A Journey from Darkness to Light: The Search for Prisoners of War

By Daniel M. DeWald

The book is about a platoon who was waiting at a landing zone for a pickup. Suddenly, as the helicopters approached a strong enemy force fired into the platoon and helicopters. Two helicopters landed and picked up a waiting squad but the third could not and aborted the mis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authors Press
• Release date: Jun 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781643148540

Daniel M. DeWald

Daniel M. DeWald was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has received an M.B.A. in business from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and a B.S. degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. He had the rank of first lieutenant and served as a combat platoon leader for the 3rd battalion, 12th infantry, 4th Infantry Division from 1969 to 1970. He earned several commendation medals for his activities. He received the Bronze Star for Valor when he saved the company commander and four others under hostile fire conditions. He also received a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster for heroism during a joint operation with the Army Republic of Vietnam. He also received an Air Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, The Vietnam Campaign Medal, and two overseas bars. His unit also received citations for service. He currently resides in the Charleston, South Carolina area.

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Copyright © 2023 by Daniel M. DeWald

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-64314-852-6 (Paperback)

978-1-64314-853-3 (Hardback)

978-1-64314-854-0 (E-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909433

AuthorsPress

California, USA

www.authorspress.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my mother Mary

and father Paul who encouraged me to write about my experiences with prisoners of war and their respective returns from the Viet Nam conflict; my wife Sandy who put up with my hours of writing and preparation; my sister Nance DeWald Ball for her editing comments; my children Katie, Erika, and Jon, and our family and friends who always supported me; and the support of Reader’s Magnet, former Prisoners of War, Veterans of the Viet Nam War, and all Veterans’ families, former Prisoners of War, and those readers who have an interest in this topic. I appreciate all of you.

DEDICATIONS

I dedicate this book

in the memory of my mother Mary, my dad Paul, and my wife Sandy whose time on earth was too short. It is also dedicated to all veterans, especially Viet Nam veterans, for all their efforts and perseverance.

About the Author

About Dan

Daniel DeWald holds over

40 years’ experience in warehousing and distribution, production control, materials management, supply chain, planning, MRO and storeroom management, operations management and buying.

Daniel has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio; a Bachelor of Science (BS) from Kelly School of Business, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Daniel is a proud a military veteran, having served as an Officer in the United States Army and Reserves. Active service began in August of 1968 through August of 1970. He then served in the Army Reserves until 1974. He earned the rank of 1st Lieutenant and was a combat platoon leader. During his time there, he received the following commendations and medals:

Bronze Star Medal for Valor: Went above the call of duty when saving the company commander and four others under hostile fire conditions and led a controlled withdrawal from the conflict

Silver Oak Leaf Cluster: Went beyond the call of duty that occurred under hostile fire during a joint operation with the Army Republic of Vietnam

Air Medal: Given for taking part in twenty-five combat assaults

Combat Infantryman’s Badge: Given for engaging in hostile enemy fire.

Additionally, he received the National Defense Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, two overseas bars, and a 4th Division unit citation.

Professionally Daniel’s accomplishments include:

Chapter President in the Association of Operations Management (APICS)

Certified Production Inventory Manager, (CPIM) through the Association of Operations Management (APICS)

Certified Maintenance Reliability Professional (CMRP) through the Society of Maintenance Reliability Professionals (SMRP)

Certified Plant Maintenance Manager (CPMM) through the Association of Facility Engineering (AFE)

Since 2003 Daniel is a management consultant specializing in materials and distributionmanagement.

Developed courses on Maintenance, Repair, and Operation Supplies (MRO) and the storeroom

Assessed and evaluated storerooms, warehouses, supply chains, and manufacturing operations using Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and BestPractices.

Conducted webinars and seminars on many topics, including ABC management, Cycle counting, Inventory control, MRO modeling, Reengineering manufacturing and warehousing operations, Kitting, Obsolescence, Work processes, MRO Buying, SupplierManagement.

Prior to entering the consulting field, Daniel worked with and for blue-chip companies including Bosch, Marathon Electric, Chase Brass, Tower Automotive, and Navistar in Material Management. During his career Daniel gained depth of experience in the Automotive and Trucking industry, Foundry, Electric Motor and Generator Manufacturing, Metal Stamping, Aerospace, and Injection Moldingindustries.

