Col. George “Bud” Day had been a prisoner of war in North Vietnam’s “Hanoi Hilton” for more than three years when armed guards burst into a cell where he and his fellow captives were holding a forbidden religious service. Day defied their rifle barrels by loudly singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The then major “had an indomitable will to survive,” said Sen. John McCain, a cell mate. “He strengthened my will to live.”
Day was a decorated fighter pilot nearing retirement when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam in August 1967, said The New York Times. Captured by the Viet Cong, he escaped and wandered barefoot through the jungle for two weeks, searching for U.S. troops and “surviving on a few berries and frogs.” But Communist forces found him first, and “this time, Maj. Day could not escape.”
Day arrived at the Hanoi Hilton half-dead from malnutrition and infected wounds, said FrontPageMag.com. McCain helped nurse him back to health, fashioning a “homemade splint” for his broken arm. In the five years that followed, as Day endured “starvation, staged execution, and torture,” his resoluteness inspired his fellow POWs. After he was finally released in 1973, he received the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Day practiced law in Florida after leaving the Air Force, said the Associated Press. In 2004 he was one of the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” who attacked Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s military record, comparing him to Benedict Arnold. “I probably could have been more tempered in some of my remarks,” he said. “But when they asked, I told them.”
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in FijiUnder the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th-century clothing
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach BoysFeature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluseFeature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin AmericaFeature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
-
Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasureIn the Spotlight Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts
