History, Politics And Current Affairs

Wolfman wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:44 pm

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 4:08 am 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.

Wolfman wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:44 pm

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 4:08 am 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)

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.

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

jemhouston wrote: ↑Sun Mar 10, 2024 10:21 am Even allowing for the sandstorm, evading three days is impressive.

Smells like a gong^^

Great to read this again.

Glad to see this updated!

jemhouston wrote: ↑Sun Mar 10, 2024 10:21 am 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.

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.”

A brief update:


One arrival shot down on 24 May didn't arrive until later on the 25th, as it turned out. LTJG Marci Eaton was flying Bombardier-Navigator in a VA-115 A-6F flown by LTJG Ryan Thompson on a strike against the Diwaniyah Military Garrison Logistical Area when they encountered 23-mm and 37-mm AAA. Their A-6 was hit by flak, and LTJG Thompson was badly injured by a 37-mm round that impacted the left front cockpit area. He gave the order for her to eject as the aircraft rolled left, and she punched out just before the aircraft finished its roll and plunged into the ground. Thompson was either killed in the crash or attempting a last-moment ejection, and his remains were later returned.

Eaton, though, was hanging in her chute, and she made contact with orbiting F/A-18s long enough to advise them that she was okay, but was about to be captured. After zeroing her radio frequencies and throwing her radio away, she landed in a southeast of the target and not far from the crash site of her aircraft.

Upon landing, she was set upon by Iraqi soldiers, who gave her the usual thrashing, before officers restored order. After being stripped of her gear, Eaton was then taken back to the garrison that she had just bombed, where she was interrogated by an English-speaking officer and filmed by an Iraqi TV crew. In pain from a dislocated shoulder, Eaton stuck to the “Big Four”, though she did admit to flying an A-6, since it was obvious by the wreckage of the aircraft. Only then were her post-shootdown injuries treated, with the dislocated shoulder simply being popped back into its socket, before being tossed into a cell at the base brig.

After several hours, Eaton was then loaded onto a truck for Baghdad. During the trip, when the truck stopped for either checkpoints or to change drivers, she was put on display for the guards at the checkpoints or to local citizens. Although threatened, she was not hurt, though she was the object of several thrown shoes.

Upon arrival at Al-Rashid, “things got rough.” The interrogators knew she was flying an A-6, but wanted to know her squadron, air wing, carrier, target, and ordnance load, along with future targets. They also wanted the usual anti-war statement. Eaton demurred, and after several hours on her knees, the interrogators returned to ask if she had changed her mind. Easton gave a polite but firm “No,” which led to the interrogators losing what patience they had.

She was promptly trussed up in the ropes, before riding a sawhorse for several hours. Another session on her knees followed, before a beating with a rubber hose across her bare back. She was then hung by her heels from a meathook, before being assaulted. Another session in the ropes followed, with the Iraqis using the new technique, and that forced her to submit.

The interrogators asked her about the squadron, and she did admit to being in VA-115, but said that she and her pilot were the two juniormost members of the squadron. Eaton did admit to flying from Kitty Hawk and hitting the Military Garrison's supply area, and with Mark-82s, but refused anything on future targets, saying that aircrew were only told prior to a mission what they were going to attack, and nothing at all about other missions. After reading an anti-war statement that was prepared for her, and videotaped, she was then allowed to clean up.

However, instead of taking her to the women's block and throwing her into a cell, Eaton was loaded onto a truck and taken right to Al-Taji. She was thrown into a cell in the women's compound, and as it turned out, it was the cell to the left of PFC Lynch's. The young Army clerk quickly made contact with Eaton via tap code, and relayed Commander Eichhorn's policies to the new arrival. The SRO was then contacted, and she asked Lynch to relay her own questions about how things were going aboard the Kitty Hawk, and was pleased to know that both A-6 squadrons were pulling for her and the others who'd been shot down, and that her boyfriend was now the VA-115 Executive Officer and a full Commander. “He was my strike lead,” Eaton relayed. With that, Commander Eichhorn was pleased as best she could be, and relayed, “Hang tough, remember your SERE, because we're going to be here for a while.”

Chilling chapter

Next piece:


In both compounds, the POWs were preoccupied with not just helping the new arrivals wherever possible, but also in trying to signal their presence to reconnaissance aircraft or satellites. Both SROs had asked the Camp Commandant if the occupants of their respective compounds could wash their clothes, and on 25 May, that request was granted. The Iraqis put up clothesline and allowed the prisoners to do their laundry on bath days. Unknowingly, the Iraqis had also enabled them to do what they had been hoping for some time: signal their presence.

Just as prisoners at Son Tay and several other North Vietnamese prisons had done, the prisoners at Al-Taji were able to do just that. Using a combination of laundry arranged in code, along with other methods, the prisoners were able to send signals that were picked up on overhead imagery. Not only did those signals confirm the location of the prison, but also the number of prisoners in each compound. As a result, the prison's location was upgraded from “Suspected” to “Confirmed,” with CENTCOM drawing a “No Bomb” radius of roughly a thousand yards around the prison compound.

Despite the prison's location in the heart of the Baghdad MEZ, and the presence of the bulk of the Baghdad Division of the RGFC, Special Operations Forces began planning a rescue operation. However, due to the density of the capital's air defenses, and the Baghdad Division's being able to respond to a rescue operation, the plan was quickly shelved at CENTCOM. However, Special Operations Forces kept the plan handy, “Just in case.”

Meanwhile, the air campaign continued as the Iraqis withdrew north of the Euphrates River, and as their forces pulled back across the river, their respective Corps air-defense assets were able to concentrate and defend the crossing points. Which meant more Allied losses and more aircrew down and into captivity.

The first hit came at midmorning on 25 May when two A-10Cs from the 353rd TFS doing a daylight road recon in the Qurnah area came under heavy flak near a suspected truck park north of the town of Al Khas along the Euphrates River highway. First Lt. Tom Norris was flying wingman to the Squadron CO, Lt. Col. Martha McSally, when both came under fire. Norris was hit by 57-mm fire that knocked out one engine and wrecked his hydraulics. As he tried to get clear, a shoulder-fired SAM took out his remaining engine and Norris had to eject. Colonel McSally managed to avoid the worst of the fire, though shrapnel wrecked her ECM pod, and she called for assistance. Four more A-10s came in, along with two Marine Hornets and even a two-ship of B-1s that heard the call and offered to help.

