A Vietnam veteran who was a prisoner of war for more than five years told a gathering of veterans and others Friday to be proud of their service.
Guy D. Gruters, a 1964 graduate of the Air Force Academy, flew more than 400 combat missions with the 173rd Airborne Brigade over North Vietnam and was shot down twice.
The second time, he was taken prisoner and remained a POW from December 1967 to March 1973.
The harsh environment, insect-infested food and torture, tested his faith in God, he told the 300 people Friday at the third annual Veterans Build Breakfast at the Patrician Banquet Center in Schererville. The event, hosted by the Northwest Indiana Veterans Action Council and Habitat for Humanity was to help raise $19,000 to fund a house for a veteran in Hammond.
Gruters said he slept on boards laid across saw horses and had just a light blanket for warmth in the winter. Hunger pains were constant, he said, until he dropped so much weight the meager rations were enough to sustain his emaciated body. At first, his anger generated hatred for the enemy and he would fantasize about torturing his torturers and hearing their screams, he said.
It was faith and prayer that helped him to cope with the horrendous conditions, he said. He also relied on leadership from his superior officers and fellow soldiers in the camp. They maintained their code of conduct and used a tap code on the walls to communicate and support each other, he said.
The system involved a series of taps for each letter of the alphabet and a shorthand messages, which he described as similar to texting one word at a time. They would sign off every tap message with “God Bless America” or “God bless you,” he said.
“What brought us through was our faith, prayer, forgiveness and mercy,” said Gruters.
Today he lives in Ohio and is a professional speaker, author, retired Eastern Airlines pilot and father of seven.
One local vet served with him.
“He was in my outfit — he was a spotter,” said Pat O’Donnell, an anchor for the Veterans Views radio program also serves on the board of the Northwest Indiana Veterans Action Council.
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Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.