Day 7 of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and I’m looking for a body of water for my new seven swans a-swimming. It’s easier finding the right place in my mind and heart for “The Twelve Days of Resilience” with COL Nick “N” Rowe. This man withstood starvation rations, sleep deprivation, skin conditions, physical, mental, and emotional torture as a five-year prisoner of the Viet Cong. He survived his hopes for release being built up and dashed over and over. His mind was constantly under assault, by making him question the things that made up his identity. But he stood tall on the love, loyalty, and faith he received growing up in Texas; the training he underwent and brotherhood he depended on in the course of becoming a Green Beret; and the leadership and decorum he mastered as a West Point graduate and officer in the U.S. Army. He knew better than anyone how the communist prisoner management system worked and what measures could be employed to counter the barrage on the mind. Today we explore with COL Rowe how isolation was employed by the communists and how keeping faith with others could counter attempts to divide and conquer.
First, it’s important to understand that the communist prisoner management system doesn’t use torture indiscriminately. Doing so could turn you against them when what they want is your cooperation. In addition, just because you control someone physically doesn’t mean you control the man, meaning the mind. So, the enemy applies constant pressure to your identity and everything you believe in. They also make you question what you might have learned. Is your representative republic truly the best form of government, they inquire in a thousand ways, until you start to question your belief that a constitutional republic affords the most liberty for the greatest number of people. Then they move on to whatever they can determine is your source of strength: thoughts of family or belief in God. When you’re questioning whether your coming or going, they start seeding thoughts of their method of governance, somehow arguing that tyranny is freedom. If in this softened state, they can get you to sign a statement against your country or her allies, or against all that America stands for, then you are left to live with the consequences of your actions, which could be worse than dying.
So, with judicious use of torture and daily pressure from indoctrination, they tried to turn servicemen against America. The communists designed the system to be pragmatic and results-oriented. The cadre used emotional rollercoasters of built-up expectations followed by crushing disappointments to break the spirits of the men and lead them to betray their country and fellow POWs. For instance, the cadre slated COL Rowe for execution—twice. He learned not to panic, to keep his emotional state on an even keel, to expect the best but plan for the worst. Each time he learned of a possible release date, he tried to remain optimistic while tempering his expectations, because nothing was crueler than having his hopes dashed over and over. He reached a place of being able to use self-discipline to turn to menial tasks that he could accomplish no matter what pressures outside forces exerted on him.
Second, the communists used isolation to further break prisoners down. Being alone is easier for some than for others, so its results varied, but humans are pack animals that need some level of interaction and communication with their people. The guards would put prisoners together who didn’t like each other and watch minor annoyances among the group fester and grow. They’d step in when the tempers ran high and create bonds with prisoners, undermining the sense of belonging, brotherhood, and of a shared love of country. They also used favoritism to turn prisoners against each other. One might get partial treatment, making their fellow POWs think he either already had or would in the future collude with the enemy. Whether it was true or not was immaterial. The bad seed had been planted and it would tear the group dynamics apart. As COL Rowe points out, it’s imperative that prisoners work closely together. Ones who are down can be supported and raised back up. If people are cut off from the group, ostracized, overlooked, or otherwise marginalized, they could become susceptible to advances from the cadre. The Vietnamese communists tried to catch you at an emotional low point to exploit you for their purposes. COL Rowe emphasized the need to maintain your identity throughout the imprisonment so you’d remember where your loyalties lie.
Day 8 of “The Twelve Days of Resilience” with COL Rowe will cover just that: how to stay true to your identity when the assault continues unabated.
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