POWs in Iraq: The "Official" Account of the POWs "serving in Baghdad."

[Matt Wiser]

Some of the Iraqis' measures at the new prison-such as putting them in compounds with high and thick walls-would meet with (North) Vietnamese approval. There are enough empty cells to act as "Circuit Breakers" to prevent tap code communication, and if the NVN were running things, they would do just that. But the Iraqis have not isolated anyone-especially the senior officers. The (North) Vietnamese would certainly raise objections to both of those.

I get the feeling that the NVN would happily torture someone caught trying to communicate to death, and be damned the international consequences…

They did at least twice: one POW was removed from his cell at Little Vegas (a compound in the Hilton) in August, '67 and never seen again. His three cellmates felt he had somehow angered the officer-in-charge of the whole compound and suffered a fatal beating.

Another one was part of a pair that went over the Wall at the Zoo Annex in May '69. Both were recaptured and their "disciplining" at the Zoo was so savage the shreiks POWs the equivalent of two blocks away could hear the screams. They were then taken to the Hilton. The one who survived said the NVN went at him for 38 days straight with beatings, fifteen sessions in the rope torture, one cup of water and a piece of bread twice a day, no washing or latrine, and so on. He said he heard his partner's screams abruptly stop one night... These two were on the "Died in Captivity" list released with the POWs in '73, and their remains were repatriated in 1974.

The NVN ultimately won, so there were zero international consequences.

[Matt Wiser]

Some of the Iraqis' measures at the new prison-such as putting them in compounds with high and thick walls-would meet with (North) Vietnamese approval. There are enough empty cells to act as "Circuit Breakers" to prevent tap code communication, and if the NVN were running things, they would do just that. But the Iraqis have not isolated anyone-especially the senior officers. The (North) Vietnamese would certainly raise objections to both of those.

I get the feeling that the NVN would happily torture someone caught trying to communicate to death, and be damned the international consequences…

A little bit of clarification: if you got caught communicating, the punishment depended a lot on various circumstances. If caught, say, in the early months-say, May-Oct '65? You got "Slapped around", put in leg stocks (the bunks at the Hilton had them) for a week or two, that sort of thing. From Oct'65 until after Ho's death in Sep '69? It could be vicious: trussed up in the ropes, the kneeling torture (on bare concrete-or they'd spread a few pebbles on the concrete and you'd have to kneel on those! Or they'd make you "hold the wall"-standing up with your arms extended and hands touching the cell wall-only one guy I know of beat that one, and only because the NVN called it off due to Christmas '66. Or the guards would keep it simple and just give a beating with their bamboo rods. If they hauled you off to the interrogation room and got physical, they wanted an apology, a promise not to do it again, and an anti-war statement-all of which they usually got.

After Ho's death, the NVN let up on communicating between cells, but drew the line on building-to-building. If you were caught, you'd get some solitary time from a few days to a few weeks, but that was it. (It's also when they stopped torture and otherwise improved conditions in their POW prisons a great deal)

[Matt Wiser]

A brief update:

While the new arrivals at Al-Taji were settling in, 20 May brought a trio of new arrivals into the system. The first was Commander Keith Chandler, the CO of VFA-147, whose F/A-18E was hit by flak on the squadron's last strike of morning on the Al Iskandiriyah New Airfield. Though hit, Chandler managed to coax the aircraft towards Hillah, and the end of the MEZ, but had to eject just west of the ruins of Babylon. As he came down in his chute, Chandler entertained thoughts of making it to the Euphrates, but he had been spotted, and just after landing, he was found by Iraqi soldiers. Though the Army wasn't as rough as the Fedayeen or the Al-Quds Militiamen, he still got a roughing-up before being taken to the Hillah Military Garrison, where he was interrogated and filmed. Chandler stuck to the “Big Four,” despite having his kneeboards shown to him, revealing he had been flying an F/A-18. He maintained his silence, and was soon on a truck for Baghdad.

