Home, brew and Jesus helped Vietnam POW escape

By Michelle Charter
SA Reporter

With Jesus watching over him, and some potent alcohol, Vietnam prisoner of war Gilbert Chance of Salitpa, is alive today to tel1 of his imprisonment and escape from Hanoi almost 34 years ago.

On July 16, 1966, Chance then a Chief Sergeant in the United States Air force Intelligence Division, was shot down over North Vietnam while flying an undercover surveillance operation to determine troop movement. He explained they were working under the guise of weathermen and their
jumpsuits even had weather service badges.

Chance, who was camera operator for the mission, and the two other men with him, Capt. Morgan and Capt. Murphy, were captured by the North Vietnamese near Laos and taken to China.

"Once we hit the ground we were captured and taken to China and they put us on television," explained the POW. "They were trying to show the world we were spies."

The three men were next taken to a prison camp outside Hanoi, where they were contained in a 16 x 16 cell with bamboo bars and a cement floor. At night, Chance said, they were shackled down to prevent escape. Although they knew there were other prisoners in the camp, Chance and his fellow
soldiers had very little contact with anyone else.

"Just about everyday we would get a whoopin'," he explained. He described the brutal beatings and burns inflicted upon him and told of the scars both physical and emotional that remain today. "About the only thing you could do when they got in your face was to spit at them."

The POW kept track of his days in prison with a makeshift calendar, using whatever he could find to write with. Each night he said he prayed and thought of wife, children, parents and Jesus, who gave him the determination to continue each day.

His captors found out Chance could cook and assigned him to work in the cooking area.

With men dying like flies of dysentery. Chance explained he took it upon himself to make sure the pots used for cooking were thoroughly cleaned to avoid contamination. He modestly admitted that he was later told that many lives were saved because of his efforts in the cooking area.

Unbeknownst to the prison guards, Chance had been setting aside potatoes, rice and other odds and ends including battery acid he would later use to concoct a home brew.

On August 20, 1967, Chance used his home brew to intoxicate five prison guards enabling himself and the two other men to escape into the jungle. In only swimming trunks and car tire shoes, Chance and the two captains followed a river, which flowed south for seven days and seven nights.

The men, emaciated from prison, survived on roots. One night Chance said they caught a giant rat and ate it raw. "I can't eat squirrel now," he joked.

"You walked with Jesus, prayed with Him and slept with Him," he said. "While out in the jungle you listened to Him."

Eventually the trio, hearing gun-fire, were located by an American unit led by Reginald Dozier. Chance, said he ran up and threw his arms around Dozier, a moment he will never forget.

Chance later discovered they had walked more than 500 miles from the prison before they located the troops near Pleiku.

After 13 months as a POW, Chance had gone from 218 pounds to a mere 96 pounds. He and the captains were transported to a hospital in the Philippines. After a brief stay there he was sent to a Denver, Colo. hospital where he was reunited first with his father.

"I said to my father. Well, I made it, and he said to me, 'Yes you did son.

Ninety days later Chance returned to his home in Selma where he saw his wife and children for the first time in more than a year.

As he recalled his experience, Chance attributes his survival to many factors including Jesus and his childhood growing up on a farm out-side of Selma. The hard life on a farm equipped him with skills he used to survive the prison.

"The good Lord ain't gonna put more on you than you can stand," he said. "If you live by Him, He will see you through anything."

Chance continued his Air Force career, becoming a non-commissioned officer. In the later years he was sent to an island in the South Atlantic where several troops had committed suicide. He improved
conditions for soldiers stationed on the island by providing them with recreation facilities and entertainment.

His first wife never completely recovered from his absence and the marriage eventually ended. His three son 5, Mike, Bill and the late Tommy Chance. All followed in his footsteps choosing careers in the military.

Chance   was   awarded   the Congressional Medal of Honor, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal (three times), Unit Award (four times), Vietnam Service Medal and the Purple Heart.

"I don't want to be a hero in anyone's eyes. I was just doing my job," said. 'I love this country. There is nothing I wouldn't do. I was prepared at one time to give my life and I would do it again."

In 1989 Chance came to Jackson to assist a friend at the Jackson Piggly Wiggly Store. What was intended to be a 90-day stay, wound up permanent when he met and married the former Jeraline Carr.

In 1999 Chance suffered a stroke which has left him partially blind. Today he and Jeraline live in Salitpa and have 14 grandchildren and 300 peach trees to keep them busy.