It was all for naught, for as Norris descended in his chute, he saw a crowd of both soldiers and civilians converging on him, and he knew right away he was going to be captured. Norris called his CO and told her that he was going to be captured and that he would “see the guys after the war.” Orbiting overhead, Colonel McSally watched helplessly as her wingman was swarmed by Iraqis as he landed, and she reluctantly called off the rescue.

Norris got the “usual roughing-up” from the crowd, before soldiers arrived and took him into captivity. After being stripped of his gear, he was taken to an Army garrison in Qurnah, where he was interrogated and also filmed by a TV crew. Though he tried to stick to “The Big Four” he did have to admit that he was flying an A-10, though he said that his squadron was the 357th TFS, an A-10 training squadron back in the U.S.. After being filmed, he was bound and blindfolded, before being put on a truck for Baghdad.

A Marine strike on the Al-Amarra brought the next shootdown, as VMFA-235's Maj. Eric Weaver ran into heavy flak as he took his F/A-18C down onto the Amarra New Airfield. A flak hit, believed to be either 57-mm or possibly 85-mm, smashed into the tail of his aircraft, forcing him to eject. As he drifted down in his chute, Weaver saw that a crowd was converging on his chute, and he waved off a rescue, telling his squadron mates that he was going to be captured.

As he landed, the crowd swarmed onto him, beating and kicking him, before armed soldiers arrived to restore order. Weaver was then taken to a nearby bunker, where he rode out the strike before being taken to another bunker, where he was interrogated. He, too, tried to keep to “the Big Four,” though when presented with a kneeboard from his aircraft, he had to admit that he had been flying an F/A-18. After the interrogation, he was then taken to an Army headquarters building, where he was interrogated again, and this time, filmed.

When the truck carrying Norris arrived in Amarra, Weaver was bound and blindfolded before being loaded aboard, and the two aviators went on to Baghdad.


As the two aviators were on their way to the Iraqi Capital, an Air Force strike against the Baghdad South Military Garrison, the home of the Hammurabi Armored Division, had three more aviators fall into Iraqi captivity. The first two were Maj. Allen Lacy and Maj. Troy McCauley of the 563rd TFS. Their F-15F was covering the strike when a SAM, belived to be an SA-3 shot in optical mode, connected with their aircraft. Both ejected “by pure reflex”, and as they descended in their chutes, they saw numerous Iraqi soldiers converging on them. The two were able to call to their squadron mates orbiting overhead, saying that they were about to be captured, before zeroing their radios.

After landing, the two were set upon by Iraqi soldiers, and after the usual roughing-up, both noticed the red triangle shoulder patches on their captors' uniforms, and that meant Republican Guard. Both were quickly taken into a nearby bunker that was full of Iraqi soldiers, and though there were some angry glances shot at the two, no further harm was done. The two aviators were still in the bunker when they heard shouting, then a third American was dragged in.

The third arrival was 1st Lt. Mark Slaton of the 4th TFS. His F-16C was hit by flak after attacking the garrison's vehicle park, being bracketed, then blown in two by 57-mm fire. Slaton managed to eject, but was unable to use his radio as he came down in his chute. His squadron mates heard the beeper signal, but that was all. He, too, watched as Iraqis converged on his chute, and Slaton knew he was going to be captured.

Though set upon by soldiers as he landed, Slaton's roughing-up didn't last for there were at least two officers who quickly restored order. He was then hauled off to the same bunker where he jointed the two F-15F crewmen. There, they did manage to talk, exchanging names before they were taken from the bunker to a lockup on the base. All three were interrogated briefly, managing to keep to the “Big Four” before being taken to Al-Rashid Prison and its interrogation center.

At Al-Rashid, it was Slaton who went first into interrogation, and the interrogators didn't waste any time. Not only did the Iraqis want an antiwar statement, they asked about not only about future targets, but also how would a ground offensive to Baghdad would be supported from the air. Being one of the juniormost pilots in his squadron, Slaton tried to explain that he didn't know that, he was newly arrived in the theater, and was only on his second mission when shot down.

The interrogators were not happy with that, and “things got ugly,” as Slaton said after the war. He was trussed up in the ropes, then forced to kneel for several hours on the bare concrete floor of the interrogation room. A beating with a rubber hose along the back and buttocks followed, before a second round in the ropes, with the new version, forced him to give in.

Slaton gave the anti-war statement, which also condemned the Baghdad Raid on April 28, then was asked about his squadron. He admitted to being in the 4th TFS, but said they were based in Dhahran in Saudi. When asked about how a ground operation would be supported from the air, he simply replied, “The ground guys tell us what they want hit, then we go and do it.” After being videotaped reading the anti-war statement, Slaton was taken to the Men's Block, where he was tossed into a cell, which had belonged to Colonel Fleming. There, he settled down to wait for whatever came next.

The two F-15 crewmen didn't have long to wait, for both were taken separately into interrogation rooms. Lacy went first, as he was identified as being the pilot, and the interrogators not only wanted the antiwar statement, but also pressed him on the same questions as Slaton had. Lacy demurred at first, as he was his squadron's Operations Officer and knew what targets would be hit later that day and evening that the squadron would be supporting.

The interrogators were not pleased, and started off with the kneeling-mixed with the occasional beating. A session in the ropes soon followed, then the bedframe with car battery. Lacy then spent a few hours hanging upside down from a meathook, while occasionally being swatted with a rubber hose, before a second session in the ropes forced him to give in.