After arriving at Al-Rashid's new interrogation center, the interrogators there also produced a photo of his wrecked aircraft, where not only the squadron name had survived, but also part of the cockpit area, where his name and the “CO” title were on the left side of the aircraft. He did admit that he was the CO of VFA-147, but drew the line at any military information or a propaganda statement. As was by now the usual, the interrogators were not pleased, and things got ugly.

A session in the ropes got things going, followed by a beating and some time hanging upside down from a meathook. Then came a prolonged kneeling, with another beating, this time with a rubber hose following that. A stint on the sawhorse came next, before the new version of the rope trick finally made him submit.

Chandler gave some unclassified information on his plane, and the ship-right out of Jane's or any other reference book-facts that he figured the Iraqis already knew. When pressed for target information, he stated that only the air wing operations people knew targets, and that he and his pilots and other aircrews were informed only in the premission briefings. Commander Chandler also read a prepared anti-war statement for an Iraqi Army cameraman, before being taken over to the Men's block and allowed to clean up. There, he was issued his prison gear, and then tossed into what had been Airman Curt Schnider's cell. It didn't take long for him to find out he was the only occupant of the cell block, and Chandler settled down to wait.

Later that morning, two more arrivals added to the prison population at Al-Rashid. The first came from an F-15F shot down by an SA-8 SAM during an Air Force strike on Shayka Mazar Airfield. The pilot, Maj. Keith Randall, was killed, but the EWO, Capt. John Meehan, managed to eject from the stricken aircraft before it exploded in midair. No one on the strike-or a Navy one going in at almost the same time into Salman Pak-saw a chute, though a beeper was heard. With no definite information, both were classed as MIAs.

Meehan, though, was quite alive and uninjured on the bailout, though he did twist a knee on landing, and that would have impeded any effort to evade, if the crowd of Iraqis who watched him come down hadn't gone after him. Instead, Meehan had barely gotten out of his chute when the crowd of civilians came on him, beating and kicking him, until soldiers arrived to restore order. After being taken to the same base he had been attacking, Meehan was questioned by IrAF Intelligence Officers, who asked him about his aircraft, the base he had been flying, and so on. Sticking to “the big four”, he managed to dodge the questions, and said that he had only been flying his first combat mission (a lie, but there was no way for the Iraqis there to know that). After the interrogation, he was filmed by a TV crew, before being put on a truck for Al-Rashid Prison.

There, the interrogators were more firm and less willing to listen to his cover story. “They got ugly fast”, Meehan said after being repatriated. A beating, followed by a prolonged kneeling got things underway, and when he refused to answer, a session in the ropes was next. More time on his knees, and two more sessions in the ropes came after that, with occasional beatings with a rubber hose mixed in, before that second session forced him to yield.

Meehan then gave some unclassified information on the aircraft, admitted that he was flying an F-15F, but maintained that this was his first combat mission of the war, and said the squadron was flying from Dhahran when they were really out of Al-Udaid in Qatar. With his knee injury not serious enough to send him to the Military Hospital's POW Ward, a medic simply wrapped the knee in tape, before being issued his prison gear. The guards then took him to the Men's Block and threw him into a cell formerly occupied by RAF Flight Lt. Peter Johns. However, he was unable to establish communications with Chandler, as several empty cells served as “circuit-breakers,” preventing the tap code and its variations from being used.

With what some called “The Mother of All Sandstorms” coming into Central and Southern Iraq, air operations were being curtailed, before the weather grounded everyone on both sides, but a final strike in the Tikrit area by the USAF and RAF would add to the prison population.

The first shootdown was Capt. Ashley Morgan from the 309th TFS. Her F-16 was hit by 57-mm flak while doing flak-suppression on a site between Tikrit and Al-Sahra AB, and to her squadron mates, it didn't appear as if she had survived, for the aircraft “just fireballed” as her flight leader said, and no one heard a beeper. However, she was very much alive, as Morgan fired her ejection seat almost by reflex.

