AS
AS THOSE
AS THOSE TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE 110 DEGREES
RANGE.
RANGE.
RANGE. >>
RANGE. >> THANK YOU.
>>> WITH MEMORIAL DAY DAYS
AWAY, WE ARE HONORING THOSE WHO
SERVE.
SERVE.
SERVE. MARK CURTIS JOINS US NOW, AND
WE SPOKE WITH A VIETNAM WAR
VETERAN WHO HAS A REALLY
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR EVERYBODY
STRUGGLING THROUGH QUARANTINE.
>> A REAL LIFE HERO.
WE CAN ALL DISAGREE ABOUT A LOT
OF THINGS IN OUR WORLD RIGHT
NOW, BUT THE ONE THING THAT I
THINK, I HOPE WE CAN ALL AGREE
ON, IS THAT THERE ARE NO BIGGER
HEROES THAN THOSE WHO ARE
WILLING TO PUT THEIR LIVES ON
THE LINE FOR OUR COUNTRY.
FOR OUR FREEDOM.
YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET A MAN WHO
LOST THAT FREEDOM, AND NOW HAS
A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT WE
ARE ALL GOING THROUGH WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS AND ALL OF THE NEW
RESTRICTIONS WE ARE DEALING
WITH.
WITH.
WITH. >>
WITH. >> Reporter: FREEDOM, IT'S
SOMETHING THAT MOST OF US DON'T
EVEN THINK ABOUT, AS AMERICANS,
IT'S IN OUR DNA.
BUT, THE CORONAVIRUS HAS
CHANGED THAT.
CHANGED THAT. OUR ABILITY TO MAKE MONEY,
LEAVE OUR HOMES, BY WHATEVER WE
WANT, WHENEVER WE WANTED.
SUDDENLY, WE FEEL IMPRISONED.
>> I TOOK OFF, IT WAS SEVEN
AIRPLANES THAT DAY.
>> Reporter: RENDER CREIGHTON
KNOWS THAT FEELING ALL TOO
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. >>
WELL. >> WE GOT GOING TO NORTH
VIETNAM, AND OUR MISSION WAS TO
BOMB SHOME SHORE BATTERIES,
THAT THE NORTH VIETNAMESE HAD
BEEN BLINKING OUT SHOTS AT OUR
DESTROYERS OFF THE COAST.
>> Reporter: ON FAIRBURY 7th
1966, CAPTAIN RENDER CREIGHTON
TOOK OFF FROM USS TICONDEROGA.
HE HAD NEVER SEE HIS SHIP, OR
HIS SHIPMATES AGAIN.
>> I DOVE DOWN, AND I GOT HIT
BY ALL KINDS, I MEAN, IT JUST
WAS COMING UP, IT HIT MY
AIRPLANE, I KNEW I WAS IN
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE. I DID NOT WANT TO BE CAPTURED,
SO, I WAS GOING TO WRITE IT
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. THAT THOUGHT LASTED UNTIL I GOT
TO ABOUT 1000 FEET ABOVE THE
GROUND.
GROUND.
GROUND. THEN, I DECIDED IT WASN'T A
GOOD IDEA.
GOOD IDEA. SO, I BAILED OUT.
I LANDED IN A RICE PADDY, THAT
WAS THE START OF MY SEVEN
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. >>
YEARS. >> Reporter: HE WAS THROWN INTO
THE EMPHASIS HANOI HILTON, FOR
SEVERAL YEARS, HE WAS BEATEN
AND TORTURED IN EVERY WAY YOU
CAN IMAGINE.
CAN IMAGINE. AND SOME THAT YOU CAN'T.
>> THEY PUT US IN STALKS, THEY
PUT YOUR FEET IN THERE, AND
YOUR HANDS, HANDCUFFED BEHIND
YOUR BACK.
YOUR BACK. PRETTY MISERABLE.
PRETTY MISERABLE. >> Reporter: DID YOU EVER LOSE
HOPE?
HOPE?
HOPE? >>
HOPE? >> WHEN YOU ARE IN IS DIRTY,
DARK CELL WITH RATS RUNNING
AROUND, HOW CAN YOU NOT LOSE A
LITTLE BIT OF HOPE?
YOU'VE GOT TO BE REALLY STRONG,
I WASN'T THAT STRONG.
>> Reporter: HERE AND THERE
THERE WERE BRIGHT SPOTS.
>> WE HAD MOVIE NIGHT,
DIFFERENT PEOPLE WOULD GET UP,
AND THEY WOULD TELL THE STORY
OF A MOVIE.
