Operation Thunderhead (39 page)

Nazi Germany

Nicholas II (Tsar of Russia)

night ambush masters, Navy SEALs

night traveling by North Vietnamese

Nihart, F. Brooke (Colonel)

90 percent chance of escape success order by SRO

Nixon, Richard M. (President)

Norris, Tomas (POW)

North American F-100 Super Sabre

North Korea

North Vietnamese

antiaircraft cannons

Blackbirds (SR-71) knowledge of

bowing demands by

chain dragging detect submarines

civilians used as defense

Code of Conduct knowledge by

consideration shown to Dramesi

control (complete) over POWs

“criminal” accusations by

Cuban Program

hatred of Americans by

hiding from

kindness shown to Americans by

movement of POWs by

Navy SEALS and knowledge of

night, traveling at

political indoctrination

prisoner release ploy

propaganda by

resistant POWs, separated from general population

SA-2 surface-to-air missiles

third escape attempt by Dramesi, death threat by

writing demands by

nuclear triad, U.S. military assets

 

O-3

observation missions, Navy SEALs

officers and enlisted men (familiarization), Navy SEALs

Operating Location 8 (OL-8) Operation Black Shield

Operation Diamond

Operation Freedom

Operation Kingpin

operations order (op-order)

Operation Thunderhead.
See also
Blackbirds (SR-71); Navy SEALs

air strikes around Hanoi and

authority for mission

Briarpatch Tango message

casting technique

chain dragging to detect submarines

cover story, demolition of gun batteries on Do Son Peninsula

cover story, recovery of high-ranking defectors

Earl Smith (Lieutenant Commander) and

Edwin L. Towers (Lieutenant Commander) and

Eric A. Knudson (Navy SEAL) and

Frank H. Sayle (Navy SEAL) and

friendly-fire at USS
Grayback

HH-3A Sikorsky Sea King search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters

John Chamberlain (Commander) and

John Lutz (UDT) and

launches of SDVs

Melvin S. Dry “Spence” (Navy SEAL) and

minus tide and SDVs

observation and listening post mission by Navy SEALs

officer on insertion mission argument

Philip L. “Moki” Martin (Navy SEAL) and

planning of POW rescue

rescue of SDV crews

Richard C. Hetzell (Navy SEAL) and

Robert M. Hooke (Navy SEAL) and

Robert W. Conger (Navy SEAL) and

Sam E. Birky (Navy SEAL) and

secrecy of operation

signals (red or yellow flag/light) from POWs

silent engine problems, SDVs

silent operation of USS
Grayback

Steve McConnell (UDT) and

surveillance operations

Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) and

Tim R. Reeves (Navy SEAL) and

Tom Edwards (UDT) and

Tom McGrath (UDT) and

training for

20/20 rule for helicopter casting technique

Operation Thunderhead (
continued
)

Typhoon Ora and

USS
Grayback
(LPSS 574) and

USS
Harold E. Holt
and

USS
Long Beach
(CGN-9) and

“venting the boat,” 252-253

Z-birds (inflatable rubber boats)

opposition to escape by POWs

Camp Unity

Zoo Annex Prison

“outside assistance” order by Reisner

outside support required for escape attempt

 

Package One (Ba Don)

parachuting from a damaged plane

Parrott, Thomas V. (POW)

Paul Doumer Bridge (Long Bien Bridge), Hanoi

“people catch people,” 40-41

personal hygiene

Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

Pha Phim (the Film Studio).
See also
Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

poison gases

Polaris-launching submarines

political indoctrination by North Vietnamese

Pollard, Ben (POW)

POWs.
See
prisoners of war

President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Military (POTUS)

Princip, Gavrilo

prisoner release ploy by North Vietnamese

prisoners of war (POWs).
See also
Camp Unity; Code of Conduct; Dirty Bird (Yen Phu Prison); disguises of escapees; Dramesi, John (POW); escape; food (starvation diet); Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison); interrogation sessions; medical care; morale boosters; North Vietnamese; Operation Thunderhead; personal hygiene; retaliation against POWs; senior ranking officers (SROs); sleep/sleep deprivation; water, need for; Zoo Annex Prison; Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

Alcatraz prison

American Civil War and

Bataan Death March

brainwashing of

Briarpatch Prison

Bushido code of moral principles

casualties of POWs

Crusades and

definition of

Dramesi's training

enslavement of POWs

exchanging POWs

fear of soldiers

fight-or-flight reaction of soldiers

food (starvation diet)

Geneva Convention

Hague Peace Conferences

“Hell Ships,” 17

Ho Chi Minh (death) and

Imperial Japanese Empire

increase in number of

International Red Cross and

killed, fear of being

Korean War and

leg irons on prisoners

Middle Ages and

movement of POWs by North Vietnamese

Operation Freedom

public opinion influence and

release of POWs after conflict

resistance groups and

Viet Cong (VC) and

war crimes

World War I and

World War II and

wounded, fear of being

propaganda by North Vietnamese

public opinion influence and POWs

Pugh, Tom (Major)

“pulling the trigger,” 37

punching out (ejection)

 

Quang Binh province

 

raised arms torture

Rapid Rabbit
(SR-71 #978)

Raugh, Bill (POW )

recapture of escapees

Atterberry and Dramesi, Zoo Annex Prison

Coker and McKnight, Dirty Bird (Yen Phu Prison)