When pressed, Lacy gave the antiwar statement, before saying he was flying an F-15E with the 9th TFS instead of an F. He also gave Prince Sultan AB in Saudi as his base instead of the real base at Al Udaid in Qatar, admitting also to the target as being the RGFC Garrison. When asked about Air Force support of a ground operation, he convinced the interrogators that “wasn't his squadron's thing”, telling them that the A-10s handled that. The interrogators were satisfied with that, then Lacy was filmed reading the anti-war statement before being allowed to clean up. Then, he was taken to the Men's Block and unceremoniously tossed into a cell. There, after finding that it had previously belonged to Capt. Dave Everson, he settled down to wait for whatever was coming next.

Lacy's backseater, McCauley, was going through his own ordeal at the same time. Fortunately, he and Lacy had settled on a cover story where they would say they were an F-15E crew, and would give previous targets if asked. The interrogators asked him for an anti-war statement, and the same questions they had asked his pilot. He demurred, and the interrogators lost whatever patience they had.

McCauley was promptly trussed up in the ropes, before he got a stint with the bedframe and car battery. Several hours on his knees followed, punctuated with the occasional beating, before he, too, hung from the meathook. Then a second time in the ropes, with the new technique, made him give in.

The interrogators pressed him for information on his squadron, and McCauley was able to maintain his cover story, saying he was in the 9th TFS at Prince Sultan. When asked to provide bombing targets, he named several targets that had been hit by previous strikes, and the interrogators seemed to be pleased with that. After giving and reading the antiwar statement, which was videotaped, McCauley was taken to the Men's Block and thrown into a cell. He noticed that two other cells were occupied, as he was in a cell block across from the other two. Like the others, he settled down to wait for whatever the captor had in mind.

Right at dusk, a USAF/RAF strike on the Ar Rahman POL Storage north of Baghdad put two more Aviators into Iraqi hands. Maj. Scott Henson and Capt. Phoebe Chase with the 141st TFS were “Tail-end Charlie” in their F-111G when they were hit by flak just after bomb release. Henson managed to get the crippled Ardvark over the Diyala River before triggering the ejection capsule, which landed in the river. Knowing that the Iraqis would soon be looking for them, both aircrew managed to throw kneeboards, maps, and other sensitive data over the side before taking their chances in the river instead of in the capsule-which the Iraqis later recovered.

Both aircrew split up, even with Iraqis looking for them on both sides of the river. Chase was found first, about half a mile downriver from the capsule. She was found by what she believed to be Al-Quds militiamen, who promptly gave her the “usual roughing-up,” and being shown off to the local citizenry before being turned over to the Army. She was then taken to a nearby Army Barracks where she was interrogated and filmed, before being bound, blindfolded, and put on a truck for Al-Rashid.

Her pilot, Henson, was found a few hours later, about three-quarters of a mile downriver from the capsule, but on the eastern side. He was found by Saddam Fedayeen, who gave him “a good thrashing”, before he was turned over to Iraqi soldiers. They took him to a nearby Baath Party office, where he was filmed and also shown off to local citizens, before being taken to Al-Rashid.

Both crew members arrived separately, but they had had time prior to leaving their capsule to agree on a cover story. Chase arrived first, and she was promptly taken into an interrogation room. Though sticking to “The Big Four” at first, she did admit that she was on an F-111, and when asked what had shot down the aircraft, she replied, truthfully, “ground fire.” However, Chase drew the line on not giving a propaganda statement, or any kind of military information, and the interrogators were not happy with that.

A prolonged kneeling on bare concrete started, before she was trussed up in the ropes. Time on the sawhorse followed, then came an assault, before Chase was hung by her ankles from a meathook. Another kneeling, mixed with the occasional beating, followed, then a second time in the ropes, before she finally gave in.

When asked, she gave Al Udaid in Qatar as her squadron's base, though Chase did give the 389th TFS as her unit, an F-111 training squadron back in the States. She did admit her target was POL storage. When asked about future targets, she replied, truthfully, that aircrews weren't' told about a target until they were briefed prior to a mission, but balked at the anti-war statement. When the interrogator summoned guards with coils of rope and a bamboo rod in their hands and asked her if she wanted more, Chase gave in, and was videotaped reading the statement. After she was allowed to clean up, guards took her to the Women's Block and threw her into a cell she found out had been occupied previously by Capt. Catherine McKenzie. Chase deduced that the POWs who had been in the compound previously had been moved somewhere, and after finding out she was the only prisoner in the cell block, began the waiting game to see what her captors had in mind.

Henson, too, faced his own trial in the interrogation rooms, and used the cover story that he and Chase had come up with. Though admitting he flew an F-111, he refused to give anything else, other than “flak” when asked what had shot him down. Refusing also to give an anti-war statement, he quickly found out the interrogators had lost their patience.

Henson was first trussed up in the ropes, then was subjected to several hours kneeling on the concrete floor. He then received the meathook treatment, before being hooked up to the car battery and bedframe. A second stint “on the knees”, and then another session in the ropes, finally made him submit.

Like his WSO, he gave Al Udaid as his unit's base, and he also identified the squadron as the 389th TFS, a squadron still in the U.S.. He also admitted to the target, and when pressed on future targets, he insisted that aircrews weren't told targets until their mission briefings. Henson was then videotaped reading the anti-war statement, before he was allowed to clean up. Then he was taken to the Men's Block and thrown into a cell. Henson was able to tell that two other cells were occupied, but was incommunicado due to being several cells away from where the others were. Like the others, he settled down to see what would be coming next.

The two who had been shot down earlier that morning, Norris and Weaver, arrived just before midnight, and the Iraqis didn't waste any time with either one of them. Major Weaver was hustled into an interrogation room first, and the interrogators asked not only what he had been flying, but his unit, and not just his target when downed, but future ones as well, along with how Marine air would support ground offensive operations. Apart from giving out that he had been flying an F/A-18, Weaver refused the rest, along with the usual anti-war statement, and the interrogators, as he said later, “got rough.”

Weaver was trussed up in the ropes, before a lengthy period on the knees, which also included the occasional beating with a bamboo rod or a rubber hose. Some time hanging by his ankles followed, before another session in the ropes made him give in.

