MIA flag. During their eight-year ordeal, the men and women of the “Alcatraz Gang” endured more intense hardship for more years than any other group of men and women in American military history. We should not forget.
Bob Shumaker becomes the second POW in North Vietnam (February 1965). More than 500 pilots would meet his fate during the coming eight years. North Vietnam would not honor the Geneva Convention and the POWs suffered.
Future Medal of Honor recipient Jim Stockdale was shot down in 1965 and quickly became a top POW leader. His orders and example helped POWs preserve a united front. He and ten other leaders were “evicted” from the “Hanoi Hilton” POW camp and removed to the infamous “Alcatraz” camp.
In July 1966, North Vietnamese troops paraded American POWs through the streets of Hanoi. The “Hanoi March” became a frightening affair, as violent mobs assailed POWs and guards alike. It brought international condemnation upon Hanoi, although harsh practices such as torture and solitary confinement remain unchanged.
Future U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton blinks “T-O-R-T-U-R-E” in Morse Code during a televised interview. His captors had tortured him and ordered him to recite rehearsed answers to a reporter’s questions. Denton refused and stood up for his government.
Fed up with government inaction (in Hanoi and Washington), “Defiant” wives Louise Mulligan (left) and Sybil Stockdale broke orders to “keep quiet” and brought the POWs’ plight to the public’s attention. They started a national movement that ultimately ensured the safe return of our men.
Homecoming (1973): Bob Shumaker and fellow POWs returned with honor after up to eight years of captivity; Shumaker had not seen his son since he was an infant. The POWs’ return gave Americans closure to the Vietnam War and, briefly, brought together a divided nation.
ALVIN TOWNLEY is the acclaimed author of Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts, Spirit of Adventure: Eagle Scouts and the Making of America’s Future, and Fly Navy: Discovering the Extraordinary People and Enduring Spirit of Naval Aviation. His most recent book is Defiant: The POWs Who Endured Vietnam’s Most Infamous Prison, the Women Who Fought for Them, and the One Who Never Returned.