POW/MIA Week at Ramstein

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristof J. Rixmann
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Military personnel honored Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action during the POW/MIA week from Sep. 17, 2018 on Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Military personnel participated in a 5k run and a wreath laying ceremony to honor their brothers and sisters in arms who were captured or missing in action.

The capstone of the week was an appearance by former POW U.S. Air Force Maj. Joe Crecca, who served as an F-4 fighter pilot during the Vietnam War.

After 75 successful combat missions, Crecca’s F-4 was shot down over North Vietnam in enemy territory.

“I was captured by about 300 villagers as soon as I hit the ground,” said Crecca. “They beat me with clubs, sticks and stones, anything they could find. At this point I felt a blanket of calm come over me. I was going into shock.”

Crecca was held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, Vietnam for 2,280 days.

After being held in solitary confinement for the first eight months of his stay, he was moved and had U.S. Navy sailor, Doug Hegdahl, as a cellmate. The North Vietnamese captors determined Hegdahl couldn’t be used for propaganda purposes so they offered him an early release. Prisoners of war who accepted early releases from the camp are generally met with scorn and ridicule upon arriving back to the United States as it was seen as a selfish act. However, Hegdahl accepted the early release and was not met with any of the usual stigma because Crecca, made certain the sailor brought the U.S. government as much intelligence as possible about the prisoner of war camp, including 272 names of U.S. military personnel being held there.

“Many families found out their loved ones were alive thanks to Doug; he was a reluctant hero,” said Crecca.

After six years and three months in captivity Crecca and the others were liberated Feb. 12, 1973, following the B-52 bombings on Hanoi known as Operation Linebacker II.

Soon after Operation Linebacker II, U.S. Air Force C-141s landed at the POW camp to take Crecca and the other prisoners home.

“The feelings as that Air Force C-141 approached were of hysterical happiness,” said Crecca. “Loud cheers went up when the pilots pushed the throttles up and the engines roared for takeoff and again when the airplane rotated and lifted away from the runway. You never forget such moments. That was one significant emotional event for me.”

Crecca throughout the POW and MIA week shared this story in great detail with many Airmen across base. He shared his story with the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing, lead by Col. Brad Spears, 521st AMOW commander.

“It’s absolutely awesome when we can reach back to our heritage and help link our Airmen with Air Force stories like these,” said Spears. “We can learn a lot from those that came before us just how future Airmen will learn from us one day. As an Airman, it’s important to remember our history and honor our heroes. This remembrance week is an important way to continue honoring the world’s greatest Air Force.”

To conclude the story Crecca claimed holding several core values close kept him going throughout his time in captivity.

“People always ask me what kept me going while I was a prisoner. Just like a table that needs all four legs to be upright and steady there were four pillars,” said Crecca. “These pillars for me were God, country, family and self. All four were required for overall well-being and the ability to deal with the daily challenges of existence as a POW. No matter how bad things got, a sense of humor always took the rough edges off. I spent six years and three months in Hanoi. I will never forget the friendships that were forged under the most difficult of circumstances.”