In 1965, Col. Thomas “Jerry” Curtis’s helicopter was shot down over North Vietnam. He was immediately captured and spent 7½ years confined in a filthy 5′ x 7′ cell at the notorious Hanoi prison camp. Thousands of miles from home and unable to communicate with his wife and children, Jerry endured months of solitary confinement, suffocating heat, freezing cold, grueling physical and psychological torture, constant hunger, and unimaginable mental duress. And yet, time and again, the Light that darkness cannot overcome became his beacon of hope. Now, for the first time in print, Jerry shares the full story of his 2,703 days in captivity and what he learned about faith, hope, and the indomitable power of the human spirit. When everything you hold dear is suddenly stripped away, where do you turn? IN 1965, USAF COL Thomas “Jerry” Curtis’s rescue helicopter was shot down over North Vietnam. He was immediately captured and spent the better part of 71/2 years confined in filthy cells throughout the notorious Hanoi prison camps. Thousands of miles from home and unable to communicate with his wife and children, Jerry endured months of solitary confinement, suffocating heat, freezing cold, grueling physical and psychological torture, con-stant hunger, and unimaginable mental distress. Yet, time and again, the Light that darkness cannot overcome became his beacon of hope, reminding him that no matter how dire the cir-cumstances, there are some things that can never be taken away. Now, for the first time in print, Jerry shares the full story of his 2,703 days in captivity and what he learned about faith, hope, and the indomitable power of the human spirit. Under the Cover of Light By Carole Engle Avriett Tyndale House Publishers Copyright © 2017 Carole Engle Avriett All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4964-2156-2 Contents Foreword by COL Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, USAF (Ret.), xi, Author's Note, xvii, Prologue, xix, PART 1
THE MISSION: COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE, 1 The Dinner Party, 3, 2 Nakhon Phanom, 11, 3 The Secret War in Laos, 21, 4 The Shoot-Down, 33, 5 Heartbreak Hotel, 41, PART 2
THE PRISON YEARS: 1965–1973, 6 Chain of Command, 55, 7 "Why Me, Lord?", 73, 8 Briarpatch Humor, 83, 9 Breaking Point, 95, 10 Face to Face, 111, 11 The Middle Years, 125, 12 Ties That Bind, 133, 13 A War of Words, 151, 14 Committed, 163, 15 The Hanoi Hilton "University", 181, 16 The 4th Allied POW Wing, 197, 17 Feet Wet, 219, PART 3
AFTER PRISON, 18 Home at Last, 245, 19 A Walk in Lafayette Park, 255, Epilogue: Ten Years Later, 267, Acknowledgments, 271, About the Authors, 275, Photo Gallery, 276, List of Prison Camps and Approximate Dates of Jerry's Imprisonment, 285, Map of Approximate Locations of Prison Camps, 287, Notes, 289, CHAPTER 1 THE DINNER PARTY MAY 24, 1973 SOME SAID ENTERTAINER Sammy Davis Jr. was the first to float the idea for a large soiree honoring returned prisoners of war from Vietnam. Others said First Lady Pat Nixon, during an emotional embrace with Margaret Manhard at a White House reception, had promised a "big celebration" when Mrs. Manhard's husband came home. Philip W. Manhard had been the highest-ranking civilian captured by the Viet Cong and held for five torturous years in the jungles of South Vietnam; both women eagerly awaited his return. Still others thought the idea surfaced in the Oval Office while Cabinet members watched footage of the first freed POWs arriving at Clark Air Force Base aboard a C-141 Starlifter. Wherever the idea originated, President Richard Milhous Nixon, amid growing scandal, latched on to it with palpable enthusiasm, and so did the rest of the country. No matter on which side of the war a person's political beliefs landed him or her, nearly everyone thought a party for the POWs was in order. And who didn't recognize the uniqueness of the occasion? All the returning prisoners — repatriated a short nine weeks earlier and reunited with wives, children, and families, many of whom had not seen one another for as long as eight years — were regarded as heroes. The group quickly attained near-celebrity status. Once the celebration began to take shape, an incredible outpouring of entertainers came forward to participate, some of the best known in show business. The role of master of ceremonies naturally fell to Bob Hope. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Sammy Davis Jr., Roy Acuff, Joey Heatherton, Vic Damone, Irving Berlin, and Les Brown and His Band of Renown, among others, were eager to perform for the troops gratis. They spent most of the night mingling, shaking hands, and posing for pictures with as many as desired. Remembering the evening years later, then-presidential military aide Colonel Stephen Bauer said no event in all his six years of working at the White House was "more thrilling, awesome, or satisfying than the celebration held for the just- released prisoners of war." Excitement overflowed to social staff, domestic sta