thedrifter
01-15-06, 09:08 AM
POW eager to meet McCain
Spartanburg Herald-Journal ^ | Jan 15, 2006 | Janet Spencer
Ret. Lt. Col. Ted Ballard lived in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war cell next to Sen. John McCain for two years. On Monday, McCain, a Republican who served as a Navy captain, will be in Ballard's hometown. McCain has been invited to the Spartanburg County Republican Party's annual banquet and the community's celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Ballard is an Air Force veteran, former ROTC teacher and graduate of Spartanburg High School. McCain is a potential presidential candidate. They still haven't met. But their close living quarters almost 35 years ago -- up to 40 men in each cell -- promoted a common bond. Prisoners in each cell communicated what was going on in the camps. They kept tabs on each other's condition and relayed messages for senior commanders. "Of course, it was all covert," Ballard said. Ballard said he keeps up with McCain's career and describes him as a valiant warrior. "He was one of the strongest and toughest resisters in the camp," Ballard said. "He's a conservative. I am, also -- most military are. He has my support," he said. Ballard and McCain resisted the enemy's attempt to force them to reveal military information. In his writings, "Christmases in the Dungeons of North Vietnam," Ballard describes the torture, pain, sadness and devotion to God and his country and praying for POWs who were still suffering from wounds. In 1969, the first 10 months were the worst that he spent in captivity. An escape effort failed, causing the Vietnamese to react with extreme brutality.
By December, the POWs made Christmas cards for men in other areas and "air-mailed" them. They tied rocks to the paper and threw them from one courtyard to the other, he wrote.
Ballard remained a prisoner for 6½ years. McCain was released after 5½ years. After returning to Spartanburg in the 1970s, Ballard taught ROTC at Gaffney High School from 1975 to 1997. He remains in touch with fellow POWs via the Internet. "There are about 350 of us. We are able to pretty much keep up with each other and know where each is," he said. Former students recall Ballard's stories of life as a prisoner of war. Dave Womick of Cowpens recalls days as a student at Gaffney High School when Ballard would share his experiences during assemblies. "I always thought of him as an honorable man. I found his stories to be inspirational," Womick said. Womick's sister, Carolyn Pack, was a student of Ballard's. She went on to serve six years in the National Guard as a paralegal and attained the rank of Spec. 5.
"He was one of my favorite teachers. He told us how his plane was shot down, and he woke up with the enemy stabbing at him with a bayonet. How they tried to force him to reveal secrets. As a teacher, he seemed almost unscathed and so energetic to share what the prisoners endured," Pack said.
Janet Spencer can be reached at 562-7222 or janet.spencer@shj.com
Ellie
Spartanburg Herald-Journal ^ | Jan 15, 2006 | Janet Spencer
Ret. Lt. Col. Ted Ballard lived in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war cell next to Sen. John McCain for two years. On Monday, McCain, a Republican who served as a Navy captain, will be in Ballard's hometown. McCain has been invited to the Spartanburg County Republican Party's annual banquet and the community's celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Ballard is an Air Force veteran, former ROTC teacher and graduate of Spartanburg High School. McCain is a potential presidential candidate. They still haven't met. But their close living quarters almost 35 years ago -- up to 40 men in each cell -- promoted a common bond. Prisoners in each cell communicated what was going on in the camps. They kept tabs on each other's condition and relayed messages for senior commanders. "Of course, it was all covert," Ballard said. Ballard said he keeps up with McCain's career and describes him as a valiant warrior. "He was one of the strongest and toughest resisters in the camp," Ballard said. "He's a conservative. I am, also -- most military are. He has my support," he said. Ballard and McCain resisted the enemy's attempt to force them to reveal military information. In his writings, "Christmases in the Dungeons of North Vietnam," Ballard describes the torture, pain, sadness and devotion to God and his country and praying for POWs who were still suffering from wounds. In 1969, the first 10 months were the worst that he spent in captivity. An escape effort failed, causing the Vietnamese to react with extreme brutality.
By December, the POWs made Christmas cards for men in other areas and "air-mailed" them. They tied rocks to the paper and threw them from one courtyard to the other, he wrote.
Ballard remained a prisoner for 6½ years. McCain was released after 5½ years. After returning to Spartanburg in the 1970s, Ballard taught ROTC at Gaffney High School from 1975 to 1997. He remains in touch with fellow POWs via the Internet. "There are about 350 of us. We are able to pretty much keep up with each other and know where each is," he said. Former students recall Ballard's stories of life as a prisoner of war. Dave Womick of Cowpens recalls days as a student at Gaffney High School when Ballard would share his experiences during assemblies. "I always thought of him as an honorable man. I found his stories to be inspirational," Womick said. Womick's sister, Carolyn Pack, was a student of Ballard's. She went on to serve six years in the National Guard as a paralegal and attained the rank of Spec. 5.
"He was one of my favorite teachers. He told us how his plane was shot down, and he woke up with the enemy stabbing at him with a bayonet. How they tried to force him to reveal secrets. As a teacher, he seemed almost unscathed and so energetic to share what the prisoners endured," Pack said.
Janet Spencer can be reached at 562-7222 or janet.spencer@shj.com
Ellie