The interrogators got him to admit about his target and weapon load, but Weaver was able to deflect questions about future targets, telling them that aircrew weren't told future targets. He was also able to deceive on the matter of his squadron, saying he was in VMFA-451 instead of -235. When asked about how Marine air would support ground forces, he simply said “The Marines on the ground tell us what they want hit, and we go and do it.” After being videotaped reading the anti-war statement, Weaver was then allowed to clean up before being taken to the Men's Block and tossed into a cell. After seeing the scratched name on the wall, finding out that it had belonged to RAF Flight Lt. Peter Johns, Weaver settled down, wondering what the Iraqis were going to do next.

Norris, the junior aviator downed that day, went in at the same time as Weaver, and with the door to the interrogation room left open, heard his fellow aviator's screams. He, too, was asked about his mission and unit, and to give an anti-war statement. Norris declined all of the above, which made the interrogators lose whatever patience they may have had with the young aviator.

The Iraqis started with a session on the knees, mixed in with the occasional beating, before trussing Norris up in the ropes. Then came time hanging from the meathook, and the bedframe with car battery. A second stint on the knees, and the new type of rope treatment finally got Norris to give in.

The interrogators asked about his squadron, and Norris knew that two of his squadron mates had been shot down and captured. He stuck to his cover story, giving his unit as the 357th TFS, and said that he had been flying from a highway strip in Kuwait, instead of his real base at Al-Jaber. Norris did admit to flying a road reconnaissance mission, and that he had been shot down in a flak trap, which pleased the interrogators. After giving and reading the anti-war statement on video, the Iraqis allowed him to clean up before taking Norris to the Men's Block, where he was tossed into a cell. There, he noticed that the activities of the guards, along with the occasional voice in English, meant that he was with other prisoners. However, with no one next to him or across from his cell, meant he was out of communications. Like the others, Norris settled down to await what the Iraqis planned to do next.

Great to see this back, Matt. Well done!

The saga continues:

The male prisoners didn't have long to wait. For the Iraqis had decided to open a new facility, west of the Capital at the Ramadi Military Camp, the prewar home of the 17th Armored Division and other units. This new prison had been used to house Iraqi military offenders, and was next to a compound that had held Iranian POWs during the Iran-Iraq War.

The new prison had a ten-foot wide concrete wall with the usual guard towers surrounding a compound divided into a large section and a smaller one with the latter having its own security wall and gate, with administration offices outside the wall. Each compound had its own bath and latrine facilities, along with interrogation rooms. When the first prisoners arrived, they found that the facility appeared to have been cleaned up and reactivated on short notice.

First to arrive at the prison were Henson, Lacy, McCauley, Norris, Slaton, and Weaver. The six were deposited in the Western compound, the larger one, and they found that, unlike Al-Rashid, the cellblock was interior instead of exterior, and instead of sleeping on the floor, a raised concrete pallet would do for a bed, with the usual waste and water buckets provided.

After arriving at the prison following a two-hour drive from Baghdad, the five prisoners encountered the prison commander, who they nicknamed “Buzzard”, a name that Weaver said later “Fit him like a glove. He seemed like a hatchet man, and we found out later that he was.” After a greeting/harangue from Buzzard, the five were deposited in the larger compound's cell block, one to a cell at widely spaced intervals. The building had sixteen cells, and with only five prisoners, there were plenty of “circuit breakers” to prevent tapping. The five got around that by talking under cell doors when possible, or by sweeping in code when one of them would be assigned that duty inside the cell block. In a perverse way, they were hoping for new arrivals so that their communications system could improve.

The daily routine was similar to that at either Al-Rashid or Al-Taji, and though the food was the same as at the latter, those at the latter prison had more of it. Gradually, the food and general conditions would improve, including the prison authorities providing mattresses, granting outside time for exercise, and extending the mail privileges those at Al-Taji enjoyed.

One thing that the five were able to settle within hours of arrival was who was the SRO. Since four of the POWs were O-4s, and three of them being Air Force, it was McCauley who was the senior O-4 among the Air Force people, then Weaver said he had more time in grade than McCauley. The AF Major accepted the Marine's assuming the role of SRO, and stood ready to take over if Weaver was isolated or moved.

The remaining prisoner at Al-Rashid, Phoebe Chase, also didn't have long to wait. But instead of joining the others at Ramadi, she was taken to Al-Taji. There,she was tossed into a cell next to LCDR Laura Black, who passed down Commander Eichhorn's policies as SRO as well as the lowdown on the prison. Chase, in turn, relayed news of the war, such as the Coalition reaching the Euphrates, how things were going in Europe, and so on.

As those at Ramadi settled into what they later called “The Ramadi Royale”, the Iraqi air defense system continued to claim aircraft and aircrew. A strike on the afternoon of 25 May would show that.

A late-afternoon strike by the Air Force on Al Asad AB, which had only been hit a handful of times so far, resulted in more aircrew on their way to Baghdad. First down was an F-16D from the 4th TFS acting as a “Weasel Viper” when an SA-3 connected with the aircraft. Both the pilot, Capt. Bryan Randell, and the backseater, Capt. Glenn Wells, were able to eject as the aircraft was blown in two. Their squadron mates overhead saw the explosion and the aircraft break apart, but in the confusion, no one saw chutes, though beepers were heard. The two, though, were hanging in their chutes and both saw Iraqi soldiers closing on them. Only Wells was able to make a radio call, telling those overhead that he was about to be captured, then he zeroed the radio and threw it away before landing. Both were swarmed by angry Iraqis, and got the “usual thrashing” in the process before officers restored order.

As the strike was still going on, the two were taken to a nearby bunker, which had a mix of soldiers and civilians inside. Though there were some angry stares, and the two were also the object of several thrown shoes, but were not hurt apart from bumps and bruises. After the all-clear sounded, they were then taken to the Iraqi AF intelligence office on the base, where they were interrogated. The pair had a cover story prearranged, and both stuck to it, with Wells saying that he was just “an observer” while Randell did the “flying and fighting part.” Randell maintained that, though both did admit they were in an F-16D, as the Iraqis showed them kneeboards that had been blown out of the cockpit on ejection. The two were treated for their post-ejection injuries, and were filmed as that was taking place, then put in a lockup in the same building. Not long after, however, both heard shouts in Arabic and assumed another prisoner was being brought in.