She came down in her chute, and saw a crowd converging on her, and knew right away she was going to be captured. As Morgan landed, the crowd descended, and she “got thrashed around” before soldiers arrived to take custody of her. The strike was still going in, and Morgan's captors took her into a bunker while strike aircraft, both American and British, were coming in and going off target. A few minutes later, a cheer rose, and she guessed that another aircraft had been hit.

Morgan was right, for an RAF Tornado GR4A reconnaissance bird had been hit by two SA-3 SAMs. The pilot, Squadron Leader Brian Davies, managed to hold the aircraft long enough to get clear of the Tikrit area before ejecting, and both he and his backseater, Flight Lt. Susan Riley, managed to punch out. Fortunately for her, Riley managed to land and evade capture, finding a culvert in a road to hide in (and checking regularly for scorpions and snakes), before she could call in rescue forces. However, due to the sandstorm, a rescue was not immediately possible, and she managed to evade capture for the next three days. Another strike into the area was laid on as cover for her rescue, and she was successfully extracted by a USAF CV-22.

Davies, however, was not so fortunate. He was spotted soon after landing by an Iraqi Army patrol, and was quickly captured. Like so many others, he got a “good beating” from his captors, before being taken to Al-Sahra AB. There, he was interrogated, and after giving some false answers about his base and the target, he was joined by Capt. Morgan.

The USAF Captain had been taken to the base after the strike had ended, and she, too, was interrogated. Morgan said she had been flying with the 4th TFS, instead of the 309th, and told the interrogator she was flying from Bahrain instead of her actual base at Dhahran. She also told the interrogators that she had been flying a MIGCAP, instead of flak suppression, and given that several MiGs had managed to scramble from Al-Sahra, the interrogators believed her.

After joining Davies, the two were filmed by an Iraqi TV Crew before being bound, blindfolded, and put on a truck for Baghdad. Both were taken to Al-Rashid's Interrogation Center, and there, as Davies said, “things got ugly.”

Davies was taken into an interrogation room, and the interrogators wanted to know about the Tornado's reconnaissance capabilities, for he was shown his kneeboards, which had been recovered from the crash site. They also wanted to know his base, and also future targets. He demurred, and the interrogators got rough.

A beating followed his final refusal, then came a session in the ropes. Some time hanging upside down from the interrogation room's meathook, then a prolonged kneeling was next, with occasional swats with a rubber hose or a bamboo switch, before the new version of the rope trick got him to submit.

Davies gave some unclassified information about the Tornado, facts that the Iraqis likely already knew from Jane's, but when asked about the reconnaissance systems, he managed to deflect those, telling the interrogators that the backseater operated those, and he just flew the aircraft. He also managed to mislead the interrogators, telling them the RAF was flying from Bahrain (where the RAF had flown from during the Gulf War), when they were based at Al-Udaid in Qatar. The interrogators were satisfied with those answers, and after pressing him for an anti-war statement-a prepared one which he was filmed reading, Davies was taken to the Men's Compound, allowed to clean up, and was then thrown into a cell. He did see the two Americans who had arrived before him, but he was unable to communicate with them, due to their being in one building and he in another. And the sandstorm that now engulfed Baghdad didn't help.

Meanwhile, Morgan was going through her own trials in another interrogation room. The Iraqis wanted to know her squadron, where it was based, and so on, along with the anti-war statement that was by now standard. Though she did admit to flying an F-16, and repeated the answers that she had given at Al-Sahra, the interrogators pressed for information on her actual mission, for the Iraqis had found the wreckage of her aircraft, and a HARM missile, still on its pylon, had been recovered. Morgan refused to give further details, and also declined to give an anti-war statement, and the interrogators had had enough.

Morgan was trussed up in the ropes, and after that, got a session with the bedframe and car battery. She then spent several hours on her knees, before then being put on the sawhorse. An assault followed, before another stint in the ropes finally made her give in.

