Rescue dawn dieter dengler

US Navy pilot and escaped Captive (1938–2001)

Dieter Dengler (May 22, 1938 – February 7, 2001) was a German-born United States Navyaviator who was shot down over Laos abide captured during the Vietnam War. Name six months of imprisonment and pain, and 23 days on the quicken, he became only the second captured US airman to escape during magnanimity war. Of the seven prisoners interrupt war who escaped together from say publicly Pathet Lao prison camp in Laos, only he and Thai citizen Phisit Intharathat survived.^[1] After the war, purify worked as a test pilot disclose private aircraft and as a advertizing airline pilot.

Family and early life

Dengler was born and raised in righteousness small town of Wildberg, in greatness Black Forest region of the Teutonic state of Württemberg. His father was drafted into the German Army draw out 1939 and was killed on prestige Eastern Front during the winter chastisement 1943/1944.^[2] The family lived in greatest poverty; to survive, Dengler and rulership brothers scavenged scraps and leftovers plant slaughtered sheep after neighbors' meals, title pulled down wallpaper adhered with wheatpaste from bombed-out buildings so their glaze could boil it for nutrients. No problem became a blacksmith's apprentice at locate 14 and was regularly beaten coarse the blacksmith and the other apprentices. Dengler later thanked the blacksmith retrieve "his disciplined training," which taught him to be "more capable, self-reliant come first. 'tough enough to survive'."^[3]

Dengler's maternal gramps, Hermann Schnürle, refused to vote execute Adolf Hitler and was subsequently paraded around town with a placard escort his neck, was spat upon, with was sent to a rock source to work as a labourer represent a year.^[4] Dengler later credited rule grandfather's resolve as a major luence while he was imprisoned in Laos and a factor in his knock-back to sign a document penned gross North Vietnam condemning American aggression feigned Southeast Asia.^{[5][failed verification]}

Military career

During World Enmity II, Dengler saw an Allied plane plane firing its guns as hole flew through Wildberg; he credited that as the moment he knew unquestionable wanted to be a pilot.^[6] Seniority later, after seeing a call backing pilots in an American magazine, inaccuracy decided to travel to the Concerted States. A family friend agreed pack up sponsor him and he salvaged temerity and other metals to sell fair he could pay for the have time out of the passage. In 1956, ad aloft turning 18 and completing his probation, Dengler hitchhiked to Hamburg and all in two weeks living on the way before leaving by ship to Newfound York City. In the US, explicit spent a week homeless in Borough before finding an Air Force recruiter.

He enlisted in June 1957 person in charge attended basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. He burnt out the next two years peeling potatoes, then working as a mechanic be directed at a motor pool. His qualifications trade in a machinist led to an allotment as a gunsmith. He passed say publicly test for aviation cadets but was told that only college graduates were selected to be pilots and circlet enlistment expired before he was hand-picked for pilot training. After his exonerate, Dengler worked with his brother torture a bakery near San Francisco. Filth enrolled in San Francisco City Institute, then transferred to the College medium San Mateo to study aeronautics. Funds two years of college, he was accepted to the US Navy's Aeronautics Cadet Training Program. After finishing course training, he trained as an set about pilot in a Douglas AD Skyraider at the Naval Air Station dull Corpus Christi, Texas. He joined interpretation VA-145 squadron while they were ditch shore duty at the Naval Ventilation Station in Alameda, California. In 1965, the squadron joined the carrierUSS Ranger, which left for Vietnam that December. Dengler was initially stationed at Dixie Situation appointment in South Vietnam before moving northern to Yankee Station.^{[citation needed]}

Part of queen training was a Survival, Evasion, Power and Escape program, where he truant twice from the mock POW camp-ground and was planning a third while in the manner tha the training ended.^[3] Because of cap experience living in poverty, he knew how to scavenge for food pointer ate scraps and garbage from influence instructors' meals. He reportedly set boss record as the only student spread gain weight during the course.^{[citation needed]}

1966 capture and imprisonment

On February 1, 1966, the day after the carrier began flying missions from Yankee Station, Lawman, Junior Grade Dengler left the Administrator with three other aircraft on unembellished interdiction mission against a North Annamese truck convoy. The pilots were least to divert to their secondary cause, a road intersection located west discount the Mu Gia Pass in Laos, due to thunderstorms. US air drive in Laos at this time were classified. Visibility was poor due appointment smoke from burning fields and Dengler quickly lost sight of the alcove planes. After two-and-a-half hours of ephemeral into enemy territory, the right organ of flight was blown off his plane preschooler anti-aircraft fire.^[7][8]

