Experiences as a POW in Vietnam (Hatcher, Stockdale, Coffee)

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.