Former POW inspires audience with experiences, wisdom

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amanda Dick
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) --  Members of Ramstein Air Base honored prisoners of war and those missing in action at a luncheon Sept. 17 here.

Members of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing hosted the event in remembrance of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, featuring guest speaker retired Navy Capt. David Hoffman.

"Thank you for that very warm welcome; I can't wait to hear what I'm going to say," said Captain Hoffman, who was a POW in Vietnam for 15 months, setting the light tone for the event.

Captain Hoffman chronicled his experience while held in Hanoi, Vietnam, by describing how his aircraft tail was blown off 25,000 feet above northern Vietnam. He broke his arm when he ejected and was shot through his foot as he descended in his parachute.

Once in North Vietnamese captivity, his time was less than comfortable as he was almost immediately chained to a plank and put in isolation.

The Naval Academy graduate said for breakfast, they were given half a cup of powdered milk and half a baguette. The other meal consisted of soup -- either pumpkin or cabbage boiled in water, depending on the time of year.

When asked to clean up the camp, the American prisoners refused until a blockade caused their captors to replace the milk with sugar.

At this point, they stuffed the sugar in their clothes, and as other detainees distracted the guards, they poured sugar into the gas tanks of trucks, so they wouldn't work. The trucks that were used to transport the North Vietnamese to the surface-to-air missile structures.

"The little things we could do to (irritate) them," Captain Hoffman said. "Because that meant, there were people who had to watch us, and they weren't shooting at our buddies. So, we were doing our part."

The former POW went on to reiterate a question that a fellow detainee in the camp, named Charlie Plumb, asks to audiences, "Who's packing your parachute?"

"Everybody has got somebody who provides what they need to make it through the day," he said. "There are many different kinds of parachutes ... physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. So sometimes, it's the daily challenges in life, the things we miss, that are really the important stuff.

"Too many times, we fail to say 'hello', 'please' or 'thank you' to somebody who's done something. Or, to congratulate somebody on something wonderful," Captain Hoffman said. "Or, just to do something nice for no reason at all. So, go through this week, this month, this year and recognize someone who's packed your parachute."

This message particularly stood out to a member in the crowd, Christian Britton, who is a junior ROTC cadet and son of Senior Master Sgt. Vince Britton, the 435th Contingency Response Group superintendent of contingency operations.

"I heard him speak yesterday, and one thing he stated today that he didn't yesterday was to take a look around at who packs your parachute," Christian said. "That struck me slightly more than anything else he said. Mostly because I haven't taken the time to take people seriously like I should ... sometimes, it's just the little things like that."

For Christian's father, that was one of the reasons Christian was brought to the luncheon.

"I wanted to meet a legend. I wanted to listen to what his words were and also remember POWs and those MIA," Sergeant Britton said. "It was for that same reason I brought my son. I wanted him to be able to experience it, especially being JROTC, with possible future endeavors of joining the Air Force."

As Captain Hoffman closed, he focused not only on the veterans of the past, but those veterans currently serving in the military today.

"Remember, it's the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion," he said. "It's the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It's the veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It's the veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to assemble. It's the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It's the veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It's the veteran who salutes that flag, who serves under that flag, and, I give thanks every day of my life that you're out there doing just that."