Through the Valley. William Reeder
This book has been brought to publication with the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
© 2016 by William Reeder Jr.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Reeder, William, Jr., author.
Title: Through the valley : my captivity in Vietnam / by William Reeder Jr.
Other titles: My captivity in Vietnam
Description: Annapolis, Maryland : Naval Institute Press, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044277| ISBN 978-1-68247-059-6
Subjects: LCSH: Reeder, William, Jr. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Prisoners and prisons, North Vietnamese. | Prisoners of war—United States—Biography. | Prisoners of war—Vietnam—Biography. | United States. Army. Aerial Weapons Company, 361st—Biography. | Helicopter pilots—United States—Biography. | Helicopter pilots—Vietnam—Biography. | United States. Army—Officers—Biography. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Aerial operations, American. | Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Personal narratives, American.
Classification: LCC DS559.4 .R44 2016 | DDC 959.704/37—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044277
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First printing
Maps created by Christopher Robinson.
Author Disclaimer: I have written this book more than forty years after my experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. I wrote it because so many encouraged me for so long, and in the end because once I started, I was driven to get the story told. After all these years, many of my memories remain crystal clear. Others have been dulled by the passage of time. At every turn, I endeavored to confirm my recollections by conducting research and checking facts with other participants whenever possible. Even so, there are surely some errors that remain. For those I apologize and can only promise that I will accept all criticism in the spirit of correcting those mistakes in any future editions of this book that might be published.
For Tim and Wayne
To my father and mother, and all who went before
To my children and grandchildren, and all who will come after
To Melanie for bringing me love and joy
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
—Psalm 23:4
Contents
List of Maps
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1 Secret Commandos
2 Pink Panthers
3 Easter Offensive
4 Ben Het
5 Evasion
6 Captive
7 Go Quick or Die
8 Bamboo Camp
9 The Journey Begins
10 The Road
11 Into the North
12 In the Company of Heroes
13 Five-Star Resort
14 A Season
15 Homeward Bound
16 Castles in the Sand
17 Hope
Epilogue
Appendix: Eight Steps for Survival in a POW Camp
Notes
Index
Map 1. North and South Vietnam
Map 2. Mission area in the Central Highlands
Map 3. Ben Het to jungle prison
Map 4. Journey northward
Map 5. Plantation Gardens and the Hanoi Hilton
Joe Galloway for his early support as I began my writing.
Bob Mason, John Duffy, and all who pushed, encouraged, and harangued me over the years to complete this book.
Patience Mason for her help in editing my manuscript.
Tom McKenna and Jack Heslin for setting the larger historical context for the battles I fought in, Tom in his book Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam, and Jack for his marvelous website that presents a collection of impressive firsthand accounts of the fights that made up the Battle of Kontum (www.thebattleofkontum.com).
Ke Nghiem and Xanh Nguyen for saving my life.
Mark Truhan for not taking my life (as beautiful as his intentions were).
Pink Panthers.
Spuds.
Hawk’s Heroes.
Colonel Morgan J. Cronin, my first battalion commander, for teaching me what it is to be a good officer.
Professors Norm Bender, Jim Sherow, and Harald Prins for helping open my mind to the intellectual wonder that surrounds us all.
Mrs. Taylor (Montrose Elementary, California) for giving me a glimpse of my own self-worth during a troubled youth; Coach Tiky Vasconcellos (Roosevelt High School, Hawaii) for teaching me to never quit; and Coach North (Palisades High School, California) for impressing me with the importance of team and how to be a “hard-nosed” competitor.
Boy Scouts of America for giving me skills in the outdoors, a love of hiking, and confidence in myself.
United States Army for showing me my destiny and giving me the tools to face it