The 12 Days of Resilience with COL Nick Rowe: Day 9 Defining What’s Right

“The Twelve Days of Resilience” with COL James N. “Nick” Rowe parallels “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” only you can actually use it in your daily defenses against this raging information war. Today is Day 9 and the topic is defining what is the right course of action when each choice seems awash in monochrome. COL Rowe possessed a rare perspective on how communist mind manipulation is applied and how it can be resisted. He grew up in Texas, in a loving home with strong church and school ties. He received his commission at West Point and became a Special Forces officer. In a battle to free a village from the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, he and two other military advisors were captured. It was the start of a five-year period during which his mind, body, and spirit were under constant assault. He could only win in his mind. They could break his body, even his spirit at times, but in his mind he put up a valiant fight that eventually bought him enough time to free himself. Fortunately, a helicopter was nearby and he caught a lift back to freedom.

He sat for an interview with the staff chaplain at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School sometime in the mid 1980s. The U.S. Army’s Special Operations History Office posted the video on its YouTube Channel in 12 sections. Today’s lesson is short and sweet: You must define for yourself what is right. You do this based on who and what you are—in other words: your identity, which is constantly under attack in a prison camp. You can’t make a decision on what is right if you can barely remember you own name, never mind what your family values, faith, and education has told you is right. This is exactly why the enemy uses every trick in the book to soften you up, so you’re more likely to be convinced that up is down, wrong is right, and it’s ok to sign a statement saying your country is wrong. Your country may indeed be wrong, but that is something that larger forces will determine at a later time. All you know is that you’re caught in a torturous cycle of lifted spirits and crushed hopes, over and over. Lack of food, medicine, sleep, companionship, sanitation, crutches of any kind, exacerbates doubt and fear in the mind, which is altered with the rollercoaster of emotions. Physical torture is the exclamation point, used sparingly for effect. Diabolical from start to finish, most notably in its subtlety. You can’t get a bead on it.

COL Rowe, as he openly admits, had aces up his sleeve. His identity was strong. He was a Texan, a point of righteous pride due to the state’s independent streak. He had a loving family, a supportive Methodist faith, and schooling that included civics. On top of that he was a West Pointer, a Green Beret, and an officer. It was easy for him to continually remind himself of the people behind him and what they would think if he faltered. His people were important to him. They gave him direction in his mind. And because of his elite status and rank he knew that more was expected of him. So, when he was in a position of needing to decide which was the right course of action, he knew that no matter how it turned out, he had to do the right thing. Once that right course was determined, he knew he was supposed to do it and that he would do it. The doubt was removed, and the correct path was clearly visible.

Tomorrow will be Day 10 in “The Twelve Days of Resilience.” COL Rowe will discuss dissent versus disloyalty.

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