The prisoners bore the brunt of the guards’ hunger and anger. Soon the prisoners resorted to eating anything that moved

First Mission

February 1, 1966
USS Ranger, South China Sea, off the coast of Vietnam

The flight deck of the massive aircraft carrier was a hive of activity as mechanics and pilots got ready for its next flight mission.

Lieutenant Dieter Dengler hopped into his Douglas Skyraider, a small plane used for attacks. It was his very first flight mission since he joined the US Navy as a pilot in an attack squadron. His mission, together with three other pilots, was to intercept an enemy truck convoy near the Vietnamese-Laotian border. It was a pretty straightforward mission, as far as attack missions go.

After flying for two-and-a-half hours, the four Skyraiders neared their target. Just as Dengler was zooming in on the target, he felt a massive explosion. Anti-aircraft fire had hit his right wing. Within seconds, his wing was gone.

The Skyraider did slow cartwheels in the air while more artillery exploded all around. Somehow, Dengler managed to crash-land his aircraft. The plane landed with a bump that threw Dengler 100 feet away from the plane, causing him to lose consciousness.

When he woke up, he spotted a Pathet Lao fighter nearby. Dengler slowly covered himself with his sleeping bag and stayed still and silent. The fighter was carrying a long machete, but he didn’t see Dengler and eventually went away.

Dengler spent the rest of the day trekking through the jungle. He found a suitable place for the night and fell asleep.

At daybreak, Dengler continued his trek through the jungle and managed to find some vegetables to eat in an abandoned hut. As he headed toward an opening in the jungle, he heard the sound of a Skyraider flying overhead. A rescue party had come for him! He raced into the clearing, took off his shirt and waved it around, hoping to catch their attention.

But the aircraft didn’t see him. Instead, Dengler was spotted by a group of Pathet Lao fighters. He ran back into the jungle and managed to evade the fighters for a while. But as he began to run across another clearing, he heard shouting behind him. Turning his head, he stared straight into the barrel of a rifle.

The vicious Pathet Lao troops took him prisoner and marched him through the jungle.