They were right, but there were two. First Lieutenant Alan Taylor (pilot) and Capt. David Fuller (WSO) from a 9th TFS F-15E that was hit by flak on egress from their bomb run against the base. Leonard managed to clear the base before giving the bailout command, and both ejected successfully, though Fuller did so with a broken collar bone, dislocated shoulder, and a broken leg on landing. Both were found quickly by soldiers, who gave them the usual “roughing up” before taking them to the base. There, despite Fuller's injuries, both were interrogated, admitting they had been in an F-15E, and giving the 461st TFS, a unit still in the U.S., as their squadron. Fuller was then taken to the base hospital, where he was treated for his injuries, before all four were loaded into a truck, bound and blindfolded, for the trip to Baghdad.

That evening, a strike led by VA-165 against the Kut Military Garrison and Logistics Area put three more aviators into Iraqi hands. First down was LT David McRay from VFA-146, whose F/A-18E was hit by an SA-8 SAM from the nearby Ubaydah Bin Al-Jarrah AB, while performing flak and SAM suppression. His squadron mates overhead heard the beeper signaling an ejection, but could not see a chute in the dark. McRay landed without injuries, but had to attempt a ground evasion to get out of the “No-Go” zone for rescue forces. Unfortunately, he was found a couple of hours later by local Baath Party Quds Militiamen, who gave him the usual roughing-up, before turning him over to the Army. After being taken to the military garrison, which had been the target, he was interrogated at the base intelligence office. There, McRay stuck to the “Big Four”, dodging questions about his aircraft and carrier, but admitting that his mission had been flak or SAM suppression.

Almost at the same time, two crew from VA-165 found themselves on the ground. LTJG Darlene Kruger and LCDR Mark Rayford's A-6 was hit by flak just after bomb release, and though the A-6 was fatally crippled, Kruger managed to keep going until clear of the target before giving the eject command. Both punched out at just under 500 Feet AGL and going over 450 knots. Landing separately, the two attempted their own evasion, hoping to get to either a canal or, more optimistically, the Tigris river to use as a hide before calling in rescue forces. Unfortunately, both had to settle for some drainage ditches, and soon, the area was swarming with Iraqis, and not just civilians. Soldiers and both Saddam Fedayeen and Quds Militiamen were out searching for them.

Kruger was found just after dawn by a farmer and his sons checking their fields, who summoned local Militia, and she was captured. After the usual roughing-up, which Kruger said later could have been a lot worse until they discovered she was female, Kruger was turned over to the Iraqi Army and hustled to the Kut garrison's intelligence office. There, she was interrogated, and though she tried to stick to the “big four”, she did say that the supply depot was her target. After dodging some other questions, she was taken to the brig and tossed into a cell.

Not long after, Commander Rayford was brought in. He had managed to get about a mile from the crash site, and had managed to call for a rescue. After being told that the area was still “too hot” for a CSAR, Rayford was found by Iraqi soldiers. He, too, was roughed up before being shown off to some local civilians, then taken to Kut. Rayford, too was interrogated, and managed to stick to the “big four” for the most part. But he, also admitted that the supply depot as his target. He then joined Kruger and McRay in the lockup, before all three were filmed being treated for their post-ejection injuries. After that, all three were bound and blindfolded before being put into a truck and hustled off to Baghdad.

The trio of Navy aircrew were the first to arrive in Baghdad, and were taken straight to Al-Rashid. Being senior, Commander Rayford was the first to go, and the interrogators asked the usual questions, and also demanded an anti-war statement. He refused to budge beyond the “Big Four” at first, but did admit to flying in an A-6. Rayford also refused to give any future bombing targets, saying that crews were only briefed about the target for that mission along with any secondary targets, not what was coming the next day, or even later in the day. He also refused to give the anti-war statement the interrogators demanded, and their patience was at an end.

Rayford was quickly trussed up in the ropes, before enduring an enforced kneeling, mixed with the occasional smack with either a rubber hose or a bamboo rod. He then spent some time on the wooden horse, before being hung by his heels for several hours. Only after another session in the ropes, with the new technique being applied, forced him to give in.

After giving his squadron and target, the interrogators were surprised when Rayford told them that he was the navigator, and that his pilot, though junior in rank, was in command of the aircraft. The Iraqis, being very rank-sensitive as the IrAF always made sure that the pilot was senior to all other crew, were surprised, though they had at least two other instances of POW aircrew having a senior officer outrank a pilot, but the pilot was still the one in command. After mentioning several “possible” targets to satisfy that question, Rayford gave the anti-war statement. He was then allowed to clean up, before being taken to the Men's block and tossed into a cell. With the cell block's previous occupants having been moved, Rayford settled down to wait and see what his captors had in mind.

At the same time, LTJG Kruger was hauled into an interrogation room, this one adjacent to the Women's Block. She, too, was initially pressed for targets, her carrier, along with an anti-war statement. Refusing at first, though she did later say that she had been flying an A-6, she was left alone to “think deeply.” When the interrogators returned, the same round of questions were asked, and she refused. After giving a firm “No” to the anti-war statement, the interrogators, as she said after the war, “got rough.”

Kruger was quickly trussed up in the ropes, before some time on her knees. She also received a beating on her back and buttocks with a bamboo rod that turned her buttocks “into something resembling hamburger,” before spending time on the horse. An assault followed, with more time on the knees after, before a second stint in the ropes made her give in.

After giving some unclassified information on her aircraft, and confirming she was in VA-165, Kruger was asked about her navigator. She confirmed that yes, though outranked on the ground and aboard ship, as pilot, she was in command in the air. Kruger was then filmed reading the anti-war statement, which had been already prepared, before being taken into the cell block and thrown into a cell. A search of the wall found a name familiar to her from the news, as the cell's previous occupant had been Capt. Catherine MacKenzie. It didn't take long for her to figure out she was the only prisoner in the block, so Kruger had to wait to see what the captors had in store.

