Life At Hanoi Hilton | Navy Capt (ret) Mike McGrath
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- Navy Capt (ret) Mike McGrath shares his account of being a Prisoner of War during the Vietnam War and the resiliency it took to endure the 6 year imprisonment.
The annual National Character and Leadership Symposium (NCLS) is the United States Air Force Academy’s flagship event on character and leadership. It brings together distinguished scholars, military leaders, corporate executives and world-class athletes to motivate and equip participants for honorable living and effective leadership.
2019 Theme: Leadership, Teamwork, and Organizational Management
This year’s NCLS speakers’ stories focused on the value, successes, and challenges of leadership at the personal (leading oneself), interpersonal (leading one or more people), team (leading a group towards a common goal), and/or organizational (leading an organization embedded within a larger institutional environment) levels.
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I am 70 and Vietnam, I salute you, sir.
I am a 68 yo Navy Veteran Who salutes every Vietnam Veteran I see
I had the chance to do a few radio interviews with him in the early 2000s. What a nice, dignified, and intelligent person.
This is mind boggling. This man and everyone he mentioned could have movies made about their incredible lives and determination.
My father ( Capt. James Kenney Ret.) was stationed at the Lemoore naval air station in the 70s. I was friends his son, John Jr. My father thought very highly of him and what he endured. Death would have been a blessing over what he and his companions suffered. You are looking healthy and content Captain. A salute to you and your service!
What an amazing person. It's great to see you again. I served with you sir on the uss coral sea cv-43. 78 - 82. I did realize and respected your honer sir. I didn't fully understand how privileged I was to get to serve with such an honorable individual as you sir. You gave me a autographed copy of your book wich I unfortunately lost along my journey in life somewhere. I was way less than a 4 - o sailor which I still wish I'd done better. I was privileged. I worked directly for the air boss in pri fly till I got busted and ended up operating arresting gear . (#4 wire. I'm still glad I spent three and a half years. Oth discharge. Thank you sir for your service and sacrifice. God bless you and all our people. Forever grateful. I'm in tears and still proud were free Americans because of folks like you. Fair well great warrior
It's an honor to hear your story sir. GO NAVY 🇺🇲 🇺🇲⚓️⚓️I'm a Navy Veteran. Welcome Home. Thank you for your service.
Thanks for your service and Welcome Home ❤️🙏😇🌹🇺🇸
God bless Sir ! You are my Hero . I spent but one year there, and I can't imagine what you went through.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice
I had the honor to have known Colonel George Mc Knight while he was in Kinshasa as the Military attaché while I was working in the military prison at N'dolo.
I remember how your shoulder stuck up about 5 inches visual through your flight suit. When my life seems to gets complex I think of you sir and realize nothing is that complicated. Again God speed Mr Mc graph. I was with you trying to rescue our student hostages. I'm a shell back. Db
I had, then CDR McGrath, as my leadership instructor at the Naval Academy. We had many long talks before and after class. It's amazing that his voice hasn't changed a bit...more gray hair...probably can't do as many pull ups that he once could but he's still looking good.
I read had his book years ago, very good, lots of drawings and sketches he personally did. Unimaginable what these great men went through.
I remember. I watched it with fellow students of my Bible College. It was thrilling to see. I had done my stint in 1969 at Cu Chi for the year.
Thankyou for your service Sir God Bless you and your family ❤️🙏😇🌻
He spoke at the Naval Academy, while I was at the Naval Academy.
God Bless you Sir. 😢❤
Thanks for sharing best wishes for you and family
Navy pilot 450 missions, Air Force 100 missions, enough said.
Each mission killed at least a hundred innocent Vietnamese.
@@user-sj2vy5qj3p Marx said it best about war. War is a worker with a bayonet at both ends.
Met him in 1995 at the Naval Aviators Reunion held at NAS Lemoore the second time . 1st time in a readyroom onboard the Connie where my squadron shared it with VA146 . ALSO watched him parachute down after being shotdown while we were flying ecm cover.
God bless you sir...
True man and true heros
Thank you Sir
God bless you!
Captain McGrath, Did you ever know Lt. Barry Bridger, He was a Pow for 7 years, He was in the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson. He was promoted to Major after he returned to duty.. I was assigned to the squadron until 1979 from there I went to the Pamana Canal zone. Not sure where he went from there. I remember he had some stories to tell.
Outlaw jjSmith he is on YT
@@ucviet1 YT ?
Outlaw jjSmith search him You Tube
@@ucviet1 Thanks a whole lot I found him.