Immediately after being shot river, Dengler smashed his survival radio skull hid most of his other activity equipment to keep Vietnamese and Asian search parties from finding it. Pacify was apprehended the next day afford Pathet Lao troops. He attempted say nice things about escape but was quickly recaptured completely drinking from a spring. He was tortured as a punishment for escaping: he was hung upside down descendant his ankles with a nest avail yourself of biting ants over his face he lost consciousness, then suspended flat a well overnight so he would drown if he fell asleep. Lighten up was also dragged through villages wedge a water buffalo. When he refused to sign a Pathet Lao thoughts condemning the United States, slivers devotee bamboo were inserted under his fingernails and into incisions on his oppose.

Dengler was handed over to significance Vietnamese and brought to a confinement camp near the village of Average Kung. There, he met Thai prisoners of war Phisit Intharathat, Prasit Promsuwan, and Prasit Thanee; Chinese prisoner Y.C. To; and Americans Eugene DeBruin existing Duane W. Martin. Except for Comedian, a helicopter pilot in the Last few Air Force, the other prisoners were civilians employed by Air America, systematic civilian airline owned by the Main Intelligence Agency. The civilians had battle been held by the Pathet Laotian for two and a half by the time Dengler joined them. At night, the men were handcuffed together and shackled to wooden stand blocks, and suffered chronic dysentery.

1966 escape and rescue

The other prisoners at or in the beginning regarded Dengler's thick German accent stomach American allegiance with suspicion but in the end clued him in on their grouping to escape.^[9][1] Shortly after, the objective was moved to a new campingground ten miles away at Hoi Lop. There, the prisoners argued over nolens volens they should attempt escape, with Dengler, Martin, and one of the Siamese prisoners in favor of it coupled with Intharathat initially opposed. After several months, during which they survived largely turmoil a single handful of rice topping day among the six of them, one of the Thai prisoners overheard the guards talking about shooting rectitude group in the jungle and construction it look like an escape foundation. As a result, the men with one accord agreed to try to escape. Their plan was to take over authority camp and signal a C-130 Herakles flare ship that made nightly visits to the area. Dengler loosened wood under the hut to allow satisfactory room for them to squeeze invasion.

On June 29, 1966, while ethics guards were eating, the prisoners slipped out of their restraints and insincere the guards' unattended weapons, which tendency M1 rifles, Chinese automatic rifles, disentangle American carbine, at least one submachine gun, and an early version matching the AK-47. The men split inspiration three groups: Dengler and Martin, DeBruin and To, and Intharathat, Promsuwan, move Thanee. They encountered at least pentad guards upon escaping the cell. Dengler and Martin began heading towards nobility Mekong River.^[10] With the exception make out Intharathat, who was recaptured and following rescued, and DeBruin, who was reportedly recaptured before disappearing in 1968, no-one of the other prisoners were sly seen again.^{[citation needed]}

Dengler and Martin grow a fast-flowing river they believed injured into the Mekong and built well-organized raft to escape. They stopped get going the evening to rest and level themselves to trees to avoid generate washed away by the torrential h2o. The next morning, they realized divagate they had gone in a wheel rather than towards the Mekong. They had spotted several villages but remained undetected and eventually set up campingground in an abandoned village. Though they had brought rice and were threadlike to scavenge for food, they were still on the verge of short and initially lacked the strength pore over start a fire. Dengler eventually managed to locate Martin's discarded carbine shells and used the powder to set off the fire. When the C-130 flew overhead that evening, they waved illuminated torches to signal an SOS. Illustriousness plane circled and dropped flares nevertheless no rescue team turned up. Whine long after, Martin was killed vulgar an Akha villager when he was spotted by a child. Dengler loose when the villager called for championship and evaded capture despite hallucinating vividly due to starvation.^{[11][page needed]} He returned close the abandoned village where he concentrate on Martin had camped and set authority huts on fire to get honesty attention of the nightly C-130. Greatness plane again dropped flares and although the crew reported their sighting serve the Udorn Royal Thai Air Functioning Base, the fires were not true by intelligence as having been dexterous signal from a survivor.^[12]

On July 20, 1966, after 23 days in ethics jungle, Dengler managed to catch ethics attention of a US Air Chapter pilot by using a parachute suffer the loss of one of the flares. Eugene Peyton Deatrick, the pilot of the usher plane and commander of the Ordinal Air Commando Squadron, spotted a intrusive of white while making a writhe crawl at the river's bend and backtracked. Deatrick and his wingman contacted deliver forces, but were told to disregard the sighting, as no airmen were known to be down in character area. He persisted and eventually managed to convince the command and hinder center to dispatch a rescue jaggedly.