Salitpa Man's name is added to list of 'phony' Vietnam vets

By Michelle Charter
SA Reporter

According to government records there is no evidence to support the claim that Gilbert Chance of Salitpa was a Vietnam prisoner of war or Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

"No one by the name of Gilbert Chance was ever a Vietnam prisoner of war," according to Chief of Public Affairs Larry Greer of the Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office (DPMO).

The Salitpa man's name is also not included in a list of CMOH winners from the government or Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

In the May 25 edition of The South Alabamian it was reported that Chance, serving in an Air Force intelligence division, was shot down while on temporary duty July 16, 1966 over Laos flying a surveillance mission. He claimed he was taken to a prison near Hanoi along with the two other airmen on the mission and escaped months later by intoxicating prison guards with a home brew he made.

Vietnam veterans and military personnel, current and retired, responded to the story alleging Chance is a "phony".

Chance however maintains his claim citing a government cover-up, although according to various sources, including former Vietnam POW's and veterans, information from the Vietnam war is no longer classified.

"Just retract it then," Chance said last Friday referring to the story. "I know what happened, but proving it is going to be a difficult situation.

"I just want to say due to the classified nature of my missions, what I've said cannot be substantiated. But I know what happened and I've got scars as a result of it, physically and mentally, that I'll never get out of my system."

A copy of his military discharge form (DD2 14) provided to the newspaper by Chance cites no overseas duty and no listing of a MOH. The form indicates his primary specialty title was personnel superintendent. A copy of his military records was requested by the newspaper from the Military Personnel Records Facility in St. Louis, Mo., but was not received at press time.

Chance said when airmen are assigned temporary duty, the military doesn't change his main duty station.

"I could have been assigned to Ascension Island, but be in Washington, D.C.," he said. "The government makes stuff up and covers things up. They will do anything to protect security.

"My military records aren't going to prove anything. They (government) do a good job of covering up."

Lt. Commander Michael John McGrath, a United States Navy pilot shot down over North Vietnam and held prisoner for six years, is President of the NAM-POWS Corporation. The nonprofit group is a fraternal organization of the POWs from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China. The group seeks information on person's claiming to be POWs.

According to information provided by McGrath, persons who falsely claim to be POWs are unable to provide specific details about their captivity and claim they were captured on a mission that is still classified.

"The, 'I can't compromise classified information,' ploy is phony," he said. "There are no classified missions or details. The war has been over for 27 years. CIA cover stories always fall apart when examined. We are free to talk about any mission or experience that happened."

The DPMO has a list of POWs and others unaccounted for during the war. The list contains the names of 3,755 men and women who were at some point listed as missing or POW for even one day. According to McGrath only 801 of those 3,755 are known to have come out alive-through escape, early release from enemy control, or through negotiated repatriation at the end of the Vietnam War. Of those, 660 who came out alive were U.S. military personnel and 141 were civilians or foreign nationals.

McGrath stated that regardless if a prisoner was CIA, secret operative, civilian or foreign national - if they were captured they are listed.

Chance claimed that the two other men captured and escaped with him were named Murphy and Morgan. McGrath, who was shot down June 30, 1967 and held until March 4, 1973, said two men by the name of Morgan were POWs. One of the men, Hershel Scott Morgan, was one of his prison roommates, the other, Gary Morgan, an Air Force enlisted man, was shot down April 3, 1965 and held for eight years.

There are seven other Morgans listed as either killed or missing in action.

Air Force Capt. John Murphy was shot down in an F43 over South Vietnam, June 8. 1972. Three other men with the name Murphy are listed as killed in action, bodies not recovered.

Chance also claimed that while held captive, he and the other two men were contained in a 16x16 bamboo cell with cement floors. He said he was assigned kitchen duty while the two other men worked the fields.

McGrath, who was at one time held in Hoa Lo, or the Hanoi Hilton, explained that in North Vietnam prisoners were kept in brick buildings with walls. Prisoners' only kitchen duty was to make coal balls, used for heating. Prisoners were never allowed out into the fields, even though he said they would have liked to have been for the exercise.

As far as Chances claim of a home brew, McGrath said prisoners sometimes had extra water jugs and with some extra fruit they tried once to ferment the fruit, but the results were mold. They had no additional access to food which was cooked and brought to their cells and they had no way of obtaining battery acid because they had no access to any vehicles.

According to Jackson physician Dr. Sid Crosby, battery acid contains sulfuric acid, which if ingested would burn the mouth, esophagus and stomach.

