I thought you all might like some information on a very exckusive bunch of men. Enjoy the reading. It was not written by me, but I think you can figure out who it really is. Sorry it is so long.
MArv
Subject: FW: ROOM 7 - HANOI HILTON
Importance: High
Can't add much to this........For those whom we served.......
Magnificent men, whether in a cockpit, in a
cell, or at a desk. Provided to show that, regardless of the
circumstances, some are never defeated, only temporarily delayed.
ROOM 7 - HANOI HILTON
Of the occupants of Room 7, I know three of them
personally: Jack Fellowes was my 'roomie' in VA-85 (FORRESTAL), Pete
Schoeffel was in my RAG class at Cecil, and I knew John McCain casually,
when he was in VA-65.
In late 2000, CdrAirGroup (CAG) Jim Stockdale,
Room 7 Senior Ranking Officer(SRO) asked his old friend, By Fuller to
provide a list of the roommates of Room 7, Hanoi Hilton as of Christmas
1970. The roommates of this room were extraordinary, both at the time
of incarceration, and then later in freedom.
Room 7 had the first organized church service to
be held in the prisons of North Vietnam. Permission was asked for by
Stockdale, and twice denied by the Camp Commander. The room was warned
not to do it. Room 7 decided to do it anyway. They even had a choir.
Their solemn service quickly caught the eye of the guards and
authorities. Armed guards rushed into the room to break up the
'ominous' unauthorized meeting. Ringleaders, Risner, Coker a nd
Rutledge were led out of the room with guards at each arm (they were
headed for more Heartbreak Hotel, solitary confinement and lots of
punishment). Bud Day was the one who then jumped up on his bed and
started to sing 'The National Anthem' and 'God Bless America.' The
entire room burst into song. Then Rooms Six, Five, Four, Three, Two and
One joined in succession. These song s of pride and defiance were loud
enough to be heard outside the 15-foot walls of the Hanoi Hilton. As
Robbie marched out the door, his back straightened with pride. He held
his head high.
Robbie later recalled his thoughts as his
roommates burst out in song, 'I felt like I was nine feet tall and could
go bear hunting with a switch.' Thirty one years later, on November 16,
2001 a nine-foot tall bronze statue of Brigadier General Robinson
Risner, USAF would be dedicated on the Central plaza of the United
States Air Force Academy. To Bud Day (principal speaker), Ross Perot
(the sponsor of the project), and dozens of Robbie's Room-Seven
roommates at the ceremony, it seemed more fitting to call the statue
'life size.' Photos: Dedication of B/Gen Robbie Risner's Statue - USAFA
16-18 November 2001
CAG, knowing what the VC reaction would be, was
heard to remark something to the effect, 'Well, I guess we just can't
stand prosperity.' Our camp, yet unnamed, from that moment on became
known as 'Camp Unity.' The guards protested, but the songs continued.
Shortly thereafter, Vietnamese troops entered each room in force. They
had their hats secured with chinstraps in place, they had fixed
bayonets, and they were mad! They quickly backed the POWs against the
walls with a bayonet in each POW's stomach. The singing immediately
ceased as the troops burst through the doors. The VC later claimed that
they had put down a riot. It wasn't a real riot, but it was a lot of
fun until the soldiers entered the room. Several roommates of Room 7
were jerked out the next day. The next day, Orson Swindle in Room 6 tap
ped the following message on the wall: 'Damn, you'd have to get in line
to get in trouble in that crowd!!'
Thanks to By Fuller for the gut work of putting
together this fact sheet. Paul Galanti and Mike McGrath assisted. This
historical document is dedicated to a fearless leader, Vice Admiral Jim
Stockdale, CAG.
