by Staff Sgt. Jenna Hildebrand
128th Air Refueling
4/26/2013 - MILWAUKEE -- With
his hands bound in manacles, an imprisoned Air Force pilot watched from
his bamboo holding cell as North Vietnamese soldiers moved a wounded
American prisoner into the cell across from his. The pilot was shocked
at the man's appearance; his fingers were raw and his body was
emaciated. His whole body was covered in wounds; he had been pushing
through the jungle for 45 days without food. The pilot did not recognize
the new prisoner.
The next morning, the guards had the pilot and his cell mate pick up the
new prisoner to take him to the bathroom. The withered man looked over
at his fellow prisoner and said, "Aren't you Guy Gruters?"
"Yea, who are you?" Gruters responded.
"Lance Sijan."
Oh no. Not Lance... not Lance, thought Gruters.
Thursday, April 25, Air Force veteran and Vietnam prisoner of war,
retired Capt. Guy Gruters, spoke of his tragic yet inspiring experience
in captivity to Airmen and civilians assembled in Sijan Hall at the
128th Air Refueling Wing.
Gruters told the audience, which also included members of the 128th's
Community Council and distinguished guests including: Wisconsin Governor
Scott Walker; Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, the Adjutant General of
Wisconsin; and Janine Sijan Rozina, Sijan's sister, that he and Sijan
were in the same squadron at the Air Force Academy for three years.
Sijan, a Milwaukee native, was solid as a rock at 210 pounds and had
played football for the academy.
"To see him hurt so bad was really difficult," said Gruters. "They would
torture him and we would scream in our cells to get them to lay off him
and they'd come beat us."
Gruters continued to specify the harsh treatment they received where
they were moved to at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi. Their manacles were on 24
hours a day. They were beat constantly on their wounds. They were only
allowed to wash themselves once a week. Parasites, malnutrition and heat
rash deteriorated the prisoners' health.
Though Sijan's wounds and health worsened, Gruters said he was always
asking what the escape plan was and what he could do to help.
"He was always ready to escape," said Gruters. "We'd always come up with plans just so Lance was satisfied."
Sijan succumbed to the harsh treatment, and died of pneumonia on January 22, 1968.
"Lance's leadership of resistance was perfect," said Gruters. "He fought
them until he died. His story was spread throughout the camps over and
over again and I think that's what was responsible for a lot of the
resistance in the camps."
In the more than five years Gruters spent in captivity, he and his
fellow prisoners devised a way to communicate to keep their faith alive.
The tap code, which is now taught in military intelligence schools, is
based off of the alphabet in a grid system. One person would kneel on
the floor to ensure the guards were nowhere nearby while two would tap
on the wall to send messages back and forth.
"We did texting, said Gruters. "You know how all the kids do texting
now. Every night we tapped GNGBU. Good night, God bless you."
The punishment for communicating was three days and three nights of
torture, but the prisoners communicated for hours using the tap code to
raise their morale and hold on to their faith.
"The North Vietnamese couldn't conceive of how we did this," said Gruters.
Gruters told his audience that he had the best leadership in that prison
camp. The higher ranking officers often took the brunt of the beatings
for their men. They encouraged subtle resistance and mandated that they
take part in church services within their cells. Their primary order was
to return with honor.
After Gruters and 590 POWs were released during Operation Homecoming in
1973, Gruters was instrumental Sijan being awarded the Medal of Honor
posthumously in 1976.
Gruters' message to the Milwaukee audience was that leadership and
teamwork will prevail. Communication was a key component in the
prisoners' survival and in Gruters' presentation.
After much applause, Walker stood up and thanked Gruters for his great
contribution and commitment to his country and his faith. Then he
addressed the audience.
"Freedom. It's a simple word. It's endowed by our creator. Defined by
our constitution more than 225 years ago, but it's defended by men and
women like you," said Walker.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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