POW shares story of faith and redemption with Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman Jenna K. Caldwell
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Retired Capt. and former POW Guy Gruters visited McConnell, telling Airmen about teamwork, resiliency and his story of captivity Sept. 9.

The local Air Force Sergeants Association invited Gruters to base as part of McConnell's POW/MIA Week.

Gruters was an F-100 Super Sabre pilot for more than 20 years, and spent more than five of those years as POW in a Vietnam internment camp.

He was shot down twice in North Vietnam over the course of more than 400 missions. He was successfully rescued the first time, but he was captured after his second crash in 1967.

Gruters was part of a covert unit of forward air controllers known as the Misty Fast FACs, assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Italy.

A motivational speaker and author of three books, Gruters spoke about how he survived torture and starvation through faith, positivity and bonding with fellow POWs.

"In this generation, I see a lot of questioning in their faith," said Gruters. "Don't ever give up on your faith. Don't ever lose confidence in this country."

Statistically, only one in seven men returned home after being shot down over Vietnam, according to Gruters. 

Gruters spent time in six different camps, and continually endured years of torture and starvation. He was eventually released in 1973 during Operation Homecoming.

POWs in Vietnam were confined in small cells with unsanitary conditions, and given one cup of water and a piece of bread laced with rat droppings twice daily. This led to malnutrition, dysentery and tapeworms.

Gruters asserted that a positive attitude was essential to his survival and the foundation of any successful team.

"Complaints in bad conditions can kill. But in good conditions, they take the heart away from the team," said Gruters. "Morale is too important to neglect."

Gruters and his fellow POWs were tortured endlessly for information. This included being strung up by the elbows and left suspended for more than 24 hours at a time. At the beginning of his confinement, Gruters harbored a great deal of hatred toward his captors.

"Courage is to forgive," said Gruters. "But the real courage is to forgive instantly."

Gruters and his fellow POWs worked more than eight hours every day secretly communicating to each other by tapping on the cell walls.

One set of men dispersed along the corridor would quietly tap the message to the other cell, while the other half watched under the cracks of the doors for the guards.
Teamwork allowed the POW's to communicate essential information throughout the entire camp about what had been said to interrogators during torture sessions.

"We have blessings because of teams that work hard together," he said. "I know of no more encouraging fact than the ability of man to elevate his life by teamwork."

Gruters' decorations include more than thirty combat awards, including two Silver Stars, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the POW Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation and 20 Air Medals.

Gruters visited multiple squadrons during his tour telling Airmen the story of his crash and captivity in North Vietnam, giving Airmen the opportunity to hear his experience first-hand and ask him questions. The Airmen also educated him on McConnell's aerial refueling mission.

"During his speech, he talked about teamwork, and it honestly embodied everything that we have done within the past five months preparing for his visit," said Master Sgt. Ieaka Olmstead, 384th Air Refueling Squadron aviation resource management superintendent. "I learned it's about having the right people in the right places in order to have success."