A POWs words: It takes faith to survive (Jack Tomes)

Five years ago I wrote “Jack, Will You Sing Again?” — a story about Col. Jack Tomes, a POW for six and a half years in the Hanoi Hilton, a notorious camp for POWs in Vietnam known for its brutal treatment of American prisoners. Spence Field brought Jack to Moultrie in the 1950s. His beautiful baritone voice got the attention of Miss Neta Belle Scarborough, minister of music at Trinity Baptist at that time, who once gave him the lead solo in “The Seven Last Words of Christ.”

Ignoring the rules of the prison, Jack broke the silence on Christmas Eve by singing “Silent Night, Holy Night/ All is Calm, All is Bright …” The guards came and beat him unmercifully. The next year, Jack found the courage to sing again. This time, other prisoners joined him. Jack’s courage and spirit had become infectious. The camp guards were caught unprepared by such a large number of defiant prisoners. So many sang that the Viet Cong chose to do nothing. They let them sing.

Jack died several years ago but his witness still lives on. (And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. Heb. 11:4 NIV)

Recently, Jack’s brother Bob was doing some Internet research on his brother and he came across my article. He was stunned by the find. The story about his brother was one he’d never heard. His sister, Jo Smith, from Phoenix, Ariz., traced me down. She also found Mel Henderson, a military companion of Jack’s at Spence Field, a man who kept up with Jack after he returned from Vietnam. They met at several military reunions through the years. Mel came to Moultrie several years ago and shared the story with me, which Jack had shared with him at one of their military reunions. At the end of my story, I referenced that Mel was my source. After Bob’s Internet find, the story was circulated among family members until one relative recalled Jack sharing such a story years ago.