Pilots in Pajamas tells another nice side of this story :)
MEL GIBSON SHOULD DO A MOVIE ON THIS AND MAKE IT AS REAL AS HE CAN LIKE THE PASSION OF THE CRIST..IM MEAN GET IT VERY REALISTIC..AMERICA'S HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THESE HEROES WITH THROUGH,,,,IT WOULD BE A FANTASTIC WAY TO GET THERE STOREY OUT THERE..MEL GIBSON IS THE RIGHT GUY...
Viet Nam is a beautiful and peaceful country. We always welcome you to visit and travel or work in our country. Viet Nam is ready to friend with all the countries in the world. The war went by for a long time; it is time for us to heal the damages after the war andmake Viet Nam become a beautiful and wealthy land. We hope for a beautiful future with your help.
Yes it's good that relations
Are improving with the USA.
From Australia
Welcome home Mike..........
I was the one on the other side writing backwards on the big plexiglass board for the air boss
just bought the book after i saw this
Anybody who stands up for what they believe in deserves respect. He endured 6 years as a POW, undergoing torture and deprivation. At the same time, there was a "Peace Committee" and others like them. They cooperated with their captors. They were rewarded with privileges and in some cases early release.
Times have changed. The world has moved on. History takes a far different view of the Vietnam war from what the POWs had. Today, the war is viewed as unjust, and the USA never should have been there. The so-called "'domino theory' has been debunked; and anybody who believes in it lacks some basic knowledge and is poorly educated, at least in that area.
The biggest reason of all is that I know the war was bogus. It was a crime against humanity perpetrated by paranoid, alcoholic presidents. Had I been a POW, I would have talked. I'm a coward. I hate pain. I have no honor. And of course, I'm not going to submit to 9 years of torture for a monster like Nixon or Johnson.
I have always wondered if the pilots thought they would be welcomed after they were shot down after dropping bombs on acountry half way around the world who were not any threat to the USA,that said these pilots were brave men who endured much distress
The blouse he is wearing must be custom made: the pockets seem much lower than normal. Maybe for the ribbons so they do not dissappear under his collar? IDK.
Can anyone get your book?
Teaching the art of Communist torture thru pencil sketches.
So grateful for his debriefs... SERE School alumni know the measure of his devotion.
Hollywood needs to learn what a REAL Naval Officer is.
Serving the country or the corrupted politicians?? The enemy is within.
SEMPER FIDELIS / SEMPER ... you did it for me and i'd do it for you.
You are really tough
I have the original hard back book, 1974, I think. It has the golden embossed US Library of Congress emblem inside the cover.
I too was at the Hanoi Hilton. I was there for only a month before I escaped and ran out in the jungle. I fought my way out, there like 20 Viet-Cong guerrillas on me, I fought, kicked them, jumped on top of the hut then jumped back down on them knocking 10 of them, I pulled out my .38 that I had hidden in my shoe and started shooting them one by one until they were all dead. I stayed in the Vietnam jungles until up tp 1999 and thats when I came back to the states. When I took my cammys off I had dead leeches on me from the 60s. They fell off after I got in the hot shower, I hadn't had a bathe or shower since 1965 when I was at my house.
Thanks for your service Mr King….good thing you had that .38 hidden in your shoe….I had almost the exact same experience as you had, but instead of having a .38 in my shoe, I was packing a bazooka in my front left pocket, fortunately I managed to get off 8 lucky shots. I’m thinking about writing a book, and titling it “Is That A Bazooka in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?”
But what about those children killed under the bombings..
I guess the guys doing the bombing are heroes .
Remembering De Gaulle telling Kennedy ..not to go into Vietnam ..the french got a beating ... Give me one reason why the all mighty USA had business to be there .
One reason..yes. the dirty business
of war...that produces heroes..misery..chaos .and more.
@@Chrisamos412 😂Thank You for your bravery and service too! While your exploits may have never reached the level of Mr. Kings, you have much to be proud of. I salute you.
What have you been smoking
Or have you been in a chuck
Norris movie.
You were there until 1999
Yeah right , good story.
I've got to go to my villa
On the moon.
Glad that you did not serve along with all the above. USAF PILOT in country Republic of South Vietnam 1968-1969.
Often wondered why USA retired service personal are allowed to wear military uniforms. Not allowed in any other country. Must be about ego, only in America I guess.
Do you hear 400, 500 missions and so on and so forth. These guys fellow 500 times, bombing the poor Vietnamese into pieces and you call them heroes?
Well, don't worry we won't be doing you any favors. Shame on you. I hope you are not living in the U.S. and enjoying our country's perks
Ho started the bloody war.
All he had to do was keep to
The boarders of north Vietnam
And leave the South to be free.
It's good enough for Korea
To be separated it should
Have been the same for
Vietnam. Your lucky
America didn't just nuke
North Vietnam, you
Would have something to
Complain about.
The VC had no right to treat
POWs with torture. No better
Than the animals the Japanese
Were in WW2.
Then why are you watching?