After yielding, she, too, gave some unclassified information on her aircraft, but reaffirmed what she had initially said about her base and mission. Morgan did admit she had been carrying an antiradar missile, but said it was for self-defense, not going out and hunting for SAM sites. After giving the anti-war statement-again on camera, she was taken to the Women's Compound. There, she was allowed to clean up before being tossed into a cell-which had been PFC Lynch's. She soon discovered that she was the only prisoner in the block, and despite what she had gone through, girded herself for what might come next.

At Al-Taji, the day had started out normally, with the POWs in both compounds having settled in, with both SROs having passed the word to the other prisoners to expect to be there for the long haul. Though the Iraqis had started to try and suppress prisoner communications, those efforts were infrequent. However, when caught, a beating was the least of the punishment that could be inflicted, for time in rear cuffs and “on the knees” often followed, and in more severe cases-such as communicating between buildings, a full-blown session in an interrogation room usually followed.

When the sandstorm came in, the POWs actually welcomed it, for the guards did not want to be outside in a blizzard of sand, and only went into the compounds only when necessary, such as mealtime and the two minimum work details for the prisoners-namely dishwashing and dumping waste buckets. Though the sand got into everything-their food, water, hair, clothes, and bedding, some of the prisoners in both compounds actually welcomed the sandstorm. For harassment by the guards had ceased, a development, even if temporary, that was gratefully accepted.

[jemhouston]

Even allowing for the sandstorm, evading three days is impressive.

[Jotun]

Even allowing for the sandstorm, evading three days is impressive.

Smells like a gong^^

[Bernard Woolley]

Great to read this again.

[Wolfman]

Glad to see this updated!

[Matt Wiser]

Even allowing for the sandstorm, evading three days is impressive.

The only reason she was successful in that evasion was because of the sandstorm: Any would-be searchers were hunkered down in that blizzard of sand.

[Matt Wiser]

After the sandstorm....


During the sandstorm, prisoners in both compounds had a project that, though arrived at quite independently, hoped to benefit all of them. Once it was known that they were at Al-Taji, both SROs decided to see if some kind of covert ground-to-air signal could be done. In the West Compound, Commander Newman, after some covert messaging with Colonel Fleming, asked around if anyone could manage to get some kind of signal. After a bit of messaging via tap code, and when possible, flashing signals under doors, several prisoners thought that flashing a signal with a piece of broken glass to a passing aircraft or even UAV might be possible-provided the aircraft or helicopter overhead wasn't Iraqi or even Soviet.

The two Green Berets, Gilmore and Mackey,along with SAS Sgt. Richard Blake, thought that a ground-to-air signal would be better. That feeling was shared by several others, though it would have to be done with discretion, as anything done on the ground would be noticed by the guards. Some kind of signal-perhaps using laundry, would have to do-as it was known that POWs in at least two North Vietnamese prisons had signaled, those at Son Tay before they were moved, and those in the Hanoi Hilton during LINEBACKER II.

For the women in the East Compound, Commander Eichhorn had actually decided on the laundry route, if a signal was attempted. She had had a quick conversation with Commander Black, and both decided that using laundry somehow was the way to go. Both tapped to their neighbors for ideas, and during breaks in the sandstorm, flashed to those in adjacent buildings.

In her conversations with neighbors, Eichhorn found that PFC Lynch was cautious, warning that the guards in the towers would see anything blatantly obvious, while Capt. Catherine McKenzie's opinion was that some kind of laundry signal would have to do. Other POWs felt the same way, while others recommended caution. Ultimately, it was Commander Eichhorn's decision, knowing full well the consequences of being caught. She passed down the go-ahead, but with the caveat: “If you don't think you can get away with it, don't.”

How the prisoners in both compounds managed to do it is still classified, but it is known that photo interpreters and UAV operators spotted signals in both compounds. As a result, Al-Taji Prison was now known to be a POW camp, and accordingly, a “No Bomb” zone of a thousand yards was placed around the prison by CENTAF. A rescue operation was briefly considered by Special Operations at CENTCOM, but was quickly ruled out due to the high density of the air defenses in the Baghdad area, along with the Al-Taji Military Camp being the home of the Republican Guard's Baghdad Division.

