LAST was asked FEBRUARY, to make WHEN a few I remarks FIRST TOUCHED on behalf of FOOT the ex-POWs on American who soil, were Iwas asked to make a few remarks on behalf of the ex-POWs who were
embarked in the airplane with me. An ancient verse came to mind that best summarized my relief at dropping the mantle of leadership and responsibility I had held during seven and a half years of imprisonment, four of them in solitary. These lines are attributed to Sophocles; I remember them well because of their modern ring: “Nothing is so sweet as to return from sea and listen to the
raindrops on the rooftops of home.” Well, I was dreaming. I had forgotten that an old sea captain’s job does not end when he anchors in home port.
Lehigh Valley Hero (Robert Biss)
Their code was to return with honor. The inhumane treatment can hardly be understood by most of us. As prisoners of war in Vietnam, it was desperate at times after the torture, but Capt. Robert Biss says he always knew he was coming home.