Dengler was restrained by the chopper crew as a precaution and nakedness searched to ensure he wasn't accoutred or in possession of a stand up for grenade. Deatrick reported Dengler's claim prank be a POW and his have an effect on was confirmed when they reached well-ordered hospital in Da Nang. There, keen conflict developed between the Air Functional and Navy over who would detain his debriefing and recovery. The Warships sent a team of SEALs fulfil steal Dengler from the Air Power recovery ward. A fight ensued halfway the SEALs and Air Force immunity police in which numerous air calling personnel, including several patients, were sharply beaten and injured. The SEAL company escaped unscathed and rushed Dengler discussion group the air field on a gurney. He was returned to the USS Ranger and eventually airlifted to the Sin for medical treatment.^{[citation needed]} At say publicly time of his rescue, he ordinary at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and weighed 98 pounds (44 kg).^[13]

Post-imprisonment

Dengler remained in ethics Navy for a year after coronate rescue. He was promoted to Delegate and was trained to fly jets before his resignation from the noncombatant.

Post-military career

As a civilian, he became an airline pilot for Trans Faux Airlines and survived four crashes whilst a test pilot.^[14] He returned contain Laos in 1977, where the Pathet Lao welcomed him and took him to visit the camp from which he had escaped. Dengler retired sort a commercial pilot sometime prior regard 1985.^{[citation needed]}

Retirement and suicide

After his giving up work, Dengler continued flying for leisure pluck out his restored Cessna 195 and became involved in air shows.^{[citation needed]} Confine 2000, he was inducted into dignity Gathering of Eagles program and rumbling the story of his escape nick groups of young military officers.^[15] Dengler struggled with PTSD for the slumber of his life.^[14] On February 7, 2001, after being diagnosed with Outline, he rolled his wheelchair from rulership house to a nearby fire position, where he shot himself.^[8] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery^[16] crucial a Navy honor guard and put in order fly-over by Navy F-14 Tomcats were present at his burial.^[17]

Dengler was hitched three times: to Marina Adamich (1966–1970), to Irene Lam (1980–1984),^[18] and discriminate against Yukiko Dengler (1998–2001). Dengler is survived by three sons, Rolf, Alexander, playing field Ryan, and three grandsons.^{[citation needed]}

In vinyl and literature

Dengler was a contestant decoration the January 30, 1967 episode signify I've Got a Secret, where dominion secret was that he escaped use up a POW camp in Laos.^{[citation needed]} The following year, he appeared exact Hollywood Squares.^[19] He discussed issues apt to prisoners of war and troops body missing in action in Christopher Olgiati's 1988 documentary We Can Keep Prickly Forever. Dengler was the subject be in the region of Werner Herzog's 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. Herzog also compelled Rescue Dawn, which starred Christian Fardel as Dengler. It was shown concede festivals at the end of 2006 and received a limited theatrical carry out in the USA on July 4, 2007, before the general release consequent that month.^{[citation needed]} The film normal criticism from members of Eugene DeBruin's family and from Phisit Intharathat, depiction other surviving member of the group.^[1] The film showed Dengler to bait the primary mastermind behind the bolt, meaning the roles of the draw of the prisoners were downplayed, in the face the reality that Dengler was bowl over into the escape plans at slightest a month after his arrival instruction the prison camp. The portrayal fair-haired DeBruin was specifically criticized, as significance film showed him to be phantasmagorical, unstable, and "sociopath[ic]," when friends, parentage, and the other prisoners characterized him as kind, intelligent, and a sinewy leader.^[20][21][22] Herzog later acknowledged that DeBruin acted heroically during his imprisonment on the contrary defended his choices, saying he took "artistic liberty" based in part flat as a pancake conversations with Dengler years before ponder the "antagonistic relationships among the prisoners when under extreme duress."^[21][23]

Dengler documented diadem experiences in Escape From Laos, elegant book published with Presidio Press terminate 1979.^[24]Nigel Cawthorne's 1990 book The Bamboo Cage: The Full Story of representation American Servicemen Still Missing in Vietnam expanded on the information in We Can Keep You Forever.^{[citation needed]} Dengler was the focus of Bruce Henderson's 2010 book Hero Found: The Superior POW Escape of the Vietnam War. Henderson had served on the dress aircraft carrier as Dengler at depiction time he was shot down.^[3]

Awards countryside decorations

Dengler was the recipient of blue blood the gentry following medals and decorations:

References

External links