While the prisoners at Al-Taji were trying to figure out how to signal their location, Coalition Air Operations over Iraq resumed with the lifting of the sandstorm, and with that, Iraqi air defense activity. It would not be until 24 May that the first new arrivals entered the prison system, though.

The first came when two A-10s from the 45th TFS on an dawn armed reconnaissance north of An Nasiriyah ran into what both pilots described as a “well situated and well handled” flak trap. Both aircraft were sprayed with 23-mm and 37-mm AAA, the former radar-guided, and Maj. Kevin McMann, the element leader, also took two shoulder-fired SAMs, one into each engine, forcing him to eject. His wingman, Capt. Chris Donnelly, saw the ejection and alerted rescue forces, but had to get clear himself as he had also taken flak hits. Donnelly eventually put his crippled aircraft down at the newly captured Jaliabah Airfield with over 85 23-mm hits, numerous shrapnel strikes from 37-mm, and one engine shot out.

McMann was hanging in his chute when he saw his wingman turn for home with a shot-up aircraft, and as he saw Iraqi soldiers converging on his chute, he knew capture was imminent. He zeroed his radio frequencies and after landing, was set upon by Iraqi soldiers. After the “usual thrashing”, Iraqi officers arrived and restored order, then McMann was taken to a military compound north of the city, where he was interrogated, and though initially refusing to go beyond the “big four”, he did admit to flying an A-10. After being filmed, he was tossed into the base's own guardhouse, before being loaded onto a truck for Baghdad, where he arrived the following morning.

McMann wasn't the only one to go down that day. Just southeast of Zubayr, two Marine AV-8Bs from VMA-214 on a BAI run along Highway 26 encountered heavy small-arms, machine-gun, and 23-mm fire, along with MANPADS while attacking elements of the RGFC 8th Special Forces Division. The wingmate, Capt. Kelsey Dolan (who was the first female Marine Harrier pilot) managed to avoid the worst of the fire, but her flight leader, Capt. Devon Ward, took several 23-mm hits along with a shoulder-fired SAM, and had to eject. As his wingmate orbited overhead and called in rescue forces, Ward called in and told her to wave off the rescue, as he saw Iraqis on the ground converging on his descending chute and he knew he was going to be captured. Helpless, Dolan watched from above as her leader landed, only to be swarmed by the crowd. She then called off the rescue before turning for home, lamenting that she could do no more.

Ward never had a chance to get out of his chute before the crowd, a mix of soldiers and civilians, swarmed him, kicking and screaming. Only when an Iraqi officer fired a couple of shots into the air did the crowd let up, and Ward was quickly taken away by soldiers who were clearly Republican Guard, due to the red triangle on their uniforms. He was taken to what he later found out was I Guards Corps HQ, where he was interrogated. Though Ward tried to stick to the “Big Four”, he, too, had to admit what type of aircraft he was flying. He was then filmed while a doctor treated his post-capture injuries, before being put on a truck for Basra, then on to Baghdad.

While the two aviators were on their way north, a USAF/RAF attack on the Habbiniyah area that afternoon had three more fall into Iraqi hands. Capt. Bryan Shelton (pilot) and Maj. Terry Hart (WSO) were in a 9th TFS F-15E attacking Al Taqaddum Air Base when an SA-8, probably in optical mode, smashed into the tail section of their aircraft. Both had successful ejections, though both knew that deep into the MEZ, and so close to their target, that rescue was out of the question. As they descended in their chutes, they not only saw their aircraft crash into Lake Habbiniyah, but also Iraqi soldiers converging on their chutes. Both were captured within moments of landing, and though they got “the usual roughing-up”, they were not too badly abused. Due to the raid still ongoing, the pair were taken into a bunker where there were numerous personnel from the base taking shelter. Though there were some icy stares and shaken fists, the armed guards made sure there were no incidents. The duo was still in the bunker when they heard shouting, and armed soldiers dragged in Capt. Kathryn Sillas from the 4th TFS. She was flying an F-16D-without a backseater-on SEAD when 57-mm flak smashed into the tail of the aircraft just west of the base. Sillas ejected on losing control of the aircraft, and like Hart and Shelton, knew that rescue was out of the question as she saw both soldiers and civilians converging on her chute. After calling to her squadron mates overhead, Sillas zeroed her radio, and on landing was captured immediately.