His publications include the following: Maintenance Storeroom and MRO Made Simple, 2012, published by Reliability-Web, Kitting in Maintenance Made Simple, 2014, co-author with Jeff Shiver, published by Reliability-Web; Grey Feathers-Led by Love of Country, 2013, 1st edition, Published by Strategic Book Publishing Rights Agency (SBPRA); Grey Feathers-Led by Love of Country, 2nd Edition, published 2022 Readers Magnet.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedications

About the Author

Prologue

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The Fight For Life

Chapter 3 Prisoner of War

Chapter 4 The Mission

Chapter 5 The Invitation

Chapter 6 The Quest

Chapter 7 The Search Begins

Chapter 8 An escape

Chapter 9 Sighting of a POW Camp with Prisoners inside

Chapter 10 Establishing Observation Posts

Chapter 11 The Escape

Chapter 12 Cambodian Assistance

Chapter 13 Onward To Thailand

Chapter 14 Movement to the Ridgeline

Chapter 15 Reaching Thailand’s Border

Chapter 16 The Celebration

Chapter 17 The Return

Chapter 18 Summary

Prologue

There were rumors about

soldiers being held in prison camps long after the Viet Nam War ended. Statistically, according to Wikipedia at the end of the Viet Nam War, 2,646 American soldiers were considered missing in action or MIA, and about 1,350 of them were thought to be Prisoners of War (POWs). During that time 687 soldiers were returned back to the United States after being imprisoned in Viet Nam. There was little communication between the two nations—the United States and Viet Nam.

This was a story about soldiers from the same platoon who were left in a landing zone and captured by soldiers from the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). A secret mission was created to search for them in the tri-border area (Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Laos) with its purpose to search, find, extract, and bring home those still imprisoned from the war. This mission was named Operation Grey Skies. Rescues like this were rare, and the details of these missions were rarely published or considered newsworthy.

Operation Grey Skies was a top-secret project and funded by private sources or from government funds that were approved but not spent. No man is to be left behind was a motto that service members believed and followed, and why the dedication and trust of our armed forces was so strong during war. Private funding sources were sought and received.

A rescue mission to find Prisoners of War (POWs) was launched by a non-governmental agency whose name cannot be revealed due to the secrecy of the mission. The rescuers recruited for this task understood it was a dangerous mission to find Prisoners of War (POWs) in unfriendly territory. In 1980, military intelligence believed prison compounds were located in the tri-border area—Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It was a vast area to search, and there was no guarantee of success in finding prisoners of war (POWs).

Colonel John Harold and General Richard Jonathan were the champions of this project with Colonel Harold taking the lead. Colonel Harold presented Operation Grey Skies in front of the board of directors of the private agency to get approval for the project. The search to find Prisoners of War (POWs) was approved by the board of directors of this privately funded agency for a period of six months, and the operation began.

The approved mission was to "search, find, extract the POWs from the prison compound, and bring them back home to the United States." The Military and Government Officials of the United States considered this operation as an extremely dangerous operation. However, the rewards outweighed the risks if Prisoners of War (POWs) were found and returned. Operation Grey Skies gave hope to families who have a soldier missing in action, as well as to veterans who served.

Bring the Prisoners of War (POWs) home!

Chapter 1

Introduction

In the Central Highlands

of Viet Nam, combat operations were minimal in 1971. US Troops and their Allies were being withdrawn since the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) began their operations in the area. Camp Enari near Pleiku, Viet Nam, a former headquarters for the 4th Division, was transferred to the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) in May 1970, and served as their base of operations, while American troops were withdrawing from the area.

There were only rumors about soldiers that were captured and kept in Southeast Asia, with only a few substantiated. The Vietnamese government, centralized in Hanoi, did not have any official communication with the United States or their Allies. Repeatedly, the US government hierarchy tried to collaborate with the Vietnamese to secure the release of prisoners. Yet, the official answer from the new Viet Nam government was the following: There were no prisoners in our country left from the war.

