Imagine memorizing the names of 256 people, freed of thinking about anything other than survival, your memory would be razor sharp, plus you get the added benefit of playing your captors for what they mistakenly are thinking of you.
Sometime in the early morning hours of April 6, 1967,20-year-old Hegdahl was onboard the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin, three miles off the coast, when he was knocked overboard by the blast from a 5-inch gun mount. He swam and trod water until he was picked up several hours later by Vietnamese fishermen who treated him well
The interrogators first believed that Hegdahl was a commando or an agent. His story of being blown overboard seemed unbelievable to the interrogators. Hegdahl thought he would be much better off if he pretended to be of low intelligence. Hegdahl was physically maltreated for a few days before he was able to convince his captors that he was of little value for their propaganda campaign. His bumpkin demeanor and youthful appearance aided in his ability to convince them that he was no threat to them.
When asked to write statements against the United States, he agreed, but pretended to be unable to read or write, which was believable to his Vietnamese captors. Thinking they had someone who would be easily turned to their cause, they assigned someone to teach Hegdahl to read. After Hegdahl appeared to be incapable of learning to read and write, his captors gave up on him. Later, he came to be known to the Vietnamese as "The Incredibly Stupid One", and he was given nearly free run of the camp.
Then, with the help of Joseph Crecca, a U.S. Air Force officer and fellow prisoner, Hegdahl memorized names, capture dates, method of capture, and personal information of about 256 other prisoners.
Hegdahl was one of three POWs (along with Navy Lieutenant Robert Frishman and Air Force Captain Wesley Rumble) who were released on August 5, 1969, as a propaganda move by the North Vietnamese. Although the POWs had agreed that none would accept early release, they agreed that Hegdahl's release should be an exception. He was ordered to accept an early release so that he could provide the names of POWs being held by the North Vietnamese and reveal the conditions to which the prisoners were being subjected.
After his discharge, Hegdahl was sent to the Paris Peace Talks by Ross Perot in December 1970 and confronted the North Vietnamese with his first-hand information about the mistreatment of prisoners
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Sometime in the early morning hours of April 6, 1967,20-year-old Hegdahl was onboard the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin, three miles off the coast, when he was knocked overboard by the blast from a 5-inch gun mount. He swam and trod water until he was picked up several hours later by Vietnamese fishermen who treated him well
The interrogators first believed that Hegdahl was a commando or an agent. His story of being blown overboard seemed unbelievable to the interrogators. Hegdahl thought he would be much better off if he pretended to be of low intelligence. Hegdahl was physically maltreated for a few days before he was able to convince his captors that he was of little value for their propaganda campaign. His bumpkin demeanor and youthful appearance aided in his ability to convince them that he was no threat to them.
When asked to write statements against the United States, he agreed, but pretended to be unable to read or write, which was believable to his Vietnamese captors. Thinking they had someone who would be easily turned to their cause, they assigned someone to teach Hegdahl to read. After Hegdahl appeared to be incapable of learning to read and write, his captors gave up on him. Later, he came to be known to the Vietnamese as "The Incredibly Stupid One", and he was given nearly free run of the camp.
Then, with the help of Joseph Crecca, a U.S. Air Force officer and fellow prisoner, Hegdahl memorized names, capture dates, method of capture, and personal information of about 256 other prisoners.
Hegdahl was one of three POWs (along with Navy Lieutenant Robert Frishman and Air Force Captain Wesley Rumble) who were released on August 5, 1969, as a propaganda move by the North Vietnamese. Although the POWs had agreed that none would accept early release, they agreed that Hegdahl's release should be an exception. He was ordered to accept an early release so that he could provide the names of POWs being held by the North Vietnamese and reveal the conditions to which the prisoners were being subjected.
After his discharge, Hegdahl was sent to the Paris Peace Talks by Ross Perot in December 1970 and confronted the North Vietnamese with his first-hand information about the mistreatment of prisoners