>> Reporter: IN THAT GROUP OF
POWS WAS A YOUNG PILOT WHO HE
HAD ACTUALLY TRAINED IN FLIGHT
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. A
SCHOOL. A GUY NAMED JOHN McCAIN.
>> Reporter: HE TOLD THE STORY
OF DOCTORS O VARGO, HE TOLD
THAT THING IN SUCH DETAIL, THAT
WHEN I CAME HOME, MY WIFE AND I
WENT TO SEE THAT MOVIE, AND
ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE
MOVIE, AND I TURNED TO HER AND
I SAID, I THINK I'VE SEEN THIS
MOVIE BEFORE.
MOVIE BEFORE. >> Reporter: THE DAYS TURNED
INTO MONTHS, AND THE MONTHS TO
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. THEN, FINALLY, ON FAIRBURY 12th
1973, CAPTAIN CREIGHTON AND HIS
FELLOW PRISONERS WERE LOADED
ONTO BUSES AND TAKEN TO THE
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT. >> I LOOKED OVER THERE, ON THE
TARMAC, AND THERE WAS A C1 41.
BIG AMERICAN FLAG ON THE TAIL.
AND I MEAN TO TELL YOU, I
ALMOST BROKE DOWN WHEN I SAW
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. I
THAT. I KNEW WE WERE GOING HOME.
THE PILOT SAID HE HAD A HELL OF
A TIME CONTROLLING THE
AIRPLANE.
AIRPLANE.
AIRPLANE. BECAUSE EVERYBODY JUMPED UP,
AND WE WERE RUNNING AROUND, AND
HUGGING THE NURSES, AND THEN,
THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHEN HE
CALLED FEET WET.
WHICH MEANT THAT HE WAS OVER
THE COAST.
THE COAST. AND IT ALL STARTED AGAIN.
>> Reporter: THAT'S WHY CAPTAIN
CREIGHTON SAYS, THAT WHILE HE
CAN UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION
THE CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWN HAS
CAUSED, HE JUST WISHES THAT
PEOPLE COULD SEE THE BIG
PICTURE.
PICTURE.
PICTURE. THE PICTURE THAT HE SAW.
>> IF THEY WANT A REAL, A REAL
QUARANTINE, I CAN TELL THEM
ABOUT ONE.
ABOUT ONE. [ LAUGHTER ] ONE GOOD THING
ABOUT IT, ABOUT THIS THING, IS
I THINK IF WE COME OUT OF IT,
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO BACK,
AND THEY'RE GOING TO SAY, WE DO
HAVE IT REALLY GOOD.
AND WE ARE ENTITLED.
AND WE OUGHT TO PROTECT THAT.
>> SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT A REAL
LIFE HERO.
LIFE HERO. I ASKED CAPTAIN CREIGHTON WHO
WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE MAN WHAT
WAS THE 1st THING THAT HE
WANTED WHEN HE LANDED AFTER
THAT FLIGHT OUT OF VIETNAM.
HE TOLD ME, I SCREAM.
HE ATE A LOT OF IT, AND AFTER
THAT, HE DUG INTO A PLATE OF
SCRAMBLED EGGS, AND AFTER THAT
HE HAD A STAKE.
HE SAYS HE WILL NEVER TAKE
FREEDOM OR WHAT THIS UPCOMING
MEMORIAL DAY STANDS FOR FOR
GRANTED.
GRANTED.
GRANTED. MITCH?
MITCH?
MITCH? >>
MITCH? >> THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE STORY,
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HE WENT
THROUGH, IN THAT PRISON, I'M
CURIOUS, I KNOW THAT SENATOR
McCAIN HAD SOME REAL PHYSICAL
ISSUES WHEN HE CAME BACK, AND
THEY DOGGED HIM FOR THE REST OF
HIS LIFE.
HIS LIFE.
HIS LIFE. I SAW THAT CREIGHTON'S THUMB IN
THERE, SEEMED TO BE AT AN ODD
ANGLE, DID HE HAVE ANY PHYSICAL
AILMENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS
THAT HE CARRIES WITH HIM?
>> TO THIS DAY, HE STILL HAS
SHOULDER PROBLEMS, HE BROKE HIS
SHOULDER WHEN HE WAS EJECTING
FROM HIS PLANE, AT LEAST IN
JOHN McCAIN'S CASE, WHEN THEY
WERE TORTURING HIM, THEY
FREQUENTLY RE-BROKE THE
SHOULDER AS IT WOULD HEAL.
SO, ALL OF THESE MEN THAT WERE
TRAPPED, WENT THROUGH
UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNTS OF PAIN
AND TORTURE, ALL OF