Former captive empathizes with Iraqi POWs

Ray Alcorn received the news U. S. soldiers had been taken captive with "great anguish."

As a prisoner of war in Vietnam for seven years, he understands the torture and hardship in store.

"I have great empathy for these folks," he said. "I have a good feel for what they're going through at this point in time.

"They're scared."

It was the same way Alcorn, then 26, felt Dec. 22, 1965, when he ejected from his fighter jet into a rice paddy in the middle of enemy territory.

His face burned and a couple of vertebrae broken, Alcorn was led away by the North Vietnamese civilians and turned over to soldiers a few hours later.

An English-speaking Viet Cong interrogator arrived shortly.

"I don't remember how many beatings I received on the road that night," he said."They tied my hands behind my back and they would step on the back of my hands with the heel of their shoes until the skin was gone, and then they finally said if I wasn't going to answer any questions I was going to die."

He was dragged to a ditch and was told that at the count of 10 he would be shot in the head. When the count reached 10, a soldier fired a round just over the top of his head.

During his seven years in captivity, Alcorn was moved 11 times to locations mostly in and around Hanoi.

In addition to the abuse he endured at the hands of his captors, he also suffered when he saw images from home.

"I remember very well the North Vietnamese showing us the anti-war demonstrations that were going on over here," he said. "I remember seeing the glee in their faces. It really brought down morale."

He was released from prison in February 1973. Now 63, he lives in Carson City with his wife, Karen.

Alcorn blames anti-war demonstrations for the failure of the Vietnam War and hopes history will not repeat itself.

"I'm sure those captives in Iraq would be pretty dismayed if they could see the protests going on," he said. "They need to have reassurance that their country is behind them.

"They need to know they will not be forgotten and our government will do everything in its power to secure their release."

And their families need the support of the nation.

"It's probably toughest on the families," he said. "It's the fear of the unknown. The families have no idea what's happening.

"Then they see these protests and it can't be anything but a horrendous burden that they have to bear along with the fact that their loved ones are in captivity."