Dramesi's first escape

reconnaissance systems operator (RSO)

Red River (North Vietnam)

Reeves, Tim R. (Navy SEAL)

Regulus guided missiles

Reisner, Robinson “Robbie” (POW )

Republic F-105D.
See
F-105D Thunderchief “Thud”

rescue missions of American POWs by Navy SEALs

rescue of SDV crews, Operation Thunderhead

resistance (Article III, Code of Conduct)

resistant POWs, separated from general population

resolve of Dramesi

Camp Unity

Dramesi's first experiences

Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

retaliation against POWs

threat of

Zoo Annex Prison

Rice, Ronnie (Major)

ripcord parachute system

roof (ceiling) escape from Zoo Annex Prison

Room #6, Zoo Annex Prison

Room #18 “Meathook Room” at Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

rope torture

ROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps)

Route Packages (RPs)

RP-6A zone

RSO (reconnaissance systems operator)

Rung Sat Special Zone (RSSZ) and Navy SEALs

Runyan, Al (POW)

Rutgers University

 

SA-2 “Guideline” missiles

SAC (Strategic Air Command)

“Sandy” (A1 Skyraider)

SAR (search-and-rescue) helicopters

Sayle, Frank H. (Navy SEAL)

Scarlet Rifles close-order drill teams

SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Vehicles)

SEALs.
See
Navy SEALs

SEAL Team One

SEAL Team Two

SEAL WESTPAC DET (West Pacific Detachment)

search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters

search-and-rescue units

secrecy of

Blackbirds (SR-71)

Operation Thunderhead

senior ranking officers (SROs)

Camp Unity

Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

Zoo Annex Prison

Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

sensor systems on Blackbirds (SR-71)

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (North Carolina)

Shaw, Scotty (UDT)

Sheffield, Butch (Major)

shooting during an escape

Shortell, M. J. (Navy SEAL)

signals (red or yellow flag/light) from POWs, Operation Thunderhead

Sikorsky Sea King helicopters (HH-3A)

silent engine problems (SDVs), Operation Thunderhead

“Six Boats” (SDVs)

6th Platoon

Skyraider (A1) “Sandy,” 41-43

sleep/sleep deprivation

Dramesi's first experiences

Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

slipstream, punching out

“smash,” 8

Smith, Earl (Lieutenant Commander)

soft-nosed (expanding bullets)

Son Tay camp raid

South China Sea

South Vietnamese and Navy SEALs

sovereign airspace

Soviet Union

“special food,” 119

special treatment not accepted (Article III, Code of Conduct)

speed of aircraft

Blackbirds (SR-71), Mach 3 to Mach 3.5

Dramesi's love of

F-105D Thunderchief

Mach 1, exceeding

punching out (ejection) and

20/20 rule for helicopter casting technique

Spencer, Bob (Major)

Spoon, Don (POW )

SR-71.
See
Blackbirds

SROs.
See
senior ranking officers

“Ss” (sympathy, snack packs, and sports) for POWs

starvation.
See
food

static-line parachute system

Stead Air Force Base (Nevada)

stealth aircraft

Steele, B. S. (Navy SEAL)

Stockdale (POW )

Stockman, Hervey (POW)

stocks torture

Stoner light machine guns

Strategic Air Command (SAC)

Subic Bay (Philippines)

Super Sabre (F-100)

surrender, never voluntary (Article II, Code of Conduct)

survival radio

Swedish K 9mm submachine gun

Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs)

sympathy, snack packs, and sports (“Ss”) for POWs

 

T33 trainer

tap conversations of POWs

Thai special operations and Navy SEALs

third escape attempt by Dramesi, death threat

Thirty Years War

Thorsness, Leo K. (Colonel, Retired)

“Thud.”
See
F-105D Thunderchief “Thud”

“Thud Ridge,” 7-8

torture

Dramesi's first experiences

Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison)

lack of torture at prisons

Zoo Annex Prison

Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

Towers, Edwin L. Towers (Lieutenant Commander)

training pilots

Trautman, Konrad W. (POW)

traveling irons

truck park bombing mission near Package One (Ba Don)

20/20 rule for helicopter casting technique

Two-Lane Blacktop
(film)

Typhoon Ora

 

U2

UDT Eleven

Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) .
See also
Navy SEALs; Operation Thunderhead

U.S. Air Force and Army

U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Seventh Fleet

USS
Buchanan

USS
Grayback
(LPSS 574)

USS
Growler

USS
Harold E. Holt

USS
Long Beach
(CGN-9)

USS
Midway

USS
Oklahoma City

USS
Sutherland

 

Vanishing Point
(film)

“venting the boat,” 252-253

Viet Cong (VC) and Navy SEALs

Vietnam War.
See also
Blackbirds (SR-71); Camp Unity; Code of Conduct; Dirty Bird (Yen Phu Prison); Dramesi, John; Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison); Navy SEALs; North Vietnamese; Operation Thunderhead; prisoners of war (POWs); Zoo Annex Prison; Zoo (Cu Loc Prison)

air support and infantry, integrating

antiwar movement in U.S.

Caucasian moving unnoticed through Asian population

CIA operations in Laos

civilians, avoided by U.S.

“danger close” distances

halt to bombing of North Vietnamese targets called by Johnson

Ho Chi Minh, death of

last Navy SEAL killed in action during Vietnam War

missing in action

savageness of land

U.S. Air Force and Army and