Here's what the men of Room 7 accomplished:
Roster of 'Room 7' on 26 December, 1970:
Name/Shoot-down rank/days captive
1. Brady, Al - Cdr, USN - 2236
2. Coker, George - Lt (jg), USN - 2381
3. Coskey, Ken - Cdr, USN - 1650
4. Craner, Bob (Deceased) - Maj, USAF - 1911
5. Crayton, Render - Lt Cdr, USN - 2562
6. Crow, Fred - Lt Col, USAF - 2170
7. Crumpler, Carl - Lt Col, USAF - 1713
8. Daniels, Vern - Cdr, USN - 1966
9. Daughtrey, Norlan - Capt, USAF - 2751
10. Day, Bud - Maj, USAF - 2027
11. Denton, Jerry - Cdr, USN - 2766
12. Doremus, Rob - Lt Cdr, USN - 2729
13. Dramesi, John - Capt, USAF - 2163
14. Dunn Howie (Deceased) - Maj, USMC - 2624
15. Fellowes, Jack - Lt Cdr, USN - 2381
16. Finlay, Jack - Lt Col, USAF - 1781
17. Franke, Bill - Cdr, USN - 2729
18. Fuller, By - Cdr, USN - 2060
19. Gillespie, Chuck (Deceased) - Cdr, USN -
1968
20. Guarino, Larry - Maj, USAF - 2801
21. Gutterson, Laird - Maj, USAF - 1846
22. Hughes, Jim - Lt Col, USAF - 2130
23. James, Charlie - Cdr, USN - 1761
24. Jenkins, Harry (Deceased) - Cdr, USN - 2648
25. Johnson, Sam - Maj, USAF - 2494
26. Kasler, Jim - Maj, USAF - 2400
27. Kirk, Tom - Lt Col, USAF - 1964
28. Lamar, Jim - Lt Col, USAF - 2474
29. Larson, Swede - Lt Col, USAF - 2130
30. Lawrence, Bill - Cdr, USN - 2076
31. Ligon, Vern (Deceased) - Lt Col, USAF - 1942
32. McCain, John - Lt Cdr, USN - 1966
33. McKnight, George - Maj, USAF - 2655
34. Moore, Mel - Cdr, USN - 2185
35. Mulligan, Jim - Cdr, USN - 2521
36. Pollard, Ben - Maj, USAF - 2120
37. Risner, Robbie - Lt Col, USAF - 2706
38. Rivers, Wendy - Lt Cdr, USN - 2715
39. Rutledge, Howie (Deceased) - Cdr, USN - 2633
40. Schoeffel, Pete - Lt Cdr, USN - 1988
41. Shumaker, Bob - Lt Cdr, USN - 2923
42. Stockdale, Jim - Cdr, USN - 2713
43. Stockman, Hervey - Lt Col, USAF - 2093
44. Stratton, Dick - Lt Cdr, USN - 2250
45. Tanner, Nels - Lt Cdr, USN - 2338
46. Webb, Ron - Capt, USAF - 2093
47. Gary Anderson (Deceased) - Lt (jg), USN -
2151
Total days in captivity: 108,116
Man-years in captivity: 296.21
Here's a brief history of the 47 men:
5 made Admiral rank (Stockdale O-9, Lawrence
O-9, Shumaker O-8, Denton O-8, Fuller O-8).
1 made General Officer rank (Risner O-7).
40 others stayed in the military and attained
the following ranks:
USMC: 1 Col - Dunn
Navy: 1 Cdr - Coker
AF: 1 Lt Col - Daughtrey
AF: 19 Colonels - Craner, Crow, Crumpler, Day,
Dramesi, Finlay, Guarino, Gutterson, Hughes, Kasler, Johnson, Kirk,
Lamar, Larson, Ligon, McKnight, Pollard, Stockman and Webb
Navy: 18 Captains - Brady, Coskey, Crayton,
Daniels, Doremus, Fellowes, Franke, Gillespie, James, Jenkins, McCain,
Moore, Mulligan, Rivers, Rutledge, Schoeffel, Stratton and Tanner
2 became U.S. Congressmen (Johnson, Texas;
McCain, Arizona)
2 became U.S. Senators (Denton, Alabama; McCain,
Arizona)
1 was a Vice Presidential candidate (Stockdale)
1 is a Presidential candidate (McCain)
2 received the Medal of Honor (Stockdale, Day)
Day resumed his career as a lawyer.
3 received the Navy Cross (Denton, Coker,
Fuller). Three of the four POWs to receive this award were from this
room. Red McDaniel was the fourth POW to receive the award.
4 made escapes. All were recaptured, all were
tortured. (Dramesi, Coker, McKnight, Day)
2 were jet aces from the Korean War (Risner: 9
kills in F-86; Kasler: 6 kills in F-86)
1 was the first pilot to fly over Russia in U-2
spy aircraft (Stockman)
1 was shot down 4-15-1944 in Germany on his 26th
mission in a P-47 and a POW until April 1945 (Ligon)
1 shot down three German planes during WW II
flying British aircraft. Flew 156 missions in Sicily, India, China and
Indo-China (Guarino)
1 flew 62 missions in Korea War. Got credit for
one kill, one damaged and one probable kill against MIG-15s (Johnson)
7 received the Air Force Cross (Kasler 3 awards;
Risner 2 awards; Dramesi 2 awards, Day, Kirk, Guarino and McKnight each
received one award)
4 were Navy test pilots (Stockdale, Lawrence,Gillespie, & Franke)
1 flew with the Thunderbirds (Johnson)
11 were USNA graduates (Brady '51, Denton '47,
Fellowes '56, Fuller '51, Gillespie '51, Lawrence '51, McCain '58,
Rivers '52, Schoeffel '54, Shumaker '56, & Stockdale '47)
2 were Landing Signal Officers (LSOs) -
(Stockdale, Tanner)
1 escaped the B-52 community and got into combat
flying the F-105G (Larson)
1 has a daughter who is an astronaut, gone into
space three times (789 hours). She is presently in training as a
crewmember of the International Space Station. (Lawrence)
1 was a Navy Air Wing Commander (CAG):
(Stockdale, (COMAIRGRU 16)
1 commanded a Navy Carrier, USS America. Later
became Battle Group Commander CARGRU 4 Commander (Fuller)
10 were Squadron Commanders (Coskey (VA-85), Day
(TBD), Denton (VA-75), Franke, Fuller (VA-76),
Gillespie, Jenkins VA-163), Lawrence (VF-143),
Ligon (11th TRS) and Larson (469th TFS) when shot down), Schoeffel
(VA-83)
5 were Squadron Executive Officers (Daniels,
Moore, Mulligan, Rutledge and Brady). They were shot down before they
could make Squadron Commander.
