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This is a training film was created by the U.S. Navy and the Dept. of Defense to educate inductees about the Code of Conduct for prisoners (:09). The film opens with a scene of 473 American POW’s returning home from Hanoi in the spring of 1973 (1:00). As the war in Vietnam drew to a close, American soldiers were released in early 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming. Press swarm their arrival (1:09). The film focuses on the ‘code of conduct’ which returned the men home safely (1:59). The code itself; introduced in 1955 is read (2:07). It then turns to a reenactment of Gen. George Washington and the Minutemen during the Revolutionary War (5:17). Alexander Hamilton’s address to the New York Commission is reenacted (5:41) prior to an image of the Declaration of Independence. A quote from Eisenhower (5:53). The first POW to be interviewed is Bob Fant (5:58); a retired Navy radar Intercept officer; working here as an instructor in a Navy Survival School. Colonel Fred Cherry; an African American fighter pilot is pictured whom had been on his third deployment to SE Asia on a SAM Suppression mission when his F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber was shot down (7:27). Fred retired and became a management consultant (7:30) (he passed in 2016). Commander Tim Sullivan (8:34); a radar observer and F-4 Phantom flyer, became a POW after being shot down over North Vietnam in November of 1967. His target at the time was a railroad bridge. Captain Stan Newell (9:42) was 19 year old E4 when he was captured during combat in the central highlands of South Vietnam in July of 1967. Newell speaks to the second article of the Code dealing with surrender (10:00) and of Staff Sergeant Montgomery who perished the day they were captured (10:29). A nineteen year old sailor; Doug Hegdahl, was captured after being blown from the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin (12:17) Doug was able to manipulate his guards into believing him to be ‘dumb’ and non-threatening to the point of earning himself the nickname of “the Incredibly Stupid One” among the camps while he simultaneously memorized personal information of an estimated 256 other POW’s in the Hanoi Hilton prison. Hegdahl is pictured here as a civilian instructor for the Navy’s Survival School in San Diego (12:19). Lieutenant Colonel James Nicholas Rowe (13:03) was one of only 34 other POW’s to escape during the Vietnam War. Rowe spent five years in prison camps in the jungles of Southern Vietnam. Rowe, during this film, was still a Special Forces Officer though he was killed in 1989 by a unit of the New People’s Army in the Philippines. Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Driscoll (13:57) was an Air Force Fighter Pilot when his F-105 was hit ten miles north of Hanoi. He was a POW for nearly seven years (14:18). Navy Commander Ralph Gaither (15:22) was interned as a POW in October of 1965 as he was shot down over North Vietnam on a low level mission. The film turns to show air fighters who in fact were able to evade capture after being downed (16:35). Lieutenant Colonel Roger Clinton Locher (16:40) was shot down 40 miles from Hanoi. Locher was a McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom Navigator/Weapon Systems Officer. He speaks on the events of May 10th, 1972 (16:55) as he was shot down and began to evade capture for 23 days. He received radio contact on the 22nd day (19:54) with an American Search and Rescue Effort. Gaither returns to emphasize evasion trumps captivity (20:15) and what skills are necessary to continue to evade capture for extended periods of time. Terry Uyeyama (20:52) had been an Air Force R4 Pilot when he was shot down and captured. As a Japanese American fighter, Terry had a difficult time convincing his captors his identity (21:25). Black and white footage gives a glimpse into what life was like in the prison camps (22:49) including an escape reenactment (23:16). Aerial shots show Northern Vietnam (23:27). Actual footage depicts the POW’s being marched through the streets in handcuffs (23:39). The film begins to wrap up with final words from the POW’s (24:27). Other wars, including the Korean War (25:52) were looked to in order to develop the guidelines for the code of conduct. Fred Cherry is pictured returning to US soil (26:39). The POW’s reunite with their families (27:05). The Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia (28:30) and the Statue of Liberty follow (28:32). The film was produced by Dynalectron Corporations and Goal Productions (28:32).
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com