During Commander Rayford's ordeal, McRay was taken into one of the interrogation rooms. The Iraqis left the door open to the room where Rayford was so that he could hear his colleague's screams, and when the interrogators arrived, McRay was asked right away if he would cooperate. The young Lieutenant declined, and after being left to “think about it” while on his knees, and after refusing not only to give any information about his aircraft and targets, but also the anti-war statement, the interrogators lost what little patience they had left.

McRay received a beating first while on the knees, before being thrust into the ropes. A stint hanging from his arms followed, all the while being smacked with either a rubber hose or a bamboo rod, before he was put on the wooden horse, and while on the latter, the beatings continued. Only after a second stint in the ropes did McRay give in, admitting that he was in VFA-146 and had been flying a Super Hornet. He gave his mission as “Flak and SAM suppression,” and the interrogators seemed satisfied when he told them that in that mission, there were no assigned targets, and that he was to locate and attack AAA or SAM sites. After being filmed reading the anti-war statement, and being allowed to clean up, McRay was taken to the Men's Block and unceremoniously thrown into a cell. Like Commander Rayford, he settled down to await what the Iraqis had in mind for him.

As the three Navy arrivals were going through their trials, and the AF shootdowns were still en route to Baghdad, the early morning of 26 May put four more Naval Aviators into Iraqi hands. Unlike previous incidents, this one was not due to hostile action, but a mechanical issue.

A VAQ-138 EA-6B was providing standoff ECM support for a predawn joint Navy and RAF strike on the Baghdad South Military Camp (the prewar garrison for the Hammurabi RGFC Armored Division) when a hydraulic leak led to an inflight fire as the strike aircraft went in on the target. LT David Black, the pilot, managed to control the dying aircraft long enough for the last aircraft to get out of the target area, then he gave the eject command from 15,000 feet. Though no other aircrew saw chutes, four beepers were heard as parachutes deployed and Black, along with LCDR Keith Zukowski (ECMO 1), LT Gary North (ECMO 2) and LT Kathleen Morgan (ECMO 3), parachuted into the darkness as their aircraft plunged to the ground, now on fire and breaking up in the dive.

All four managed to land safely, but in the growing light, began to evade as Iraqi soldiers, Fedayeen, and Quds Militia, along with armed civilians, were out searching for them. Two of them, Black and Morgan, tried to make it to the Tigris river, both of them on their own, but hoping to be able to float downriver to a point outside the MEZ, before calling in rescue forces. Black was found by Iraqi soldiers not far from the river, and after getting the usual roughing-up, was put on display outside the Baath Party Office in Al Madain, west of the crash site and filmed there by a TV crew before being handed over to the Army and taken straight to Baghdad.

Morgan was found about the same time, right on the riverbank, by RGFC soldiers, but on the west bank of the river. She also got a roughing-up, before being taken to the Garrison's intelligence office. There, she was interrogated and managed to stick to the “Big Four”, as she was trying to conceal her aircraft and her role on the Prowler, as anything on the aircraft's highly classified systems would be of great interest to not only the Iraqis, but their Soviet allies. After the interrogation, Morgan was filmed before being bound and blindfolded, then hustled aboard a truck for Baghdad.

The other two evadees, North and Zukowski, were found later that day. North was captured by Saddam Fedayeen just south of Al Madain, and not far from the aircraft's crash site. After he was “kicked around” by the Iraqis, North was being hustled away when he and his captors had to take cover in a roadside ditch. He managed to lift his head and saw not just a column of smoke from the crash site, but then fireballs as two A-6s bombed the wreckage. He, too, was taken to the Baath Party Office and displayed to the locals, before he was turned over to Army soldiers and then put on a truck for Baghdad.

Zukowski, the last of the four, managed to evade until about noon, when he was found by Quds Militiamen not far from the riverbank in a drainage ditch. He, too, was handled roughly, and like two of his companions, was displayed at the Al Madain Baath Party Office. There, he was also filmed, and though the crowd was loud and vocal, he was not directly threatened, apart from a couple of thrown shoes. After that, he was bound and blindfolded before being put onto a truck for Baghdad.

The four Navy aircrew arrived at Al-Rashid separately, and two of the three men were put on their knees outside, as two of the interrogation rooms were occupied at the moment. The first to arrive, Black, went straight into an interrogation room, and though he had to wait, staring at a portrait of Saddam, an interrogator came in and began asking questions as to his aircraft, squadron, carrier, and so on. Black tried to stick to the “Big Four”, but one of his kneeboards, brought in by the interrogator as the morning progressed, forced him to admit he was flying a Prowler. He drew the line on targets and refused to answer questions about the aircraft, and after some time to “think”, Black still refused to go along. That made the interrogator lose patience, and “things got ugly.”

Black was first put on his knees for several hours, arms raised, before getting a session in the ropes. That was followed by several hours of hanging by his heels,while being beaten with a rubber hose and a bamboo rod. After being a “human pinata,” Black went through another forced kneeling, before a second time in the ropes made him give in.

When Black finally gave in, he did confirm he was flying a Prowler, admitting he was in VAQ-138 on Nimitz, but said he had no knowledge of the aircraft's electronic-warfare systems. He told the interrogators that he was just the pilot, and had no knowledge of the aircraft's systems or how they worked. That was classified beyond his level, and the interrogators believed that. After being filmed reading an anti-war statement, Black was allowed to clean up before being taken to the Men's Block and tossed into what had been Commander Newman's cell. Like the others, he had no way to know what would be coming next, and settled down to wait to see what the captors had in store for him.

Morgan, being the only woman among the four, and with an interrogation room available in the Women's Block, was taken straight into interrogation. She tried to stick to the “Big Four” as she was pressed for information on the aircraft, squadron, targets, and so on. On that mission, she had been in one of the rear seats, operating the ECM systems and targeting SAM sites with HARM missiles. After being left alone on her knees to “think” for several hours, the interrogator returned and asked if Morgan was willing to cooperate. She shook her head no, and that was enough.

Morgan was immediately thrust into the ropes, before being put onto the sawhorse. During that, she was “smacked around” with a bamboo rod and a rubber hose, before hanging by her ankles from a meathook for a few hours. More time on the knees followed, before she was then assaulted. After that, she was the first to be put into the “Parrot's Perch”, before another session on her knees. Finally, another session in the ropes, the variant with her lying prone, forced her to give in.