After getting “thrashed around” by the crowd, several officers arrived and restored order, leaving Sillas somewhat worse for wear. After showing her off to the crowd, soldiers took her to the bunker where Hart and Shelton were, and the three were able to talk before all were dragged off to interrogation at the base intelligence office, where they managed to stick to the “Big Four.” They were then filmed being treated for their post-shootdown roughing-up, before being bound, blindfolded, and put on a truck for Baghdad.

The trio from Al Taqaddum arrived at Al-Rashid and were promptly taken into interrogation rooms. Major Hart was pressed for information about the F-15E, his squadron's base, the ordnance his plane was carrying, and other information. He drew the line, refusing to go beyond the “Big Four” and also refused to give the by-now standard anti-war statement. After some time to “think about it,” the interrogators returned, and Hart gave the same answers. That was enough for things to get rough, as he soon found out.

A lengthy stint on the knees followed, then came a session in the ropes. After a beating across the back and buttocks with a rubber hose and a fan belt turned whip, Hart got some time hanging upside down from a meat hook. A second stint on the knees came next, before the new version of the rope trick made him submit.

Hart gave some unclassified information on the F-15E, things out of any coffee table book on air combat and from Jane's. When pressed for his squadron, he gave the 555th TFS, which was actually an F-15E training squadron back in the States, and said that the base was Dhahran. When asked about future targets, he demurred, saying that crews were only told their target for a particular mission and only the information needed for that. His interrogators were also confused by the fact that he was a navigator, and that he had a higher rank than his pilot,and when Hart said , “on the ground, I outrank my pilot, but in the air, it's a different story.” He also admitted to using Mark-82 five hundred-pound bombs on the strike, and when asked what shot down his aircraft, he replied, “No idea.” The interrogators were satisfied with this, and after giving the anti-war statement, Hart was allowed to clean up before being taken to a cell in the Men's block, which he found out from the scratches on the wall had been occupied previously by Maj. Ryan Knight. Though he found out other cells were occupied, several empty cells between his and what turned out to be Commander Chandler's prevented any kind of communications.

His pilot, Shelton, went through a very similar experience. His interrogators, also, demanded information on the aircraft, the target, squadron, and so on, as well as the usual anti-war statement. Like his WSO, Shelton refused, and after some time on the knees to “think about it,” the interrogators returned. He demurred, and the interrogators lost whatever patience they had, and Shelton was immediately put into the ropes. After the first stint in the ropes, a beating followed, before being hung from the meathook, hands tied behind him, for several hours, with occasional swats with either a rubber hose or the fan belts mixed in. A second session on the knees came after, before a second session in the ropes finally convinced him to talk.

The time in the bunker had given both Shelton and Hart time to agree on a cover story, and when asked his squadron, base, and target, Shelton's answers were identical. When the interrogators asked if his plane had been carrying Mark-82s, he simply nodded. Some additional unclassified information about the aircraft followed, along with the anti-war statement. Shelton was then allowed to clean up before being taken into the Men's block and thrown into a cell, which had previously belonged to Airman Curt Schneider. He, too, noticed other prisoners, but was unable to communicate, though a sight of his WSO was enough to boost his spirits.

When it was Capt. Sillas' turn, she knew it would be rough, and braced herself for what was coming. The Iraqis asked her the usual: type of aircraft, mission being flown, ordnance, base, and more. Sticking to the “Big Four,” she refused, and like Shelton before, had some time on the knees to “think.” After a few hours, the interrogators returned, and asked if she was willing to change her mind. The refusal was not what the interrogators wanted, and as Sillas said later, “Things got ugly fast.”

