The man called “the stupid one” by his POW captors had a secret…
Written by Will Armstrong, History Associates Incorporated
19-year-old Seaman Apprentice Doug Hegdahl wasn’t your everyday Prisoner of War. Assigned to an ammunition handling room aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Canberra, Hegdahl was blown overboard by the blast of the ship’s guns as they fired on North Vietnamese positions in April 1967. As his ship sailed on, he was left adrift in the Gulf of Tonkin without a flotation device.
A North Vietnamese boat eventually picked up Hegdahl, who quickly dumbfounded his captors. With no identification, they assumed he was a covert operative, refusing to believe his true story. Hegdahl, however, began playing dumb. By playing up his humble rural South Dakota roots and claiming to be completely illiterate, he made himself appear useless to the North Vietnamese.
The Vietnamese moved Hegdahl from prison to prison before he ultimately wound up at the notorious “Hanoi Hilton.” It would prove to be a huge mistake for the North Vietnamese. There, Hegdahl met USAF Lt. Joe Crecca, an F-4 pilot who had been shot down in November 1966. Assuming that Hegdahl, so young and apparently useless to the enemy, would be a logical candidate for early release, Crecca helped him memorize the names and other vital information of more than 250 prisoners held in North Vietnam.
Hegdahl continued to keep his true aptitude hidden from his captors, who began referring to him as “The Incredibly Stupid One.” So unconcerned were they about Hegdahl’s activities that they allowed him to roam free around the prison courtyard—where he mentally recorded his most minute observations. While the North Vietnamese observed Hegdahl mindlessly sweeping the sidewalks, his fellow prisoners listened to the coded messages embedded in his sweeps. His American cellmate, Navy Lt.Cmdr. Dick Stratton, observed him disabling five North Vietnamese trucks by putting dirt in the gas tanks.
In August 1969, Hegdahl was indeed released by his captors. Of the three American POWs released that day, Hegdahl was the only one who was considered a legitimate “early release” by his comrades back in the Hanoi Hilton. Lt.Cmdr. Stratton, his superior, had ordered him to go. What the Vietnamese thought would be a propaganda coup quickly turned sour, when the unassuming Doug Hegdahl promptly revealed the names of his fellow POWs to American intelligence officials. He was the first to expose the harsh living conditions and brutal treatment that were a part of life at the Hanoi Hilton. At the Paris Peace Talks in 1970, he was present to confront his former captors directly.
After the war, Hegdahl served as a Navy survival instructor. He has never forgotten the list of names. Said his former cellmate, Dick Stratton, “’The Incredibly Stupid One’, my personal hero, is the archetype of the innovative, resourceful and courageous American Sailor…As long as we have the Dougs of this world, our country will retain its freedoms.”
The National Museum of Americans in Wartime honors the service of Doug Hegdahl and all other Americans who have served the cause of freedom.
By Elizabeth Newberry on March 16th, 2009 |
There is a film somewhere that goes into further detail about Hegdahl. I will try to find out the name for any who are interested.
3 comments:
Interesting story! Especially in a time when so many seem so willing to exaggerate their accomplishments, it is interesting to see how much can be accomplished by those who choose to fly under the radar.
That is amazing how Doug Hegdahl managed to trick his captors into thinking he was dumb and illiterate. I don't think that i could have done that because i am not a good actor. Also it is cool how he could remember all those names. Do you know if he is still alive. Also do you know what the code was for his shoes.
Berkeley F.
I loved the story. I thought that it was pretty cool how Doug Hegdahl could remember all of those names. Is he still alive right now?
-MR2
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