We begin our story with the dispatch of three helicopters to a landing zone to pick up a US Military platoon. When the helicopters arrived, the landing zone became HOT, which meant the platoon and helicopters came under machine gun, mortar, and small arms fire. Two of the three helicopters miraculously picked up soldiers, but the third helicopter could not land and aborted its mission to pick up the last squad. The NVA (North Vietnamese Army) aggressively surrounded the American squad; and the squad leader, knowing he was clearly outnumbered and with little ammunition, surrendered to them as did the rest of his men. The squad became Prisoners of War (POWs). The squad was made up of five men—Sergeant Andrew Jones, Corporal Robert Terry, Private First-Class Paul Daniels, Private First-Class Craig Ganer, and Corporal Gene Summer. Corporal Summer suffered severe wounds from the intense fire as he was seriously wounded in action (WIA). Two more members of a different squad were killed in action (KIA). They were Private-First Class Gary Tanner and Corporal Peter Chenoe. From there a journey to Prisoners of War (POWs) encampments began under circumstances that included torture, food starvation, and harassment. Movement occurred often, and prisoners were incarcerated in bamboo cages or worse.

The United States government did not set up an official mission to find prisoners of war from the Viet Nam conflict when the last troops left. Neither the government nor the military wanted to present a search mission to Congress due to a resistant attitude to engage with Viet Nam further. Additionally, another reason was because of the negative attitude toward the Viet Nam conflict and out of sight out of mind thinking.

However, early in 1980, there was a renewed interest to find, locate, and extract Prisoners of War (POWs) back to the United States. Colonel John Harold, Chairman of Covert Operations, had developed a strong interest in finding Prisoners of War (POWs) from the Viet Nam War. Colonel Harold was a veteran of the Viet Nam War and a former Battalion Commander. This interest in finding prisoners of war in Viet Nam was named Operation Grey Skies. The mission was supported by former military members and veterans whose desire was to find Prisoners of War (POWs). The board of directors of this independent agency approved the funding of a team to conduct a search effort. It would be considered a dark mission and disavowed by the United States Government and Military. The board approved a selection of the team to recruit, fund, and support selected personnel to go to Viet Nam tri-border area (Central highlands of Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia) and conduct a search for Prisoners of War (POWs). There was some Government financing from approved but not used funds, but this information was secretive and not distributed. Monies were not distributed to purchase supplies for the project prior to leaving the United States, and there was no budgetary allowance for this project to proceed.

Also, there was no governmental permission for these men to enter and search for POWs by any of those three nations—Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia. Entry to those nations needed to be done upon entrance without government help. It could create an awkward response. Furthermore, the men recruited for this mission were told that their presence would be disavowed by the US government. In a sense, the men would be on their own without governmental or miliary support. It would be a difficult mission to undertake, but the men chosen and recruited for this were supportive to that task. In fact, it was nicknamed mission impossible. There was no guarantee Prisoners of War (POWs) could be found. Yet, the men who accepted the mission and those who financed it were committed to the possibility Prisoners of War (POWs) were alive and imprisoned.

The team left for Pleiku, Vietnam which was governed by the new Vietnamese Communistic government. Pleiku was the starting point for the search. There, the team was expected to find villagers who would help them with the search and be helpful in exploring potential areas where POWs could be found. Also, the team felt that supplies would be readily available in that village. They also expected to find a guide as well. The first stop out of Pleiku was the village of Dak To. The village was near where the three countries met—Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia, and nicknamed the Tri-Border area. The village of Dak To and the surrounding area were engaged in many battles in the Vietnam War which also was next to one of the major infiltration routes that the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) used to enter South Viet Nam during that war. It was believed Prisoners of War (POWs) encampments were more likely found in and around this geographical location.

The men faced incredible obstacles to begin their search and find the locations of where prisoners of war were confined. In general, Americans were not welcome, and this became noticeably clear as the search began. Military intelligence staff were convinced that there was a possibility of POWs (Prisoners of War) still existing in this area. If one was found, the removal of prisoners from the prison camp and their extraction process was unknown. The intelligence staff believed that a route to Thailand after finding the POWs would be the best route to take for bringing back POWs to the United States. However, Military intelligence had no means to pinpoint the location of POWs or the best routes to find the camps. Or did they give direction on an approved escape route or a method to do so. Intelligence created a planned route for the team to initially follow.

