When Veterans Come Home - Part 2

Adam Hammond

Story Created: Feb 17, 2010 at 9:49 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 18, 2010 at 4:01 PM CDT

Gus Allbritton thought coming home from war would be different.

"I will suffer and deal with my experiences from Vietnam for the rest of my life," said Allbritton.

He was injured three times leaving wounds that would change him forever, but Allbritton believes he survived for a reason... to ensure others like him don't simply trade one battle for another.

"We did not receive a good welcome at all... as a matter of fact my generation will make sure no other generation goes through what we went through. No other generation will be thrown away the way we were," said Allbritton....

SHOWS OFF VA POW ID CARD. Claims Airborne, Ranger.
MEMBER OF VFW, DAV AND COMBAT VETERANS GROUP INC.
Reluctant to talk about capture because it was such a "short" period of time.
Claims Ranger, having 3 purple hearts (he has framed), being a POW for that short period of time.

MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN EX-POWS CHAPTER IN WARNER ROBINS GA AS A VIETNAM EX-POW.

SERVED in Vietnam as Rifleman/Grenadier/Machine Gunner. In Nam Aug 69-Aug 70. NOT a POW.

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From: "Gus Allbritton" <allbrittong@bellsouth.net>
To: <info@pownetwork.org>
Subject: POW
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 05:45:33 -0400

I am Gus Allbritton I am NOT a POW. Some people who place information on this site to intentionally and maliciously damage someone and they know how to make someone look foolish. This was a deliberate act of libel. The brave men who endured the torture and suffering of that status are the bravest of all American Hero's. Again ANYONE can post anything here without being authenicated

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From: "Gus Allbritton" <allbrittong@bellsouth.net>
To: "P.O.W. Network - Chuck and Mary Schantag" <info@pownetwork.org>
Subject: Important
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 20:29:32 -0400

Chuck, I got your email about the issue contained on your web-site. None of which is true. Is there any way to get this stuff removed?? There are guys out there who report things like this only to discredit a person...NO POW, Ranger etc..Again how can this be removed?? There must be a way. Some people will report anything!! Thanks Gus

====================================

From: P.O.W. Network - Chuck and Mary Schantag

To: Gus Allbritton

Sent: Friday, April 06, 2007 10:25 AM

Subject: Re: POW

What Ranger Unit were you with - also, why no Airborne Wings?

Please attach a signed SF 180 for complete records release.

==============================================

From: "Gus Allbritton" <allbrittong@bellsouth.net>
To: "P.O.W. Network - Chuck and Mary Schantag" <info@pownetwork.org>
Subject: Re: POW
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 13:09:54 -0400

Chuck, No Ranger or Airborne, drafted served with 173rd/ IFFV ( 1st Field Force Vietnam) 1/50th (M) Infantry. Gus

Thu, 5 Apr 2007 16:34:25 -0400

...... I told him about the POW web site and that upon investigation no record could be found to substantiate his POW claim. I discussed the times he had shown his VA ID card to me ...... He said that he knew that this would come up again. Apparently someone had questioned him before. I showed him the copy of his 201 file. He said that I had the wrong one, there is an updated one. He said that he extended his tour of duty so he could become a Ranger. He then went into detail as to how he was left in the alone in the jungle. It was raining very hard and he was bringing up the rear and did not hear the rest of the troops when they left. He spent the night alone and the next day was captured by the VC. They stripped him down to his trousers, took his shirt and boots, and all of his gear. They blind folded him, put one of his socks in his mouth and bound it with commo wire and bound his hand behind him with commo wire. He was paraded into a village where the men and women, and his captors, urinated and defecated on him. They placed him in a small box, bound with commo wire, his hands still bound behind, he was only able to squat in the box, unable to move. That night he realized that he was going to be killed if he did not escape. He remembered that he has p-38, can opener, in his right thigh pocket. He managed to work his hand around to get the opener and he cut his hands free. He was also able to cut through the commo wire that bound the box he was in. He was able to escape and find American troops.

He told us that he had documentation to back his story. On 28 March 2007 I met Gus for lunch and he showed me a POW Certificate and a 201 file. He told me that he was court martial for shooting at an NCO. They kicked him out of the 173 ABN and the Ranger. However, he was allowed to keep his Ranger patch and wear the airborne insignia.

He said if I had just come to him he could have cleared everything up.....