[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 26 (Thursday, February 16, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H812-H813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ALCATRAZ ELEVEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Dold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to American men 
and women in uniform, but specifically to an era in the Vietnam 
conflict that I think did not get as much thanks as it deserves.
  On February 11, 1965, flying off of the USS Coral Sea, Lieutenant 
Commander Robert Harper Shumaker, flying an F 8 Crusader, was shot down 
over North Vietnam. His parachute deployed about 35 feet before he hit 
the ground. His back was broken upon impact. He was immediately 
captured and paraded through the streets.
  They took him to what became known at that time as the Hoa Lo Prison. 
This was going to be the main facility that would house POWs over the 
next several years. This prison was then dubbed by Commander Shumaker 
as what we know it today, the Hanoi Hilton. This was an area where a 
number of POWs were tortured on a regular basis. Lieutenant Commander 
Shumaker was the second American pilot shot down. At that point in 
time, it was somewhat of a blessing because the news media actually got 
pictures and was able to send word back to his family that he was, 
indeed, alive. That same fate would not be given to many other POWs, 
which is why the POWs spent time each and every day memorizing the 
names, the ranks, of all of the other 591 POWs that would go through 
the halls of the Hanoi Hilton.
  The Hanoi Hilton wasn't the only prison, however. Eleven members of 
the United States military were actually taken out of the Hoa Lo Prison 
and brought over to what would become known as Alcatraz. These became 
known as the Alcatraz Eleven. These were considered by the North 
Vietnamese to be the eleven greatest threats to camp security. We had 
men like Jeremiah Denton, who was a senator from Alabama, Jim 
Stockdale, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, George 
Coker, Ron Storz, and I'm pleased to say a Member of this body, Sam 
Johnson.
  In Alcatraz, these men spent literally years in solitary confinement 
in a 3-by-9 foot box with a single lightbulb which was kept on all the 
time. They were tortured on a regular basis if they were caught 
communicating. Lieutenant Commander Shumaker was actually known amongst 
his peers as ``the great communicator.''
  They'd devised a tap code earlier, the tap code which would become 
famous for those going through POW training, survival training.
  It was a 5-by-5 box. Starting in the top row, A, B, C, D, E--they cut 
out ``K'' so they could have an even 5-by-5 box. They would communicate 
unbelievable volumes of knowledge. Lieutenant Commander Shumaker 
actually taught French through the walls to Sam Johnson.
  In that solitary confinement, again, if they were caught 
communicating, they were tortured, so there was a reluctance to 
communicate. But that's

[[Page H813]]

how they kept themselves alive. That's how they exercised the one most 
important muscle out there, and that was their brain.
  Just a couple days ago, Mr. Speaker, marked the 39th anniversary of 
their release, February 12, 1973. So, although we were not here in this 
body--we were at home--I felt it appropriate to come up and talk about 
the anniversary.
  Lieutenant Commander Shumaker holds a near and dear place in my 
heart. He happens to be my uncle. When my wife and I had our first 
child, we decided to name her Harper after him.
  This is an example of the bravery that goes on each and every day for 
our men and women in uniform. Not a day goes by that I don't thank the 
good Lord for the men and women that are protecting our Nation each and 
every day. But I don't look at the picture of my uncle upon his capture 
and say it's never going to be that bad.
  The stories are remarkable, and they continue to come in day and day 
out because they don't like to talk about them. This was a unique group 
of individuals that the American public was actually in support of. The 
Vietnam conflict wasn't very supported, but everybody in America was 
supportive of the POWs that were putting their lives on the line.
  They would resist time and again from giving up information, and yet 
the North Vietnamese would continue to bring them in to try and torture 
them for additional information.
  Mr. Speaker, we are blessed to have countless American heroes amongst 
us, but I am proudest of my Uncle Bob Shumaker.

                          ____________________