Local Vietnam veterans, Gay DeWitt, Bill Werther and Bill Taylor questioned the alleged 500 mile escape by Chance and the other men to Pleiku, where he was said to be found.

According to the three men, Chance would have encountered mountains where the terrain would have made it impossible to travel in seven months let alone seven days.

Chance also claimed when he and the other men made it out of the jungle they were found by a troop, led by Reginald Dozier of Uniontown, Ala.

The South Alabamian contacted Dozier, who said Chance had recently called him. According to Dozier, he informed Chance that he had never heard of him, nor did he even serve in Vietnam. Dozier said he did however serve in Korea.

Chance said when he spoke to Dozier, Dozier told him his mind was slipping and even if he could recall him, people would not believe him.

Chance's brother, Edward Chance of Selma, sister Ann Pendley of Prattville and sister Amanda Bolten of Foley, stated to the best of their knowledge he had never served in Vietnam and was not a POW, but he was in the Air Force.

The physical scars Chance has on his left side, which he claimed were inflicted during his imprisonment, according to his ex-wife, Gladys Schuffred of Prattville, in fact were the result of a house fire which occurred when the family lived in Alexandria, Va. She did, however, state that he was gone for about a year in 1967, but could not recall where he had gone.

Family members also indicated Chance never told them he was a MOH recipient.

When asked who presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to him, Chance replied, "President (Richard M.) Nixon." He said the presentation took place in March after Nixon took office in January 1969.

According to the Department of Defense Manual of Military Decorations and Awards Procedures, recommendations for the MOH must contain the endorsement of the subordinate Unified Commander or Joint Task Force Commander, if involved; the Unified or Specified Commander concerned and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After action is taken if the medal is awarded it is presented by the President of the United States in a formal ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Although POWs and veterans alike have expressed outrage over the story told by Chance, they have said he is not the only one attempting to steal their honor.

Because of the inability to prove the claims made by Chance, his name has has been added to a list including more than 400 other "phony" Vietnam veterans.

APPEARING ON THE EDITORIAL PAGE:

Taking someone's word is not always the best thing to do

Yankee Doodlings

By Michelle Charter
SA Reporter

Jackson resident and Vietnam Veteran Bill Werther came into the office two weeks ago.

'Gilbert Chance was not a Vietnam prisoner of war and he did not receive the Medal of Honor," he said.

I don't think at that time I understood the significance of those words, nor did I realize the grave error I committed in writing a story I truly believed was a tribute to a man I thought was a hero.

We were provided two web addresses where we could verify POW's and MOH recipients. We did not find the name Gilbert G. Chance on the lists.

I could not believe that the simple man who days before had sat in my office retelling his "Vietnam experience" made up the story.

A pile of e-mail sits on my desk from Vietnam veterans and ex-military personnel from across the United States. Gay DeWitt of Jackson, another Vietnam veteran, sent a copy of my story via the Internet to fellow veterans.

In response, veterans from all over the country e-mailed The South Alabamian. The responses we received angered and upset me.

"This man is an impostor on all counts. He was not a POW, he was not awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and he was not in Vietnam. Either your reporter checked absolutely no facts before publishing this or the reporter fabricated the story," wrote Donald S. Lewis ,a veteran from Texas.

A multitude of other e-mails questioned why I did not check the facts and accused me of inventing the story.

Well. I did not fabricate the story and no I did not check the facts. I had no reason to check the facts. I took Mr. Chance at his word, which in small town America is rarely questioned.

Mr. Chance told his story with such sincerity and emotion, that even after receiving the e-mails and verifying the fact he was not in official records as a POW or MOH recipient, part of me still wanted to believe the man was telling the truth.

"This story has many glaring errors which point out it is a falsehood from Mr. Chance," wrote Terry Halladey, a retired veteran from Melbourne, Fla. "Anyone who has spent time in the military and/or combat should be able to pick them out. As a Vietnam vet with two years in country I find this story to be a slap in the face to the true vets."

I am not a military veteran, and my history of the Vietnam era is limited. Maybe as some say, "bells should have gone off in my head." Maybe, due to my lack of education of Vietnam and the fact that I may have wanted to believe the story, I never questioned any of the information.

The more letters I read the more I was upset that people could write with such anger and hatred. Although some letters were understanding of the situation.

As I began my research of the Vietnam War, I discovered hundreds of "wannabe and phony" Vietnam veterans existed, and I began to understand where the anger and hatred stemmed from.