She was promptly trussed up in the ropes, before getting another stint on the knees with a beating. Time on the horse followed, along with a stint hanging upside down from a meathook, all the while getting occasional swats with a fan belt or a rubber hose. An assault came next, followed by more time on her knees, before the new version of the rope trick finally convinced her to give in.

When asked, Sillas admitted to flying an F-16D, something the interrogators confirmed when they showed her the kneeboards from the aircraft. As for her unit, she gave the 466th TFS, an Air Force Reserve unit also stationed at her home base, Hill AFB in Utah, but had not yet deployed, as far as she knew. As for her target, she said Al Taqaddum Air Base, but, “Find a flak battery or SAM site and put your bombs on it. That's how flak suppression works.” Sillas also gave Al Dhafra AB in the UAE as her base when she had been really flying from Prince Sultan AB in Saudi. After being allowed to clean up, she was filmed reading an anti-war statement, before being taken to the Women's Block and thrown into a cell. She looked around, and found that it had been LT Susie Porter-Flinn's. Not knowing that there was another prisoner in the block as yet, Sillas settled down to wait for whatever came next.

Not long after the Iraqis finished with the Al Taqaddum trio, the two shot down further south, McMann and Ward, arrived separately. Both were hustled into separate interrogation rooms and the interrogators wasted little time. They started with McMann, wanting to know if the A-10s were moving forward, where the ground forces were headed, along with the usual about his squadron, main base, target, and so on. After initially refusing, McMann was put on the knees
before being asked again. He said “No,” and that made the interrogators lose what patience they had. McMann was trussed up in the ropes, before getting the bedframe and car battery treatment. Another session on the knees, with occasional beatings, came next, before a second time in the ropes. That did it, and McMann agreed to talk.

When asked if the A-10s were using a forward base, he replied, “Safwan”, but gave the number of a squadron that had not deployed to the KTO, the 706th TFS. which had deployed back in 1991 for DESERT STORM. McMann was then asked his mission, and simply said “Armed Reconnaissance.” After giving the now-customary anti-war statement, he was allowed to clean up, before being taken to the Men's block and thrown into a cell. It didn't take long for him to find out there were other prisoners in the block, but the presence of guards, along with a couple of empty cells as “circuit breakers” prevented any kind of communications.

Ward, meanwhile, was going through his own initiation to Baghdad, albeit a painful one. He, too was asked for information about not just his squadron, but whether it was ship-based or on shore, his mission when shot down, and details about his aircraft. He refused, and the interrogators got serious, putting him into the ropes, before letting him “think” on his knees for several hours-beatings included. Some time hanging upside down from a meathook followed, before a further session in the ropes. This time, the ropes made him submit, and when the interrogators returned-a full twenty minutes after indicating his willingness to talk, Ward was spent.

When pressed, he admitted to flying with VMA-214, but said that the squadron was based aboard the amphibious carrier Makin Island, instead of its actual shore base at Ras Tanjib in Saudi. Ward also said he had been flying an armed reconnaissance mission, while saying “No idea” when asked what had shot him down. Asked about his aircraft, he said “Harrier with no radar, just like in 1991,” and that satisfied the interrogators. The anti-war statement followed, before he was allowed to clean up, then taken to the prison and thrown into a cell in the Men's block. Ward, too, noticed cells with occupants, but like the other new arrivals, was unable to communicate with the others.

For the occupants of both blocks, their stay in Al-Rashid would be brief, for they would be moved to Al-Taji later on the afternoon of 25 May. There, they were put in their respective compounds, and found they were with other POWs. In the compounds, the new arrivals got “plugged in” the communications networks, and received the policies of the SROs. The newcomers relayed news from the outside, while both SROs passed back, essentially, “We'll be here for a while. So prep for the long haul, several months at least.”