When the interrogator returned, she managed to dodge the more sensitive questions about the Prowler, only saying that her role was to “flip switches” and that the “computer did the work.” Like Black, she did admit to flying from Nimitz, as well as being in VAQ-138, though she did refuse to name future targets, as the crews were briefed only about their current mission, and had no knowledge of future strikes. Morgan was then filmed reading a prepared anti-war statement, before being taken to the Women's Cellblock and unceremoniously thrown into a cell. A search on the walls found the name of not only the previous occupant, Commander Eichhorn, but the 1991 occupant, Spec. Melissa Rathbun-Nealy. Morgan recognized both names, from the news and SERE, and after discovering another prisoner in the block, hunkered down to see what was coming next.

As the interrogators finished with their previous subjects, the two who were still waiting were shoved into newly-vacant rooms. First was Commander Zukowski, and the Iraqis found that again, there was a crew member who outranked the pilot. Again, they were confused, but went ahead. Zukowski managed to stick to the “Big Four” for a while, then admitted he had been an EA-6B crew member, though he at first refused to identify his squadron or carrier. When asked what his role aboard the aircraft was, he also refused at first, as not only was he responsible for navigation, but also defensive ECM. After refusing to read an anti-war statement, the interrogators didn't waste any time.

Zukowski was was trussed up into the ropes right away, before getting an enforced kneeling for a few hours. That was followed by hanging upside down like the others, from a meathook, while at the same time being beaten. More time on the knees followed, before he was put on the sawhorse. When that failed, a final session in the ropes forced him to submit.

After doing so, Zukowski admitted being the navigator on the Prowler, but denied knowing anything about the aircraft's ECM systems. He also gave his squadron and ship, but denied knowing about future targets, as aircrew were not privy to such things. After answering some basic questions about the carrier, and sticking to what could be found in Jane's, Zukowski was filmed reading an anti-war statement. After getting cleaned up, he was taken to a cell in the Men's Block and thrown in. Like the others, he settled into a “wait and see” mode.

LT North wound up being the last of the crew to go in, and the interrogators didn't waste time with him, either. He had heard the screams from the other rooms, and had time to steel himself for what he knew was coming. When he got into the interrogation room, the Iraqis didn't waste any time. They asked him about the Prowler and its ECM systems, what his squadron was along with the carrier, along with wanting him to read an anti-war statement. North tried sticking to the “Big Four” as long as he could, but the interrogators, already angered by the resistance the others had shown during the day, soon lost patience.

North was soon trussed into the ropes, before enduring several hours “on the knees.” Time on the sawhorse followed that, then he, too, was hung up by his ankles from a meathook, while at the same time getting smacked with either a rubber hose or a bamboo rod. After refusing to submit, he was put into the “Parrot's Perch” before another session in the ropes forced him to give in.

Like the others in his crew, North admitted flying aboard a Prowler, but denied knowing anything about the aircraft's systems. He simply “flipped switches and pushed buttons”, and that was it as far as his ECM knowledge went, managing to conceal his role, similar to his crewmate Kruger, who also knew a lot more about the aircraft than she let on. North also acknowledged flying from Nimitz with VAQ-138, and also gave some facts about the carrier that one could find in Jane's or in any coffee table book on naval warfare. When asked how long he had been in the squadron, North said that he had only been there a few days, as he had replaced someone who had gone home on emergency leave, hiding the fact that he had been with the squadron for the SOUTHERN WATCH deployment, the strikes into Aden, and the air campaign since the carrier's arrival in the Gulf. Satisfied with that, the interrogators made him read a prepared anti-war statement before North was allowed to clean up. Then, he was tossed into a cell that he found out had been Airman Curt Schneider's. North was able to see that there were other prisoners, but with guards a constant presence for the moment, trying to communicate would have to wait.

After the Navy aircrew had gone through their ordeals, the Air Force crew shot down near Al-Asad were just arriving in Baghdad, for it had taken the better part of a day for the Iraqis to get them to Al-Rashid. When they arrived on base, the first stop was the Military Hospital, where Captain Fuller was unloaded and taken into the ER. There, he met Colonel Hassani, who assured him that he was in a hospital and would have his injuries tended to. As was usual by now, the staff at the hospital was courteous and professional, and like the others still held there, Fuller was asked to sign a consent form before going into surgery. He did so, and after waking up, Fuller found himself the sole occupant of a room in the POW ward, but soon had a visitor in Colonel Hassani, who assured him that as long as he was at the hospital, he wouldn't have to worry about the “thugs” at the interrogation center. Fuller also found that the prisoners there had access to books and magazines, and that those who could get around on crutches could visit other rooms, though the armed guards present were a constant reminder of their POW status.

The other three AF crew were then taken to the Interrogation Center, where their reception was quite different. Randell, Taylor, and Wells were taken into interrogation rooms, and peering beneath their blindfolds, found fresh signs that the rooms had seen very recent use. Wells was the first to be questioned, and though he admitted to flying an F-16D, he refused to identify his squadron, his base, and his target, along with future ones. He also declined to give an anti-war statement. The interrogator gave him several hours to “think”, while also having him spend those hours in an enforced kneeling. When the interrogator returned, Wells was adamant about his earlier responses, and that made the interrogator lose whatever patience he had left.

Wells was then trussed up in the ropes, before being strung up by his heels for several hours, and like a number before him, was beaten while hanging from the meathook. After that, came time on the sawhorse, followed by another session on the knees. It took another session in the ropes before Wells finally gave in.

After submitting, the interrogators asked about his squadron and wing, and Wells gave the 62nd TFTS, an F-16 training squadron in Arizona, and they were based at Al Dhafra in the UAE instead of his real squadron at Prince Sultan in Saudi. When asked about targets, Wells said that he didn't know, that crews were not told targets other than what they were hitting, and that their mission had been flak or SAM Suppression. Wells also admitted that Al Asad AB was the main target of the strike. Like the others, he gave the anti-war statement before cameras, before being allowed to clean up. Wells was then taken to the Men's Block and thrown into a cell, which he found out had been CWO Gary Nichols'. He noticed that some of the cells were occupied, but being unable to tap to neighbors, and with guards patrolling the compound, he was unable to communicate.