Albeit unintentionally, I had insulted the memory and honor of thousands of men and women who did in fact serve in Vietnam and thousands of others who died in the conflict. The magnitude of my error hit me and it hit me hard. I accept full responsibility for my poor judgement and the pain it has caused both the veterans and their families, the local community and the family of Mr. Chance.

I can say that I am sorry, but I know that will not make up for my mistake, which is why I was determined to find the whole truth regarding Mr. Chance's story.

I spoke with Vietnam POW and president of NAM-POW, Mike McGrath, who currently resides in Colorado and assists in uncovering false Vietnam stories.

Mr. McGrath explained to me the basic components of all phony stories, including the typical "There will be no records because of the classification of the mission," and "My records were destroyed in a fire."

Mr. McGrath, a verifiable Vietnam POW held in Hanoi, was also instrumental is giving me a better understanding of the Vietnam War and the facts associated with actual imprisonment. Thank you Mr. McGrath.

I also appreciate the direction and support provided by Mary Schantag, a member of P.0.W. Network, an organization dedicated to honoring Vietnam POW's.

Mr. Werther, Mr. Dewitt and former Jackson Police Chief and Vietnam veteran Bill Taylor also contributed tremendous information to assist in refuting the aspects of Mr. Chance's story.

Now, I realize the significance of receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Prior to this story I was unaware of the importance of this award. I am embarrassed that I accepted Mr. Chance and his claims without verifying the truth.

During my research I learned people in our country view Vietnam veterans as long-haired, motorcycle riding, unemployed drug addicts. During the Vietnam Era, those involved in the war were mistreated and disrespected by many in this country. Though it has taken almost 30 years, perceptions have changed and now more than 400 known "phonies" have claimed association with the war.

Mr. DeWitt brought in some information pertaining to Vietnam veterans, that helped clear some of my misconceptions as well, including a book entitled "Stolen Valor; How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History".

According to a Lt. Gen. Barry R. McCaffey in a I 993 speech, a Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18-percent. Vietnam veterans have lower unemployment rate than our non-vet age group.

In 1986 General William C. Westmoreland stated the following:

There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam veterans and non-veterans of the same age group (from a Veterans Administration study).

Vietnam veterans are less likely to be in prison-only one-half of one-percent of Vietnam veterans have been jailed for crimes.

Two-thirds of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. Two-thirds of the men who served in WWIl were drafted.

There is additional information, Mr. DeWitt provided regarding the Vietnam War which can be accessed at www.vhfcn.org/stats.htm.

Again, I apologize to those I offended in writing the story. I never meant to hurt anyone, I only meant to honor a man I thought was a hero. It was a small town mistake by a big city girl who fell in love with the idea of trust.

For more information on Medal of Honor recipients go to www.cmohs.org/recipients.htm.
POW information can be accessed at www.asde.net/~pownet/gl.htm.

Vet's claims unsubstantiated ...What can we say?
We made a mistake and we regret having made it.

It was an interesting story about a local man who claims to have served in covert operations in the far East during the Vietnam War and who claims to have been a prisoner of war after being shot down in Laos. He also claims to have been awarded this nation's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. It appears all of it was a hoax.

If this newspaper had verified the man's claim as a Vietnam POW and as a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, the story would never have been published. According to military records the man in question never was a POW and never received the medal.

If we had taken the time to check that out, flags would have gone up and the story, intriguing or not, would have been placed in file 13.

The story of the man's supposed capture in Laos has circulate in the Jackson area for years. A family member brought it tour attention.

The man in question tells a captivating story, claiming all the time that he should not be portrayed as a war hero. To see and listen to the 64-year-old man, you would want to trust him and accept whatever he says as the truth.

He still stands behind his story and points out that the U.S. government will do anything to cover covert operations. He said only he and God know that what he says is true.

It is bad that we cannot accept a person at his or her word without having to double check behind them, but apparently that what we must keep in mind in the future.

We have a deep reverence for all citizens of our great country ho have served in the military, particularly those who fought in the various wars. In our opinion, recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor are on an even higher pedestal.

Could the man in question be right? Could our government cover up his record in order to protect classified information about covert actions, or is he just a hoax?

Regardless, the fact remains, the man is not listed on the offal role of American prisoners of war in Vietnam. He is not listed as a Medal of Honor winner and he is not listed as having seen duty in Vietnam.

The verification of this man's record should have, been made and the editor-publisher takes responsibility for not having done so. It was a hard-learned lesson for the reporter as well as her boss.

-MMB

Distributed through the P.O.W. NETWORK in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.