Episode 98: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part IV

 

During one of his times of lowest morale during his captivity, Rowe created an imaginary resort called "Hacienda del Sol." The exercise helped him take his mind off the hunger, thirst, dysentery, and fungal infection inflicting misery on him... at least for a little while.

Episode 97: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part III

 

After Captain Versace was separated from the group, two additional soldiers eventually joined Lieutenant Rowe and Sergeant Pitzer. The first was Master Sergeant Edward Johnson.

The second was Sergeant Leonard Tadios.

Episode 96: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part II

I was unable to find copies of any of the propaganda photos the Vietcong took of Rowe, Versace, and Pitzer - I'm not sure if they exist anywhere of not - so I really don't have anything to add to this week's episode visually. I will say that my hat goes off to all POWs. I understand why some broke, and I hold those who held fast to the Code of Conduct in the highest regards!

 

Episode 95: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom

 

First Lieutenant Nick Rowe not long before he was captured by the North in Vietnam in 1963.

Captain Rocky Versace earned his Combat Infantry Badge during his 12-month tourn in Vietnam as a US advisor to the South Vietnamese military. At the end of his tour, he extended for an additional six months. In late October 1963, less than two week before his extension was up and he was due to return home, he was captured during a combat mission with South Vietnamese forces. 

Episode 94: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part V

 

As the war in Europe was drawing to a close, Donovan tried to convince Roosevelt one more time about the need for a postwar central intelligence service, but when FDR inexpertly died, he was afraid him dream had died with him. He had no working relationship with Truman, FDR's successor, and Truman was convinced that such a service was not needed - at least until after then war when it became clear that a Cold War with the Soviet Union would necessitate a postwar espionage agency. The Central Intelligence Agency was eventually created but Donovan would not be the one the lead it.

After Truman left office and Donovan's old Army colleague Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected, he hoped that he would now be named Director of Central Intelligence, but it was not to be. Ike did have a job for him though - he was appointed US Ambassador to Thailand - a country that would be vital to America's anti-Communist activities in Asia during the Cold War.

Donovan was a successful ambassador but resigned after two years. While in Thailand, he began experiencing systems of dementia which would ultimately lead to his death just one months after his 76th birthday. Major General William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 2, Grave 4874.    

Episode 93: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part IV

When Donovan was promoted to brigadier general, he had his uniform tailor made in New York and would often wear it and one single ribbon on his chest - the one representing the Medal of Honor - to remind the senior officers he worked with and who had rows and rows of ribbons on their chests, that he had earned the only commendation that really mattered.

In November 1944, he was promoted to major general, the rank he felt most befitting of his command.

Though many senior officers were initially wary of Donovan and his Office of Strategic Services, by the end of the war, they had proven their worth providing critical intelligence and conducting clandestine operations in all theaters of the war. Above, we see Donovan review an OSS team in 1945 prior to its deployment to China.

If pop culture has taught me anything (I'm looking at you Q from the James Bond series), any spy service worth its salt needs to have cool gadgets to help it accomplish its goals. The OSS had many of these, including T13 Beano grenades which exploded on impact and uniform buttons with compasses hidden in them.

Episode 92: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part III

 

William Donovan resigns from the Justice Department when he is not appointed attorney general by his friend and newly elected president, Herbert Hoover. He returnes to law and comes out of the Great Depression a self-made millionaire. He also finds common cause with Franklin D. Roosevelt when he replaces Hoover in the White House, and in time, begins to convince FDR of the need for a centralized intelligence manager - something that J. Edgar Hoover and other influential Washington figures do everything in their power to prevent because they don't want some legal dilettante horning in on their territory. But when the US is pulled into World War II, FDR is glad that he listened to his new friend, Wild Bill.