MHCE September 2019 Publication

10
MHCE News
AUGUST 2019 EDITION
FORMER PRISONER OF WAR
REFLECTS ON CAPTURE
worked out very well for me and my
family.”
Camerota continued his career in aviation,
eventually spending his last assignment
as a C-21A pilot instructor
pilot, mission coordination and safety
officer with the 58th Military Airlift
Squadron at Ramstein from 1984-1987.
In the U.S., National POW/MIA Recognition
Day is observed on the third Friday in September.
It honors those who were prisoners
of war and those who are still missing in
action.
Photo By Senior Airman Milton Hamilton | Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Pete Camerota
poses for a photo during Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Week, at
Ramstein Air Base, Germany, September, 16, 2019. Camerota was a Prisoner of War
for 86 days, during the Vietnam War.
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, RP, GERMANY
Story by Senior Airman Milton Hamilton
86th Airlift Wing/Public Affairs
In honor of Prisoner of War/Missing in
Action Recognition Day, a former prisoner
of war came to Ramstein Air Base,
Sept. 16 to share his experience and visit
one of his last duty stations before he retired.
At the time of becoming a prisoner of
war, retired Maj. Pete Camerota, was
a Captain, assigned to the 22nd Bomb
Squadron, 22nd Bomb Wing, at what
was then designated as March Air Force
Base, California.
Camerota was forced to eject from a B-52
over Vietnam on December 22, 1972.
“My very first thought when my parachute
opened was, oh my God, I’m hanging
in the straps here, and Joy, my wife, is
10,000 miles away from home and she’s
pregnant,” said Camerota.
Camerota then did what he was trained
to do and checked the functionality of his
parachute and looked for place to land.
Camerota evaded his captors for 12 days
before being apprehended, after suffering
from dehydration and malnourishment.
“I absolutely believe the Survival, Evade,
Resistance, and Escape training I went
through was a big help,” said Camerota.
Camerota was held in captivity for 86
days, 16 of those days in solitary confinement,
in the same POW camp as
former Senator John McCain.
Before being placed in solitary confinement,
Camerota was interrogated
constantly and was encouraged to cooperate
to receive a more favorable
treatment.
“In a survival situation you resist as
much as you can without getting yourself
hurt,” said Camerota. “I was already
exhausted and had fallen asleep by accident
during one line of questioning,
then I realized I could feign sleep as a
resistance tool.”
Camerota was released during Operation
Homecoming March 29, 1973, and
was briefly hospitalized to recover from
injuries at March AFB. He received a
Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor
decoration for his courage and selflessness
during his time in Vietnam.
After being released and reunited with
his wife, Camerota was still committed
to service and wanted to go to pilot
training. He credits his wife for being
an amazing support system, allowing
him to stay in the Air Force and pursue
his career goals even though they both
had just gone through a traumatic ordeal.
“My wife’s support was as important
to me as the Air Force was,” said Camerota.
“The Air Force let me do what I
could do. My career path was set and