Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Eleven of us comprised the infamous Alcatraz Gang. Essentially - we were our own Band of Brothers - 11 Prisoners of War labeled die-hards for our refusal to cooperate with our captors. Isolated so remotely our Hell on Earth could only be called Alcatraz.
Brutally punished starved beaten and at times left for dead our captors isolated us from the other POWs in Hanoi. Each one of us rotted in our own dark dank 3 x 8 cell - solitary confinement at its worst - mostly in leg irons or leg stocks like the pilgrims. Even after all these years my heart still weighs heavy that only ten of us made it out alive.
This Memorial Day I ask you to remember the ones who never came home; those who gave all. The patriots like Air Force Captain Ronald Storz one of the early arrivals to Hanoi. When Ron deployed to Vietnam his son Mark was only 5 years old his daughter Monica a mere infant.
Ron hated the North Vietnamese with such a fierce passion that he defied his captors at every turn often embarking on hunger strikes that would ultimately lead to his emaciated 62 100 pound frame. He believed that God had sent him to Hanoi for a reason. During Rons frequent torture sessions he would often anger his int
errogators by reminding them that his fate was in Gods hands.
In a place where infliction of unspeakable torture starvation isolation and unsanitary conditions were a way of life Ron taught us to keep the faith. I always admired his intestinal fortitude and courage under fire.
Later when several of us POWs were moved to another camp Storz refusing to leave tapped out his last transmission to his fellow Americans GBU or God Bless You.
Upon my release in 1973 I would ask for Ron only to find that he had died in captivity almost three years earlier. I felt devastated beyond words. Sandra Storz and her two children would never know the joyful return of Ron their arms left achingly empty. Later we would learn that young Monica robbed of her opportunity to know her father would watch the return of the POWs small hands clutching a worn photo of Ron hoping against all odds for a miracle. A miracle that would never come. Words fail me when it comes to describing Rons spirit. Ron embraced a deep patriotism and shared sacrifice that helped make our country great. On this Memorial Day a grateful nation remembers Ron and all others who gave their lives in the defense of freedom. GBU. Editors Note: Thank you Congressman Sam Johnson for this moving personal tribute to one of many heroes whom we must not forget. Thank you also to all the brave men and women who served our country and Lets pray that all those who were lost be remembered on this Memorial Day.
