Interview with Dewey L. Smith, July 18, 1985

Partial Transcript: Colonel Smith, why don't we start out by finding out a little bit about your background: where you're from and, uh, some of your early experiences.

Segment Synopsis: Colonel Dewey Smith talks about his early life attending grade school and high school in Fairdale, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, before attending Western Kentucky University. He talks about obtaining his Air Force officer commission through the ROTC program. He talks about going on active duty and attending flight school. He recalls several tours of duty including 6 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He talks about his early recollections of Vietnam.

Keywords: Active duty; Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC); Colonels; Combat; Europe; F-105; Fairdale (Ky.); Flight school; Football; Germany; Jefferson County (Ky.); Korea; Prisoner of war (POW); Southeast Asia; Taegu Air Base South Korea (K-2); Vietnam; Western Kentucky University

Subjects: Military education.; Prisoners of war.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Prisoners and prisons, American; Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

Partial Transcript: Tell me if you would, uh, first, uh, getting involved in the Vietnam war then. What--where you were, where you were stationed, what the circumstances were and what your daily routine was like at that point.

Segment Synopsis: Col. Smith talks about his assignment to Korat Air Base in Thailand and the mission assignments he flew. He recalls the dangerous nature of these missions because North Vietnam was so heavily defended against air attacks. He talks about the political constraints to United States military operations and his willingness to follow orders. He talks about flying his first combat mission in Vietnam.

Keywords: 105 millimeter anti-aircraft gun; 37 millimeter anti-aircraft gun; Air defenses; Air tankers; Airborne refueling; Bombs; China; F-105 Thunderchief; Flak sites; Haiphong (North Vietnam); Hanoi (North Vietnam); Korat Air Force Base (Thailand); Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (Thailand); Laos; MiGs fighter aircraft; North Vietnam; Surface to Air Missiles (SAMS); Takhli Air Force Base (Thailand); Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base (Thailand)

Subjects: Air bases.; Combat.; Politics and war.; Tactics; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Aerial operations, American.

Partial Transcript: You've mentioned the political nature of, uh, the way the war was run even at that point. Uh, how was the morale in your unit, uh, at that time?

Segment Synopsis: Smith talks about the positive morale within his unit during his tour of Vietnam. He recalls that most of the members of his unit were career military. He says the ground crews and mechanics kept the airplanes in top condition. He talks about the subordinate role the military plays to the political objectives set by the government, and the need for military discipline. He talks about a mission involving an air raid on a highway filled with trucks, and says the photographs he took were quickly delivered to President Lyndon Johnson's office the next day.

Keywords: 20 millimeter Gatling gun; 3000 pound bombs; 37 millimeter anti-aircraft gun; 57 millimeter anti-aircraft gun; Anti aircraft gun; Bulldozers; Cambodia; Camera pod; Element; F-102 Delta Dagger interceptor; F-105 Thunderchief fighter bomber; Korat Air Base (Thailand); Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (Thailand); Lyndon Johnson; Mechanics; Military objectives; Missions; Mu Gia Pass (Vietnam); North Vietnam; Operation Rolling Thunder; Photo reconnaissance; Route Package 6; South Vietnam; Strafing

Subjects: Morale.; Politics and war.; Tactics; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Aerial operations, American.

Partial Transcript: What, what were your targets normally? That--what type of targets were you, were you bombing?

Segment Synopsis: Smith talks about the typical targets for the missions he flew. He talks about the shift from tactical to strategic targets. He talks about dealing with the loss of other U.S. pilots as thinking that pilot's tour was over. He describes the trust among the pilots flying combat missions and his admiration for the quality of American pilots.

Keywords: Ammunition storage depots; F-105 Thunderchief fighter bomber; F-4 Phantom fighter plane; Flak; Korat Air Base (Thailand); Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (Thailand); Mission; Railroad marshaling yards; Steel mills; Strategic bombing; Takhli Air Base; Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base (Thailand); Tour of duty

Subjects: Fighter pilot; Morale.; Strategy.; Tactics; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Aerial operations, American.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Psychological aspects; War casualties.

Partial Transcript: Tell me if you will the--your recollections of the mission when you were shot down.

Segment Synopsis: Col. Smith talks about his 68th mission during which he was shot down and taken prisoner. He says the targets on that mission were ammunition depots near Kép Air Base, and that his plane was hit twice by flak from 85mm anti-aircraft guns. He describes ejecting from his burning plane. Smith talks about his survival training and his realization that escape and evasion would be impossible. He talks about turning off his beacon so that other pilots would not attempt to rescue him. He talks about his rough treatment after he was captured.

