BADUA, CANDIDO C.
Name: Candido C. Badua
Branch/Rank: Civilian
Unit/Employer: Voice of America
Date of Birth: 12 June 1924
Home City of Record: Baguio City, Philippines
Date of Loss: 31 January 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 162734N 1073551E
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category: Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Others in incident: Charles Willis, returnee
Source: Compiled through the P.O.W. NETWORK. Information provided by
Candido Badua, 1998.
Remarks: Not on D.I.A. lists. Released March 1973
SYNOPSIS: I started a 3-year tour of duty as a Voice of America (VOA)
employee in Hue, South Vietnam in 1964. In January 1968 after a
month's vacation with the family, I was looking forward to going back
home in six months. Little did I know that the anticipation would last
five years.
Chuck Willis, Officer-In-Charge and I worked in the VOA Headquarters.
The station is located about 7 km. from the office The rear half of the
building in which we worked was also our residence. On Jan. 31, 1968 at
2:00 a.m., a deafening mortar blast and long range rockets woke us up.
Chuck and I scrambled to the bunker that was in the middle of our living
area. We left the rear door open and positioned ourselves, ready for
anything. An hour later, a satchel charge tore through the front and
interior walls exploding on impact, causing sand smoke inside the
building. It was hard to breathe so we used blankets over our heads to
prevent smoke inhalation. We heard somebody open the office door. The
acrid smell of burning paper in the office thickened the air.
Amidst all the smoke and noise, we were just able to notice a soldier
pointing an AK47 semi-automatic toward us. Just before we walked out of
the bunker, Chuck managed to grab a walkie-talkie and sent a message to
the station - "we're giving up".
For several days, we walked mostly at night to avoid being spotted by
"friendly planes". We walked on rice paddies with just a T-shirt,
underwear, and barefoot. Our hands were tied at the back with wire. A
rope was strung underneath our armpits to keep us both in tow, one guard
at each end of the rope. There were days when it rained. Some days, it
was hot and humid. We slept on the ground with wet clothes, our hands
tied. We looked forward to meal times because it meant being untied.
The soldiers fed us twice a day with rice and salt.
Our trip to the north was long and arduous. We were forced to keep pace
with the guards making it especially difficult for Chuck because his
foot was so swollen he couldn't walk. At one point, one of the guards
threatened to kill him. Chuck told me to leave him and march on to save
my life. I refused to leave him. With a cane (made out of a tree
branch) on one hand and the other around my shoulder, I managed to drag
and pull him until we were out of the strike zone.
Several days after our capture, we reached our first camp. This was the
gathering point for prisoners captured in Hue.
On March 29, 1968 we reached Camp Bao Cao. In Vietnamese that means,
"please may I". The prisoners named this camp as such because we were
trained to bow and say "Bao Cao" everytime we asked for food and other
things we needed. Days later, much to my surprise, my Filipino friend
and co-worker, Arturo Balagot, also arrived. We were interrogated here
until we left for the next camp.
Around the first week of July, we were transported by truck and traveled
a dirt road called the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The ride was excruciating
because the driver managed to hit every pothole on the road. Sitting on
our folded blankets didn't do much good. We finally reached Camp 77,
located somewhere southwest of Hanoi. Here, we were interrogated some
more and kept in solitary confinement for a whole year. For our first
Christmas as captives, we were given cookies, bananas, and additional
cigarettes. They played Christmas carols, which made us all homesick.
Later, we were kept in groups, which was beneficial to our well-being
as we were deterorating physically and mentally.
To keep my mind occupied, I made a slide rule out of bamboo, a rosary,
and a cigarette pack. Using a fabricated needle made out of chicken
bone and scrap wire and thread from my old socks, I was able to
embroider the rosary bag with flowers, leaves and the words "Baguio
City, Philippines" on one side. On the other side, I had a cross with a
heart and the inscription "In God we trust". At this camp, they were
also able to use my skills. Every now and then, the guards would take
me to the Camp Commander's office to repair transistor radios and tape
recorders. This gave me a chance to listen to news after the radios
were fixed. I was given a pack of cigarettes to smoke while I worked.
I pretended to chain smoke, lighting one after the other extinguishing
them quickly and breaking off the ends. In reality, I was folding them
in the sleeves and cuffs of my pajamas so that I could share them with
my fellow room mates.
On June 21, 1971, we were transferred to another camp we called
"Rockville" located in a valley, southwest of Hanoi. There were 14 of us
- 11 Americans, 1 Canadian, and 2 Filipinos. Consequently, we were given
playing cards, played volleyball in the courtyard and the security was
more lax. One day, 3 of the prisoners escaped. Three days later, they
were captured. We all suffered the consequence by having our food
ration reduced. In October 1972, we were informed of the peace
negotiations between U.S. and Vietnam. That Christmas, they served us
pork and we had a Christmas program that all 14 of us organized. The
interpreter and guards came to see our program.
In Jan. 1973, we were taken to the "Hanoi Hilton". This is where all
the military and civilian prisoners were concentrated. It was evident
that the negotiations were going well as we had abundant food. In March
1973, I was released.
After the POW ceremony in Washington, D.C. in Oct. 1973, I started
working for VOA in Dixon, California. In November, my family moved to
California. I retired in Dec. 1979.
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