Moody commemorates POW/MIA Remembrance Day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte Brantley
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  In honor of those listed as prisoners of war or missing in action, Moody held a POW/MIA Remembrance Day ceremony Sept. 18.

All individuals should remember the U.S. servicemembers who are no longer able to share in these remembrance events, whether through infirmity (physical weakness), illness or internment (confinement), said the ceremony's narrator, Staff Sgt. Tanya DeLay, 723rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron unit training manager.

"Let us be especially mindful of the continuing pain, sorrow and sacrifices of our heroes who wear the mournful title of MIA or POW," she added. "Let us remember their families' agonies, some which were endured for more than 20 years. We cannot evade our continuing responsibility, nor shall we bear witness to their ongoing absence."

The ceremony's guest speaker, retired 1st Lt. Lee James, was assigned to the 8th Air Force, 365th Bomb Squadron in Chelveston, England, as a B-17 co-pilot during World War II. The lieutenant's plane was shot down over Germany and was held captive for eight months at Camp Staleg Luft One in Barth, Germany.

"Since ancient times, individuals have been captured as prisoners of war, although they were often executed," said Mr. James. "These individuals have endured disease, starvation, exposure to the elements, loneliness, despair and lack of medical care. They have also seen their comrades die."

On his ninth mission, after Mr. James' plane was hit by enemy fire, two engines on one side lost their functionality and the aircraft had to fall out of formation.

"We were at about 2,000 feet when we were hit," recalls Mr. James. "We knew we had to lighten our load, so we threw out anything that was loose, including guns, flak jackets and radios. At this point, our airspeed was less than 100 mph, and our aircraft was designed to stall if under 70 mph."

As the plane lost altitude, Mr. James and the other pilot were still taking enemy fire.

"My job was to make sure everybody else was taken care of, and then it was my turn to parachute out of the plane," he said. "I grabbed the chest pack that was stowed underneath my seat, prepared myself and then jumped out. While falling, I put all my effort into remembering what to do to get to the ground safely.

"Once I landed, I was just amazed by my luck," he added. "I was in an extremely dense forest, but had managed to land in one of the only clearings. I got rid of my parachute and I started running. We were taught that were supposed to run for half an hour, but when I stopped after that time, I realized I had been going in the wrong direction, so I turned around and began running again. I told my feet, 'carry me,' and they did."

Mr. James was skillful in his evasion of the enemy during his initial time on the ground. He soon heard the sound of vehicles and made his way to a road.

"Once I made it to the highway, I began what I thought would be my march to freedom," said Mr. James. "I had been told that Germans in the countryside were sometimes friendly and might provide assistance, but the German troops I passed merely waved and continued on their way.

"Finally, I came to this large bend in the road and there was this little old man standing there," he added. "I took out my translation book and was attempting to communicate with him, but when I looked up, he had a pistol pointed at me. I was led to a nearby town and put in jail until the next morning. "

In the morning, Mr. James underwent questioning by German officers.

"I was put in a room with three officers and the highest-ranking one began to question me," he said. "Like 'Uncle Sam' had instructed me to do, all I provided was my name, rank and serial number. He kept gesturing at my chest, holding his hand out, like he wanted my dog tags, but I wasn't going to give those up.

"He was persistent, but I didn't give in," Mr. James said. "A young woman came in and after talking to that officer, she explained to me in English that he didn't want my dog tags, he wanted something else I had hanging on my chain. I looked down and realized that it was a shiny ring I had gotten as a prize out of a cracker jack box."

Mr. James recalls that throughout the interrogations, he didn't feel fear, but rather concern.

"I knew that if this man wanted to shoot me, he was just going to do it and there was nothing I could do to stop him," he said. "The next morning, all the prisoners were put on a train and transported to a POW camp. Whenever possible, we stopped and were forced to walk through different German towns. During this experience, I learned quite well, some Germans were surprisingly well-versed in English, although it wasn't the sort of words you wanted to hear."

Mr. James spent the next eight months at Camp Staleg Luft One, where he says he endured no brutal treatment.

"The only damage I encountered during the war was when trying to slide across the surface of a frozen lake and falling on my rear," he said. "During the last five months of my stay there, we were essentially on a starvation diet and if we had stayed there much longer, that's exactly what might have happened to us."

Liberation came in the form of friendly forces who freed all of the prisoners from the camp.

"We were liberated by the Russians with machine guns on horseback," he said. "My commanding officer ordered us to stay inside the compound for fear we might accidentally be shot."

After the liberation, Mr. James was sent back to the U.S., along with fellow servicemembers.

"I was very lucky in the fact that I did not endure some of the bad things that other POWs did," he said.

Mr. James' service and commitment were recognized by Col. Gary Henderson, 23rd Wing commander, who spoke during the POW/MIA ceremony.

"We are extremely fortunate to come from a country that produces such heroes," said Col. Gary Henderson. "On days like today, we are given the chance to reflect on why we are serving.

"Moody's mission is to 'Attack, Rescue, Protect,'" he added. "The Airman's Creed states we shall never leave an Airman behind, and that is what POW/MIA Remembrance Day is about."