Wells' crewmate and pilot, Randell, was going through a similar trial in an adjacent room about the same time. Rendell, too, refused to answer about his squadron and mission, along with targets, and also refused the anti-war statement. Unlike Wells' interrogator, this one was not very patient, and as Rendell said after the war, “he got ugly fast.”

Rendell was immediately put into the ropes, before being forced onto his knees. After several hours kneeling on bare concrete, he was then hung by his heels from the meathook, all the while being smacked around with either a bamboo rod or a rubber hose. Time on the Sawhorse followed, before being put onto the “Parrot's Perch.” Only after another session in the ropes, with the torture cuffs added, did Rendell give in.

Like his backseater, Wells, Rendell gave the 62nd TFTS as his unit, and that they were at Al Dhafra. He also said that they had been searching for and attacking any SAM or antiaircraft sites that threatened strike aircraft, and that, yes, Al Asad AB was their target. After giving the usual anti-war statement in front of a camera, Rendell was allowed to get himself cleaned up, before being taken to the Men's Block and thrown into a cell. Although he had no communications with anyone, seeing that other cells were occupied gave him a boost to his spirits, and Rendell, too, sat back to wait and see what would come next.

The junior member of the trio, Taylor, had to wait, but once an interrogation room was available, the Iraqis didn't waste time. With his WSO in the hospital's POW ward, he was able to dodge some questions, though he did admit to flying an F-15E. Not knowing if his crewmate, Fuller, had been interrogated, Leonard decided to gamble that he hadn't. He refused to give his target or ordnance load, and declined any information on his squadron or base. After refusing the anti-war statement, Taylor's interrogator lost whatever patience he had.

The young Lieutenant was trussed up in the ropes, and then was hanging from the meathook by his heels. Then came several hours on his knees, arms raised, with the occasional swat with a rubber hose or bamboo rod. Leonard, too, was put into the Parrot's Perch, before a final session in the ropes. He initially gave in after that, but when he balked at the anti-war statement, the interrogator had a guard show the ropes and torture cuffs, and asked him if he wanted to “wear them again.” That was enough, and Taylor agreed to the statement.

Repeating what he'd said after shootdown, Taylor gave the 461st TFS as his unit. When asked about his target, he said that he'd been after hangars and support facilities at Al Asad AB, and after being asked what had shot him down, he simply said, “flak.” When it came to ordnance, Leonard said, “Mark-84s”, the standard U.S. 2,000 pound bomb. He added that he'd been flying from Prince Sultan in Saudi instead of his actual base at Al Udaid in Qatar, and that no, he didn't know what the next day's targets would be. He was just a lowly First Lieutenant, and worked in the squadron's personnel office when not flying. The interrogator was satisfied with that, and after giving the statement, Taylor was allowed to clean up before being tossed into a cell in the Men's Block. Like the others, he got into a wait-and-see mode, and also noticed that several cells were occupied. However, with guards present, trying to communicate didn't seem to be a good idea.

As with the first group earlier, the Iraqis didn't take long to decide on where to send the prisoners after their “processing” was completed. Commander Zukowski was taken to Al-Taji and the Men's Compound there, where he was put in a cell next to RAF Flight Lt. Peter Johns. The two made contact via the tap code, and Johns passed on Commander Newman's policies as SRO, along with the advice to “run a marathon, not a sprint.” Zukowoski, in turn, passed on news from the war, and when told that several aircrew from Nimitz were in the prison, he relayed news from the ship.

The two women at Al-Rashid, Kruger and Morgan, were also taken to Al-Taji, Kruger was put in a cell in the same building as Commander Eichhorn, Captain McKenzie, and PFC Lynch, among others, and she was able to establish contact with McKenzie via tap code. McKenzie relayed Kruger's name to Lynch, the “memory bank”, then relayed Commander Eichhorn's policies as SRO. In turn, Kruger relayed news that the war seemed to be settling into stalemate along the Euphrates and that they likely weren't going anywhere anytime soon. She was also glad to discover that several of her squadron mates were in the prison, and relayed the news that those aboard ship knew they were still alive.

Her companion, Morgan, was taken to the cellblock where Commander Black was the cellblock senior, and Morgan got in touch with RAAF Flight Lt. Nadine Glover. The two passed things along via tap code, and Glover relayed the SRO's policies. Morgan, too, relayed news from the war, and like Zukowski in the Men's Compound, found out that several aviators from Nimitz were in the prison, and passed along news from the ship. Glover relayed Morgan's name to Commander Black and the others in the cellblock, and though it would be a couple of days, her name reached Commander Eichhorn and thus Lynch's “memory bank.”

The others at Al-Rashid were taken by truck to Ramadi, where they were thrown into cells in the single occupied cell block. The new arrivals were able to get in touch with those who had been there just a day, and all managed to get in touch with Major Weaver, the SRO. The SRO got their names, and then asked who had the best memory. LT Black offered his services as a “Memory Bank,” and he set to memorizing names and shootdown dates. Like those at Taji, those at Ramadi settled down to what they feared would be a long captivity.

The new POW lockup can be found on Google Earth/Maps: 33-44-60 N, 43-23-98 E.

The EA-6B lose will screw up planning.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2026 10:52 am The EA-6B lose will screw up planning.

It's certainly going to hurt. Prowlers are very valuable and not all that common.

Bernard Woolley wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2026 4:01 pm

jemhouston wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2026 10:52 am The EA-6B lose will screw up planning.

It's certainly going to hurt. Prowlers are very valuable and not all that common.

There are two in the replacement pool at Sheikh Isa AB in Bahrain. Their crews have been kicking their heels, busying themselves with profiency flying, and making day/night traps on Kitty Hawk and Nimitz as things permit. One crew will join VAQ-138 on Nimitz in time to get on the following night's flight schedule. IF another Prowler is lost, then there's a problem.