Bombardier/Navigator Lt. Cdr. Michael D. Christian
and pilot
Lt. Lewis I. Williams were assigned to Attack Squadron 85
onboard the USS
KITTY HAWK (CVA 63). On April 24, 1967, their A6A Intruder attack
bomber was launched on a daylight strike mission into North Vietnam.
Approximately 3 miles from the target, their port (left) wing was hit by
85mm
anti-aircraft fire and was subsequently engulfed in flames. Lt. Williams
reversed course and jettisoned his ordnance before both crewmen ejected.
Both men were seen to land in an open field about 100
yards apart and established radio contact with airborne aircraft. The
crewmen appeared uninjured and reported their condition as good. The
ejection occurred in a well-defended, populated area near the city of
Kep in Ha Bac Province, and capture was almost immediate.
Williams and Christian were held in various locations in Hanoi, North
Vietnam
before they were released in March 1973.
"Mike Christian was 'famous' for improvising an
American Flag out of scraps
and availible materials so that all the POW's could recite daily the
Pledge
of Allegiance. This galvanized the Americans in maintaining their faith
in
each other and their country. When Mike was discovered with his
'contraband', he was taken out of the cell and tortured severely all
night
long. When the beatings were over, it took 2 weeks of nursing back to
health by the other POW's, but the first thing he did was to fabricate
another American Flag"
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Some extracts
used in this Biography were provided thanks
to the generosity of Charles and Mary Schantag who
also gave permission to include the following POWNET biography
link
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