Of course, even with a planned route, there was no guarantee a Prisoner of War compound may be found. It was the uncertainty that made this operation unique. For men to undertake this challenge, it required a special breed and dedication to find prisoners at locations currently unknown. There was no question the Vietnamese government would know the location of these soldiers, but would not recognize this effort, nor would it help.

This book was based on observations, author’s notes, interviews with former prisoners of war, and research. There was limited information publicly available on Prisoners of War (POWs) from the Viet Nam War. The book describes the hardships, the descriptions of cells, the difficulties associated with a search, the escape, and the obstacles associated with an escape. It also exemplifies decision-making under fire, quick thinking, persistence, determination, leadership, and the ability to work as a team to meet the final goal—return home. Of course, this story is fictional, and names listed are coincidental. Yet, after research, many of the searches for prisoners of war encountered the same issues, the same torture, the same food deprivation, and the same unfriendly villagers as depicted in this book. All had the same goal—bring prisoners of war home.

For those families who never learned of the fate of their soldier whether captured or dead, not knowing what happened was heartbreaking and demoralizing. An empty chair was at each family’s table as they ate a meal and wondered what did happen to their loved one.

Viet Nam War veterans, our government, our military, family members and friends of Viet Nam veterans who did not return, and veterans of all years have a strong bond to our soldiers to bring everyone home. All of us owe our respect and honor to them and their families. Operation Grey Skies gave those families hope as the operation began.

Even today, there are missing soldiers whose families do not know anything about them. Some may have been captured, others may have died, and others may never be found. This story mirrors the struggles of both being captive, and the ability to find those who were captured. While the focus is on the Viet Nam War, all wars and conflicts have had issues when soldiers were taken as a prisoner of war. One side note, prisoners of war may not be confined to just soldiers. It could be civilians who were detained and imprisoned against their will during a conflict or a political statement. They also need to be freed.

Bring the Prisoners of War HOME!

Chapter 2

The Fight For Life

Captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.

—Sun Tzu

It is February 1971,

and the Vietnam War was nearing its end. However, troops were still in the field, fighting and maneuvering against a formidable foe. It was early morning, and the first platoon of Company A assembled to begin another day The mission was to look for hostile forces hidden in the thick vegetation referred to as a rain forest. The platoon was at less than full strength with only fifteen to conduct an operation. The campaign in the Central Highlands of Vietnam was extremely strenuous and deadly. Soldiers were lost by combat, injury, and disease. This day was no different than the others, only that it was one day closer to going home or as soldiers referred to it as the world. The war seemed endless, and the outcome unknown. This area was a stronghold for the NVA (North Vietnamese Army), and a crossroads for the Ho Chi Minh trail, a large pathway that brought ammunition and supplies into the war zone. The trail wound its way from North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to its place in the Central highlands of Viet Nam, toward Ho Chi Minh City, and the rest of South Vietnam. Along the way arms caches were set up to hide weapons close to the trails to allow the NVA to be resupplied if needed.

It started out to be a rainy day in the middle of the Monsoon season. The soldiers had been in the field traveling on overgrown trails and mountainous paths for thirty-one straight days. There have been no sightings of hostile forces in the last 15 days, and no combat in the last 25 days. Today promised to be the same, with soldiers trudging through mud, wet leaves, and undesirable surroundings to search for an unknown force in the area. The trails were extremely dangerous and almost impossible to not slip or slide or worse fall down the mountainside. The platoon was low on food and ammunition since helicopters were unable to fly into the area to drop needed supplies. As a result, even clothes could not be changed. No one had received a change of clothes for at least 25 days, which by now were significantly stiff and scratchy, along with the stench of sweat.

Occasionally, the search uncovered a small farm which housed chickens and pigs, and this added to their dwindling food supply. When rations were low, and no farms nearby, food consisted of insects, bark off trees, plants, fruit, and an occasional jungle rat or monkey. Sleeping conditions were just as bad; ponchos covered you only partially, so platoon members were always getting soaked if it rained during the night. Jungle rot settled into the skin (large deep sores on legs, arms, feet, and other areas). When a platoon was on the move, there was no stopping on the trails to rest or opportunity to escape the rain. Not only was the monsoon rain discomforting but also the humidity was remarkably high with temperatures staying in the 95-degree Fahrenheit range. Sweat was always rolling down the faces of the men. The