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John, Jane, and … Henry

Another online publication has done much to publicize the interesting connection between presidential candidate and US Senator John Kerry, and the infamous “Hanoi” Jane Fonda. (A great bumper sticker says, “I’m not Fonda Hanoi Jane.”)

I came upon some of that same source information about Kerry while researching the military background of General Wesley Clark.

It bugs me that Kerry has the gall to challenge George Bush’s record of service in the Air National Guard, while he was a co-organizer of anti-American (not merely anti-war; see photo) protests on American soil during time of war. That same source information notes that Kerry was in command of a patrol boat that operated in a “free fire zone”. By his own admission, Kerry and/or members of his crew killed a number of civilians (including at least one baby) and South Vietnamese (friendly) soldiers in a Mekong Delta operation. To my knowledge, there is no record of Lt. George W. Bush firing weapons from his F-102 fighter jet on any civilians or “friendlies”. Now, one of the members of Kerry’s gunboat crew (Del Sandusky) appears in his campaign TV ads, calling Kerry a “great American”.

Kerry is quoted by the “Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry” Web site as having said, “It is one of those terrible things, and I'll never forget, ever, the sight of that child," about the dead baby. Oh, I see. Senator Kerry is bothered by the thought of one Vietnamese baby that is instantly killed by machinegun fire, but not by over 40 million American babies that are killed, in a torturous manner — not in the heat of battle, but for money — by abortionists. Can somebody help me figure that out?

But, my confusion about Kerry continues. You see, the stories about Jane Fonda’s activities in North Vietnam were numerous and well-known in the early 1970s. As an adolescent at that time, even I knew some of them. (When other boys were reading comic books, I was watching the news. That’s why I have a big-picture historical perspective on things.) Jane Fonda was openly and actively involved with the Communists, against our country, and so was John Kerry. Because the stories about Fonda were so well-known, there is no way that Kerry got involved with her unknowingly. Now, I want to tell you one little-known story about Hanoi Jane.

When I was in the Air Force, I knew an officer named Henry. He had been a fighter pilot in Vietnam. He was shot down, and spent more than six years in Hoa Lo Prison (commonly nicknamed “The Hanoi Hilton”). When a movie was made about life in “The Hanoi Hilton”, the main characters had a running conversation with another prisoner, who was never seen in the movie. That prisoner, as I understand it, was Henry in real life. Regardless of my recollections of who played whom in the movie, Henry was a real officer, a real gentleman, and a real hero. (And, his real name was Henry. I’m withholding his last name, out of respect for his age and privacy.)

While Henry was a POW, he was subjected to many of the rigors — both mental and physical — that have come to typify our memories of the Vietnam War. In a presentation about his experience, he said softly, “Most people don’t think that you can touch your elbows together behind your back. With help, you can. But, you don’t want to.” He said that in 1983, and I’ve never forgotten it. Nor should you. (In 1985, I was “helped” by a parachute malfunction to watch the calf of my leg fly over my outstretched forearm. It was an amazing sight; but, trust me, you don’t want to see it for yourself.)

One of the mental rigors was that of being forced to praise their captors over the loudspeaker system. Henry and other prisoners had found an interesting way to “get over” on their captors in this process. To boost their fellow captive’s morale, daily announcements took advantage of the fact that North Vietnamese prison officers listened to English with accented ears. Thus, for awhile, Henry and his buddies got away with announcements about “Horse S*** Minh” (instead of Ho Chi Minh), and similar deviations from proper enunciation. Then, one day, they got caught. Henry and his friends were beaten, tortured, deprived of sleep, and put into solitary confinement. He was in a cell — made of damp concrete, not quite long enough for his body, and with no toilet — for more than two years alone.

Then, one day, in an excited voice, a camp officer came and told Henry that a visiting American dignitary would be coming to see him. To the best of his hampered ability, Henry cleaned himself up, and stood at attention near the door of his cell. He heard the footsteps of a delegation coming down the hall. He tried to look like the proud fighter pilot that he still was deep inside. The door swung open, and…

Jane Fonda walked in, gave him a disgusted look, spit in his face, and left.
Henry did not see another American face for over two more years. Now, there is a story with many similar elements floating around on the Internet. That other story has been debunked. Not only did I hear this story directly from Henry himself; but, years later, I had the privilege of speaking with one of his fellow prisoners, who confirmed the story. That other prisoner was named in the movie. Unfortunately, because of the hype about the debunked story, it seems that Henry’s story has fallen through the cracks. Shame on us. There should be a building named after him somewhere. (And, I know which building it should be.)

Shortly before the “downsizing” of my own military career, and years after that presentation, I had the privilege of speaking briefly with Henry on the phone. By that time, he had retired from the Air Force, and had found a nice Federal job. (But, after Bill Clinton became president, Henry’s job was eliminated in a “pogrom” of known conservatives. You see, in the mid-1980s, Henry was only two handshakes away from President Reagan — and “certain people” knew that.)

OK, so the same guy that enabled people like Jane Fonda to start calling our soldiers “baby killers” now wants to enlist those Vietnam veterans to vote for him for president. My suggestion is that, if you want to really know about Vietnam veterans and their views of Senator John Kerry, you should ask people like Henry.

Hattip: Tom Kovach
http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/k/kovach/2004/kovach021004.htm
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