Keywords: 85 millimeter anti aircraft gun; Ammunition storage depot; Beeper; Blinfold; Briefing; Ejection; Escape and evade; Flameout; Gulf of Tonkin; Hanoi North Vietnam; Intelligence; Kép Air Base; Machete; Manacles; MiG-21 fighter plane; Prisoner of War (POW); Radio; Railroad; Survival equipment; Training

Subjects: Combat.; Prisoner of war; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Prisoners and prisons, American

Partial Transcript: Okay, uh, Colonel Smith, uh, tell me a little bit about that first night in the village.

Segment Synopsis: Smith talks about his first night of captivity in a North Vietnamese village. He describes his initial interrogation in the village during which he described a photograph of Ho Chi Minh as a goat, which resulted in a blow from a rifle butt. He talks about his transfer to Hanoi during which he was repeatedly run through gauntlets and beaten. He talks about being held in solitary confinement during his first weeks in Hanoi, and about continuous interrogation and torture. He recalls the challenges of resisting torture and interrogation. He says there are three types of faith that sustains a POW: faith in other POWs, faith in the country, and faith in God.

Keywords: Athiests; Blindfold; Code of conduct; Faith; Hanoi (Vietnam); Ho Chi Minh; Interrogation; Leg irons; Manacles; Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong); Military intelligence; Solitary confinement; Torture

Subjects: Prisoner of war; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Prisoners and prisons, American; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Psychological aspects

Partial Transcript: So, you, you thought you would get out?

Segment Synopsis: Smith talks about his early expectation of quick release from prison. He talks about life in prison and experiences such as torture, withheld mail, and communicating with other prisoners via tap code. He says prisoner isolation gradually ended after the death of Ho Chi Minh. He talks about prison food and general conditions. He describes the effect of the rare receipt of mail from home. He recalls how the North Vietnamese did not observe the Geneva Conventions. He talks about the forms and frequency of torture administered on prisoners.

Keywords: Beating; Bombings; Chains; Family; Geneva Convention card; Ho Chi Minh; James Stockdale; Jeremiah Denton; Letters from home; Mail; Prisoners of War (POWs); Sirens; Solitary confinement; Tap code; Tape recorders; Torture; Whipping

Subjects: Correspondence.; Prisoner of war; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Prisoners and prisons, American; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Psychological aspects

Partial Transcript: Tell me about, finding out about being released.

Segment Synopsis: Smith recalls hearing about his release after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in March of 1973. He talks about his emotional feelings upon his release. He says he does not recall any North Vietnamese who treated him well. He recalls that his return home was bittersweet because his family had moved on during his six year imprisonment. He talks about his homecoming celebration in Fairdale, Kentucky and his lengthy recovery. He talks about a testicular injury he received in Vietnam which might have prevented fathering more children, but that he has two more sons in spite of the injury. He speaks of his pride of service and the fact he was a POW. He speaks of his strengthened religious faith and pride of citizenship.

Keywords: Beatings; Broken family; Fairdale (Ky.); Hanoi (Vietnam); Lockheed C-141 Starlifter; North Vietnam; Paris Peace Accords; Prison guards; Prisoners of War (POWs); Rehabilitation; Religious faith; Russell McDaniel; Star Spangled Banner; Testicle injury; Torture

Subjects: Family life.; Prisoner of war; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Prisoners and prisons, American; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans--United States

Partial Transcript: Once you over, overcame the personal problems that, you know--of being in prison of, of family, how did you deal with the, uh--when once you found out what the country's attitude was toward the Vietnam War and what had happened in the interim while you were in prison? How did you deal with that?

Segment Synopsis: Smith talks about his expectation that Americans should be patriotic. Smith compares the treatment of World War II veterans as heroes and the Vietnam veterans who were treated badly because of the anti-war sentiment. He cites several reasons why he thinks the Vietnam conflict was justified. He talks of his contempt for anti-war demonstrators. He says that the United States did not lose the Vietnam conflict.

Keywords: Anti-war sentiment; Burma; Burning draft cards; Burning flags; Draft dodgers; Heroes; Indonesia; Jane Fonda; Liberal attitudes; Monuments; Patriotism; Spitting; Subversion; Thailand; The Philippines; Thomas Hayden; Vietnam veterans; War criminals; World War II veterans

Subjects: Anti-war demonstrations; News media; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Mass media and the war; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Press coverage.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Social aspects.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans--United States