Monday, September 19, 2005

"I stood by my oath"

James S. Robbins on Ted Rubin & Congressional Medal of Honor on National Review Online:

Ted found himself in the Pukchin POW camp, also known as 'Death Valley,' and later at Pyoktong, along with hundreds of Americans, Turks, and others. The camps were at first run by the North Koreans, then by the Chinese, whom Ted said treated them slightly better. Nevertheless, life was nightmarish for the prisoners. They were cold and hungry, and disease was rampant. 'Healthy men became like babies, helpless,' Ted said. 'Everything was stink, death, it was terrible, terrible.' Thirty to forty a day were dying. 'It was hardest on the Americans who were not used to this,' Ted said. 'But I had a heck of a basic training from the Germans.'"