[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2096]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 ADMIRAL ROBERT HARPER SHUMAKER ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS CAPTURE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Dold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, February 11, 2015. What is the special 
significance? We become involved in our routines and our 
responsibilities. We greet our colleagues, and the day continues. This 
was not the case 50 years ago.
  A young Navy pilot climbed into the cockpit of his F-8 Crusader 
aboard the USS Coral Sea, readying himself for a mission over North 
Vietnam.
  Now, imagine yourself, Mr. Speaker, as a young naval aviator. They 
are some of the best that we have in our Armed Forces--some may say a 
little cocky. They are actually able to fly a flying engine, in 
essence. An F-8 Crusader can go faster than the speed of sound. They 
can fly missions and actually land back on a ship at night in rough 
seas.
  So, 50 years ago today, this young naval aviator boarded his F-8 
Crusader and was going to fly a low-level mission about 1,000 feet 
above the surface. Yet, after he took on some fire, very quickly he 
realized that he was in some trouble. The cockpit filled with smoke, 
and he had a very short amount of time to exit the plane. His parachute 
opened at about 35 feet above the ground, and he broke his back upon 
impact. This young pilot's world had just changed--and dramatically. 
What was he going to do with the pain? His first thought was: ``When am 
I going to be killed?'' He was picked up very quickly and was marched 
by bayonet.
  The interesting thing, Mr. Speaker, is that, as the second American 
aviator shot down over North Vietnam, he was a prize and, therefore, 
was photographed. While this may not seem lucky, it was actually very 
fortunate in the fact that his family now knew and the people back in 
the United States now knew that he was alive and in captivity. He was, 
indeed, one of the lucky ones because, as the POWs would mount over 
this conflict in Vietnam, many did not have that same luck.
  On having broken his back on impact, he was looking for medical 
attention. The medical attention he received was a white robe and a 
bunch of cameras, taking pictures, and as soon as the cameras left, the 
extent of his medical treatment ceased. He was taken to the Hoa Lo 
Prison, which we now affectionately know as the Hanoi Hilton. He was 
the one who was eventually credited with naming the Hanoi Hilton.
  As those who know who have been in captivity and as many of us have 
read, when you are in captivity, you are able to give your captors four 
basic--what they call the big four--pieces of information: your name, 
your rank, your serial number, and your date of birth. As we know, this 
obviously was not going to be enough.
  Over the next 8 years and a day, this naval aviator endured some of 
the worst torture. At some point in time, everyone breaks, and the 
torture that they endured and that this man endured eventually had to 
give--whether it was sitting on broomsticks for days at a time or tying 
your arms behind your back and then having your elbows brought together 
by ropes and then slowly risen above your head. So he did give some 
additional information.
  His father was a lawyer but also owned a farm in Pennsylvania. The 
Vietnamese wanted to know how many chickens did they have. At some 
point in time, he said: That is pretty innocuous information. I will 
let them know--19 chickens. He knew when he got back to his cell, and 
some of these cells, Mr. Speaker, were about 3 by 9, some 4 by 9. Now, 
just imagine spending 10 hours in a 4-by-9-foot space, not to mention 
2\1/2\ years of solitary confinement, 8 years in captivity. So he gave 
this additional information, and as he went back to his cell, he 
realized it was going to get worse and worse. He tried to take his own 
life, Mr. Speaker, because he thought he had let his country down.
  Communication, however, was a huge savior--a savior for himself and 
for the other men who would be in captivity--that sense of camaraderie, 
that sense of making sure that your brain could continue to focus on 
other things, that message to keep them and their spirits up. They 
devised a tap code. It was a 5-by-5 metric of A, B, C, D, E and the 
next line of F, G, H, I, J. They left out the K because that would not 
make it a 5-by-5-foot box.
  His courage, his integrity, his leadership and loyalty to his fellow 
prisoners--his love of country--cemented faith wherever present. His 
valor in the face of the impossible ensured that he returned with 
honor.
  Lieutenant Commander Robert Harper Shumaker--now Admiral Shumaker--
holds a near and dear place in my heart. He happens to be my uncle. 
When my wife and I had our first daughter, we decided to name her 
Harper after one of the most incredible people we know.
  Mr. Speaker, my daughter gave me very clear instructions before I 
came here, and that was to let everyone know how much we love this 
American hero. In my office, I keep two pictures: one of the day he was 
shot down, and the other of the day he was reunited with his family. 
They were reminders to me not of the darkness and cruelty of war but of 
the power of faith and the strength of a brotherhood and the honor that 
no one could take away.
  On the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest hours endured by an 
American aviator, let the record show that we stand and applaud this 
most revered American patriot.

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