10 Authored books:
Day: Return With Honor
Denton: When Hell Was In Session
Dramesi: Code of Honor
Guarino: A POW's Story: 2801 Days in Hanoi
Johnson: Captive Warriors: A Vietnam POW's Story
McCain: Faith of My Fathers
Mulligan: The Hanoi Commitment
Risner: The Passing of the Night
Rutledge: In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Stockdale: Courage Under Fire; In Love and War;
A Vietnam Experience; Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot
4 became Presidents/Commandants/Superintendents
of institutions of Higher learning: (Stockdale: President of the Citidel
and President of the Naval War College; Lawrence: Superintendent of the
USNA; Shumaker: Superintendent of the Naval PostgraduateSchool; and
(TBD); Denton: Commandant of Armed Forces Staff College)
2 built their own airplanes: (Jenkins: Long EZ;
Shumaker: Glassair) Pollard is currently flying sail planes.
1 was the first active duty Naval Aviator to fly
Mach II (Lawrence)
1 was first Naval Aviator to land on an aircraft
carrier in 0/0 fog with a newly developed Aircraft Carrier Landing
System (Gillespie). Yes, it was an emergency low fuel state!
2 were Naval aviators who were in the final
selection groups (before shootdown) for the Mercury Astronaut Program
(Lawrence, Shumaker)
Many of the members of Room 7 either served
during wars prior to Vietnam, or who saw combat in theatres other than
Vietnam.
WW II:
Vern Ligon: USA Air Corps, 25 missions, P-47
pilot, POW in Stalag Luft 1,1944-45, escaped once, recaptured.
Larry Guarino: USA Air Corps, 156 missions in
Sicily, India, China and Indo-China. Spitfires.
Hervey Stockman: USA Air Corps. 68 missions,
P-51.
Jim Kasler: USA Air Corps, 7 missions as tail
gunner, B-29.
Harry Jenkins and Gordon Larson were Navy V5
cadets and Fred Crow was an Army Air Corps aviation cadet when WW II
ended.
Bud Day: Corporal, USMC, 30 months in south and
central Pacific, April 1942 - November 1945.
By Fuller and Carl Crumpler: Enlisted in US Navy
summer of 1945. Saw boot camp by the end of WW II.
Fred Crow and Al Brady: were Navy dependents at
Pearl Harbor, December 7,1941.
Korea:
Robby Risner: USAF, 108 missions, F-86. MIG Ace
with 9 kills.
Jim Kasler: USAF, 100 missions, F-86, MIG Ace
with 6 kills.
Howie Rutledge: USN, 200 missions, F9F-2 as a
Flying Midshipman.
Harry Jenkins: Served aboard USS Fred T. Berry
(DD-141) off coast of Korea. as a Flying Midshipman.
Tom Kirk: Flew missions in Korea (we need more
information from Tom).
Larry Guarino: USAF, Air Defense Alert missions.
Jim Lamar: USAF, 100 missions in F-80 and P-51.
Wendy Rivers: Served on a destroyer off the
coast of Korea.
Laird Gutterson: USAF, flew 60 missions, P-51.
Verlyne Daniels: Flew AD-4 missions, March -
August 1953.
Sam Johnson: USAF, flew 62 missions, F-86, 1
kill, 1 probable, 1 damaged against MIG 15s.
Bud Day: USAF, air defense missions, F-84s.
Bill Lawrence: (F2H-3) and By Fuller (F9F-5)
arrived off the coast of Korea in October 1953. They were flying off
the USS Oriskany. Too late the war was over!
Fred Crow: Had various commands stateside during
the Korean War.
Carl Crumpler: Flew F-86s at George AFB. War
was over too soon for him to participate.
All of this and some SOB says, 'Getting shot
down and captured does not qualify someone to be president' - but
supposedly another with 143 days in congress does qualify? What a
country - but how long will we stand at this rate?'
