John Arthur Dramesi (February 12, 1933 – September 17, 2017) was a United States Air Force (USAF) colonel who was held as a prisoner of war from 2 April 1967 to 4 March 1973 in both Hoa Lo Prison, known as "The Hanoi Hilton", and Cu Loc Prison, "The Zoo", during the Vietnam War.Reynolds, Jon A., Question of Honor , Air University Review, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 (March–April 1977): 104–110.
Dramesi was the last living multiple recipient of the Air Force Cross and one of only four members of the USAF to be twice awarded the Air Force Cross. The first was for the mission on which he was shot down and captured, 2 April 1967, and the second for the six-month period following his second escape and recapture, from May to November 1969, when he was beaten and tortured. He also received an award of the Silver Star for gallantry during an escape on 10 May 1967 and the weeks following his recapture, when he also was beaten and tortured.
While other prisoners of war (POWs) were coerced into cooperating with the enemy, Dramesi steadfastly refused, declining to make propaganda recordings or write letters for the enemy.Miner, Michael "John Dramesi's Unflattering Memories of his fellow POW John McCain", Chicago Reader, October 10, 2008.
Early life Dramesi was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 12 February 1933 and grew up in Blackwood, a neighborhood in Gloucester Township, New Jersey.via Associated Press. "Ex-Pease Commander May Seek Elective Office: Brother says Ex-POW relieved of duty pending retirement", Nashua Telegraph, December 26, 1981. Accessed May 30, 2013. "Dramesi, a Gloucester Township native whose defiance of his captors while a prisoner of war in Vietnam earned him nationwide respect, was replaced suddenly as commander of Pease Air Force Base in Newingon, N. H., on Monday under circumstances which remain unclear." He was a pugnacious wrestler at Haddonfield Memorial High SchoolSchwartz, Eric. "From POW to VIP, Bulldawgs Wrestler Dramesi Returns to Haddonfield", Haddonfield-Haddon Township, NJ, Patch, January 18, 2013. Accessed February 20, 2023. "John Dramesi wasn’t the best wrestler when he first took to the mat as part of the inaugural 1948-49 Haddonfield Memorial High School wrestling team." and the son of a boxer.Powell, Stuart M., "Honor Bound" Article in Air Force Magazine, August 1999. Dramesi graduated from Rutgers University and its Air Force ROTC program in 1955, and was trained as a fighter pilot at Laredo Air Force Base. His first Air Force assignments included piloting F-100 Super Sabre and F-105 Thunderchief fighters. From June 1964 to September 1966, Dramesi served as a Forward Air Controller and Air Liaison Officer with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. Veteran Tributes.
Vietnam War
Dramesi's first overseas assignment was as a Forward Air Controller flying an O-1 Bird Dog with the 505th Tactical Control Group at Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam. In September 1966 he transitioned to F-105 pilot with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron based a Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand.
First escape During his 59th bombing mission, on 2 April 1967, Dramesi was forced to eject from his crippled aircraft over North Vietnam. He twisted his knee upon landing and engaged in a gun battle with North Vietnamese soldiers. When Dramesi was captured, he'd been shot in the right leg.
On 10 April 1967, while being transported to formal prison facilities, Dramesi dismantled the side of his cell while his guards were sleeping. He was recaptured 9 miles away the following day. After being severely beaten he was transferred by truck to Hoa Lo Prison, known as "The "Hanoi Hilton", and then to "The Zoo," both in the Hanoi prison system.
Second escape After more than a year of preparation, Dramesi's second escape took place on 10 May 1969, when he and fellow prisoner, USAF Captain Edwin Lee Atterberry, climbed through a hole in the roof of the prison. Recaptured the following day, they had traveled 3 miles in 12 hours.
Reprisals for the escape were brutal. Dramesi described being beaten, starved, injured and subjected to sleep deprivation over the next 38 dayslonger than any other prisoner. Atterberry, who received similar treatment, died in captivity on 18 May 1969. The North Vietnamese guards not only tormented the two escapees, but also systematically abused the entire prison populace.
Operation Thunderhead and plans for a third escape A result of the 1969 escape was that American officers in the prison objected to further attempts unless they could meet stringent conditions, including outside help. Planning escapes did not cease, but the actual attempts were put on hold.
Dramesi and other prisoners continued to hide food, clothing and supplies for another escape they code named "Tiger." They planned to steal a boat, move down the Red River and meet with Navy SEALs in the Gulf of Tonkin. Prison senior leadership vetoed the planned escape, fearing more harsh reprisals from their captors. Dramesi and the others on the escape committee were furious, but obeyed orders.Peterson, Gordon and Taylor, David. "Intelligence Support to Communications with US POWs in Vietnam" Studies in Intelligence Vol 60, No. 1 (Extracts, March 2016).
