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Former Vietnam POW shares his story with Grand Forks Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachel Waller
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  On Jan. 23, 1967, retired Lt. Col. Barry Bridger was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Son Tay, North Vietnam, in his F-4 Phantom during his second tour of Vietnam. Colonel Bridger was then captured by North Vietnam and sent to Hanoi Hilton prison camp. He remained a prisoner of war for six years until his repatriation in March 1973. Following his repatriation, Colonel Bridger re-qualified in jet aircrafts and continued to serve in the United States Air Force until his retirement in October 1984.

Colonel Bridger shared his story with more than 150 Warriors of the North during a speaking event Oct. 27 at the Northern Lights Club here.

"I am going to share a story with you today," began the colonel. "This isn't a story about a bunch of American POWs but it is a story about the power of American values."

It was a story about how the POWs remained faithful to their nation. A story about how the Vietnam POWs learned that the desperate and crushing environment of a prison camp can destroy the body but it can never destroy the values instilled into the POW.

A video shown during Colonel Bridger's lecture, said that North Vietnam POWs endured abuse that began in 1965. Prior to 1965, the POWs were not touched. The abuse included both physical and psychological aspects.

"During my lecture, I am going to explain and answer three questions," said Colonel Bridger. "The three questions are; Why all the brutality? What were our greatest challenges? Why and how did we endure?"

Colonel Bridger explained that the different types of brutality fell into a timeline covering nine years.

"During 1964 to 1965, POWs were imprisoned with no torture," said Colonel Bridger. "When our feet touched the soil, we (POWs) were declared criminals of war, thereby dismissing entitlements afforded to us by the Geneva Convention of 1955."

"From 1965 to 1967, our captors used emotional exploitation," said Colonel Bridger. "They tried to use us to help capture public opinion to their side. That's around the time the North Vietnam government held the Hanoi March but the march was unsuccessful to sway the public opinion to them. Instead, the march signified the contempt of international law by illegally marching the Americans around exposing them to injury and possibly death. Immediately following the march, the Americans were returned back to the camp. During this time, the North Vietnam government tried to force the Americans to help with their propaganda campaign."

Colonel Bridger said he considers 1967 to 1970 as programmed exploitation. He added that the North Vietnam government was trying to get their strategy back on track because their other two strategies were unsuccessful.

"The main reason for the programmed exploitation was that the Hanoi officials were in stark disbelief that all of the American prisoners would walk into the torture chamber rather than provide any form of cooperation," said Colonel Bridger. "They had to try to break our will to resist."

The last part of Colonel Bridger's timeline is from 1970 to 1973 -- the period he titled as the "live and let live period." Colonel Bridger said that it was in this period the Red Cross condemned the North Vietnam government for mistreatment of American POWs. Colonel Bridger also said the reason for the change was that tens of thousands Americans and well wishers worldwide had enough of their inhuman treatment and that it was time to stop.

"It was a dramatic change from the years before," said Colonel Bridger.

Colonel Bridger said that greatest challenge to POWs was to try and overcome the psychological threats.

"The number one psychological threat we faced was torture," said Col. Bridger.

Colonel Bridger said that they endured the abuse and the torture because they learned how to resist.

"There are many reasons to resist," said Colonel Bridger. "Each POW was from American culture, American virtue and raised with American values. This made us unwilling to let each other down, because when it felt like we lost everything else, we had only one duty left that was to care for each other."

Throughout all of Colonel Bridger's imprisonment, he said he, along with the rest of the POWs, maintained their sense of humor.

"After starting a religious rebellion, myself and 35 other so called instigators and trouble makers were moved to another camp for nine months," said Colonel Bridger. "We were put in solitary confinement but we still had ways of communicating by tapping out harmonic messages. We learned early on that the North Vietnamese had no sense of rhythm, so one day I hear a tap, tap, tap on my wall. I reply back with an answering tap.

The prisoner said his name was John McCain and he had a big problem. I thought to myself, how can he have a problem? What does he have that I don't have in our 5 x 6 foot cell. Anyways I reply back wanting to know the problem and John answers, there is a giant snake in my room. I started laughing because I can picture John running around his room trying to stay away from the snake but braving it to tap answers to me. I was laughing so hard that it took a while for me to recover my senses. Eventually the snake left in the hole that he came in."

Colonel Bridger said that when he was released and made it back home, he was greeted with a hero's welcome.

"In my small North Carolina town with a population of 600, there were about 10,000 people that day to welcome me home," said Colonel Bridger.

At the end of Colonel Bridger's lecture, he took a moment to thank all the Airmen who are serving and protecting the same values that he swore to protect more than 45 years ago.

"I think this was a great opportunity for the Airmen of this wing to learn the history and values that each one of us should take to heart," said Senior Airman George MacEachern, 319th Medical Group.