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.
Colonel Benjamin Purcell: 5 Years in Hell
Colonel Benjamin Purcell was executive commander of the 80th General Support Group in Vietnam when his helicopter was shot down on February 8, 1968. He and five other passengers were captured by the Viet Cong. Colonel Purcell was the highest ranking Army officer captured during the Vietnam War. He spent more