The Navy rescue action, called Operation Thunderhead, was cancelled after the SEALs were injured, and one killed, jumping from a helicopter in June 1972.Eisman, Dale, Navy honors SEAL killed in secret mission in Vietnam , The Virginian-Pilot, February 26, 2008.
In February and March 1973, Dramesi was one of 591 American prisoners repatriated following the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Freedom flag
In 1971, while imprisoned, Dramesi created an American flag in secret, using scraps of cloth and thread acquired from the prison and fellow POWs. The POWs saluted this homemade flag, Stars and Stripes with gold trim embroidered on a white handkerchief, while in captivity. Upon release, press photographers shot images of Dramesi holding the flag out the window of a bus carrying POWs near Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines in March 1973.Comegno, Carol. "A POW with John McCain in Vietnam to receive Arlington Cemetery burial", Courier-Post, August 24, 2018.
The flag was displayed again in Washington D.C., on 24 May 1973, when the White House held a dinner for 1,300 guests including the 591 Vietnam POWs. The Honor Guard at the event presented Dramesi's flag as the band played "Stars and Stripes Forever."
Dramesi presented President Richard Nixon with the flag in the Oval Office the following day. The "Freedom Flag" is currently part of the United States National Archives and Records Administration collection, on display at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.Snibbe, Kurt. "The story of a small, handmade American flag that gave hope to POWs at the 'Hanoi Hilton' during Vietnam War", The Orange County Register, July 2, 2017.
Code of the U.S. Fighting Force (POW Code of Conduct) Dramesi followed the Code of the U.S. Fighting Force to the letter, never cooperating more than stating his name, rank, service number and date of birth (article V of the Code) as well as resisting when possible (article II) and escaping (article III).
Dramesi's steadfast adherence to the Code necessitated a later shift in the interpretation of the articles governing the behavior of American prisoners of war. The Code was created with the understanding that captors would observe the minimum provisions of the Geneva Conventions governing POWs. Changes in The Code after Vietnam allowed military prisoners to resist "to the upmost of [their] ability," recognizing that most captives could be "broken" under the threat of extreme torture or even death.McCracken, Harrold. "The Code of Conduct at 42: Time for a Middle-Age Check-Up" The Judge Advocate General's School United States Army, April 1998.
Dramesi never broke under torture. He later criticized his fellow prisoners' conduct.Miner, Michael John Dramesi's Unflattering Memories , Chicago Reader, October 2008. John McCain, with whom he was imprisoned, would later hail Dramesi as "one of the toughest guys I've ever met."
Code of Honor memoir
In 1975, Dramesi published his memoir, entitled Code of Honor. In the book, he related his experiences as a prisoner, which included critical passages regarding the conduct of a number of his fellow POWs, and tells in detail of his escapes. The book also includes Dramesi's "Realized Word Relationships," reflections and personal definitions refined in order to better understand oneself and life's values, while imprisoned in North Vietnam for six years. Some examples:
"A hero is one who, being master of himself, masters the situation avoided by others." "To be aware of time and denied freedom is man's worst torment. "Nationalism is the individual's transition to a greater unity." "Without purpose man is like an egg without its filling. Like that shell, he will crumble under the slightest pressure." "In death and adventure, if you go far enough, there will be light."
Post war
After the Vietnam War, Dramesi attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and then went back into Air Force active duty, piloting F-111 Aardvark fighter-bombers. Veteran Tributes
Dramesi later served as the director of combat operations with Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, then the chief of the Tactical Forces Division on the staff of Headquarters U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon, and later commanded the 509th Bomb Wing at Pease AFB, New Hampshire. He retired as a colonel in 1982, as one of the most highly decorated officers in the United States Air Force.
Later life In 1982, Dramesi ran as a Republican for the Congressional seat held by James Florio, and switched parties in 1990 to run in the Democratic primary to fill Florio's then-vacant seat following his election as Governor of New Jersey.Sipress, Alan. "Each Party Sees Chance To Seize Florio's Seat", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 30, 1990. Accessed July 20, 2011. "Also seeking the Democratic nomination is John A. Dramesi, 57, of Blackwood. A former prisoner of war in Vietnam, Dramesi said he was asked to run by senior citizens and fellow veterans. Until this winter, Dramesi was a Republican and ran against Florio for Congress in 1982.... Dramesi, who retired from the Air Force in 1982 as a colonel, said he exceeded his opponents in expertise in national-security affairs."
Dramesi died on September 17, 2017, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On the morning of 20 September 2018, Dramesi was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Awards and decorations Included among his awards for valor and service, in addition to receiving two awards of the Air Force Cross, Dramesi was decorated with the Silver Star and twice awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, five Purple Hearts, two Meritorious Service Medals and seven Air Medals.