Vietnam Rescue

It was August of 1967, in Vietnam and it was a horrible way to live. The heat, the humidity, and the stench, all took their toll on troops living on various bases in country, but some of the worst circumstances ever, were reserved for the American prisoners of war. They were starved, tortured and beaten, living in filth and fortunate if they got to bathe. Their pathetic living conditions caused many to die and some to hang on against all odds for years. But this story is not about their pains in captivity but their rescue to freedom. It is a story that you will never find by searching through official channels.

Our elite unit was aware of an undisclosed site that held many American prisoners and we settled on a plan to rescue those prisoners with a minimal loss of life. Prison camps were frequently nomadic, never staying in one place very long, making rescue difficult, so we knew we had to act quickly. The prison was in a deep jungle area, near a water source and we surrounded the camp. When the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) saw that we were in the borders, near their camp, they sent out Recon to discover the number and strength of our army.

When they saw that we were not strong and fearing that we should cut them off from their support, except they should come out to battle and kill us, and also supposing that they could easily destroy us with their larger force, they began to make preparations to come out against us. At that point, we divided our unit into three parts and hid two thirds of our group in the jungle. When the enemy approached, we retreated from them deeper into the bush. They chased after us in a rush, wanting to quickly annihilate us.

They passed by the two thirds of our unit that was hidden and when they had done so, that two-thirds got rid of their spies so that they could not return to the prison camp. Following that, they ran to the prison and fell on the guards who were left, and did take possession of the camp. This had happened because the enemy sent their entire force, except for a few guards, to be led away into the jungle.

When the NVA realized that we were chasing us toward our main base camp, they gave up, fearing a trap. By then it was nightfall and they rested for the night. We, instead, did not sleep but returned to the prison camp another way and when the enemy returned they were shocked that we had rescued the prisoners and headed back to another U.S. installation during their absence.

Thus, we were able to free our prisoners without one man from our unit dying. (Based on a story from Alma 58).