DAVID FLETCHER GRAY
Rank/Branch: O2/United States Air Force,
Date of Birth: 26 June 1941 Findlay OH
Home City of Record: Ft. Walton Beach FL
Date of Loss: 23 January 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 211000 North 1053700 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F4C
Other Personnel in Incident: Barry Bridger,
returnee
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or
more of the following: raw data from U.S.
Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS: 730304 RELEASED BY DRV
SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret),
Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor P.O.W. Publications,
10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original
publication (including date and spelling errors).
UPDATED and Edited by the P.O.W. NETWORK,
Skidmore, MO
DAVID F. GRAY, JR.
Captain - United States Air Force
Shot Down: January 23, 1967
Released: March 4, 1973
I was born on June 26, 1941 in Findley, Ohio. We
lived in many places and I enjoyed the life of an
Air Force brat. In 1959 I graduated from high
school in Abilene, Texas. I then attended the
University of Florida where I studied Building
Construction. I married Lynda Gourlie after she
had earned her B.S. in nursing. She worked until
I completed my degree. After pilot and combat crew
training I was assigned to the 497TFS at Ubon,
Thailand. I arrived there on Jan. 4, 1967 and after
three combat missions was shot down and captured.
This ended forever my career of world's greatest
fighter pilot.
Due to ejection, I had several back fractures.
While in captivity I also had a ruptured sinus,
gall bladder disease, and developed nutritive
amblyopia. I was tortured with ropes and denied
sleep.
While living in ten different prisons (New Guy
Village, Lil Vegas, Sontay, Faith, Hope, Dogpatch,
Dirty Bird, Trolly Tracks) my contribution, if any,
was to play the court jester - trying to provide
entertainment. I also enjoyed studying - language,
math, and history. I studied four languages-French,
Spanish, German and Russian. Naturally I did poorly
in all. I coordinated the geography and travelogue
programs and was also the quiz master. Jon
Reynolds and I were presenting an exhaustive
history of World War I when we were moved. I
participated in choir and religious services.
Trying to entertain I told about eight movies and
was the recipient of the 1971 award for the "most
forgettable area". My brilliant, but lengthy,
original story about China was so honored because
no one could remember the title. Weekly over a
two-month period Dick "King Dog" Brenneman and I
performed a skit called "Frat Man and Rock". It
was based on a skit by Dave Hatcher and Denver Key
called "Fat Man and Ox" (which was based on Batman).
In May 1972 about 200 of us moved to Camp Dogpatch
where we mostly lived in groups of 20. In my
building seven of us were locked in a room at
night. To combat boredom I told a story based on
"A Stone for Danny Fisher" by Harold Robbins.
After seven evenings the story should have ended,
but due to popular request I continued the story
via improvisation. Thus the POW soap opera was
born. The seven of us participated jointly in
casting the characters (over 100 in all). As
storyteller I tried to reflect the wishes of the
group regarding the plot. The story had heroes,
goats and sex symbols galore. Danny Fisher, the
central figure, was Steve McQueen. During the
course of the 120 plus episodes we were the worlds
greatest: prizefighter (Golden Gloves champ),
actor (two Oscars in one year), tycoon (Howard
Hughes began as his assistant), pilot (air races
champion, test pilot, combat ace in China, England,
the Med and the Pacific) and lover (our fighter
pilot alter-ego had more women than Mickey Rooney
and Tommy Mansville). Planning the story and
sorting out the characters in my mind, occupied
most of my time from June to Oct. 1972. I believe
that the story had a profound effect on all of us.
I believe that many of us had, over the years,
adopted the view that our wives would be unchanged
perfect things - like a crystal figurine. The
inevitable changes in our wives wrought by time
and suffering might have had a shattering effect
on such idealistic images, had not some realistic
evaluations occurred. I hope the personal
relationships in my story helped us to initiate
this update in our thinking.
The entertainment value was, of course, the main
purpose. The story was never completed because we
moved around to align us by shoot down date.
Something was up!
In Oct. 72 we saw our first US magazines (1970
sports issues). Peace was at hand. The guards were
almost friendly and the medical treatment and food
improved as the Linebacker 11 offensive was
bringing Hanoi to its knees. Finally late in
January it happened - back to Hanoi 20 or more
on each truck. Six weeks later my group was
released. Our departure from Gia Lam airport and
arrival at Clark in the Philippines was a fantasy
Many of us cried that day. It was a very, very
emotional time. Our first telephone calls home were
wonderful for me, but some of the others heard bad
news. Divorce and its crushing effect on one's
friends caused our first free days to be difficult.
Captain David Baldwin was my escort officer. We
had been together in pilot and combat crew
training and in Thailand. He'd been rescued when
Col. Dick Vogel was captured. Dave was my brain
for the five days we were together.
While at Clark I got only six hours of sleep and
after four days I met my wife Lynda at Maxwell Air
Force Base, Ala. I arrived home on March 7, 1973.
Lynda and I along with debriefers and the medical
staff, spent the next 15 days talking non-stop.
We then flew to Mac Dill enroute to our
condominium in Treasure Island, Florida. A week
later we traveled to Daytona Beach, Fla. (my
parent's home) for "Capt. David Gray Day." I gave
speeches, rode in a parade, was given the key to
the city, and threw the first pitch at an Astros-
Expos exhibition game. It was a great but hectic
day. On our tenth anniversary, April 28th, Lynda
and I were remarried in San Francisco. We wrote
our own ceremony and included the same people
that had been in our first wedding. This occurred
the weekend of the Son Tay POW/Raiders Reunion
hosted by H. Ross Perot. In May we attended the
White House fete and in June we attended the Dallas
Salute for Viet Vets. After giving a July 4th
speech in St. Petersburg, I entered the hospital
for surgery. This gave me about six weeks to
recuperate for the River Rats Reunion in Las Vegas.
Finally in September I went back to work - flight
recurrency training at Randolph AFB.
During the most difficult months that followed my
release I've at times had to use all the strength
and faith I possess: So many things have changed
- I had to change also. It was hard, but now life
has a new meaning. The frenzy of readjustment has
abated. I, like the nation, have endured these
hard times recently culminating in the
resignation of our President. Yet I still have
profound faith and confidence in America. I believe
that our sustaining values - religion, humanity
and patriotism - will ensure our continued
freedom.
April 1997
Since his release, Lt. Col. Gray has attended the
University of West Florida, for an MBA w/computer
science option. He was an "outstanding graduate."
The Air War College followed in 1985 where he was
again "outstanding graduate."
He was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished
Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple
Heart and 3 Meritorious Service Medals, as well as
the P.O.W. Medal.
David Gray retired from the United States Air Force
in 1993 as a Lt. Colonel. David is a former Vice
President of NAM-POWs Inc., and for the last four
years has been a board member of the National
League of POW/MIA Families. He keeps busy as a
professional vender at Veteran's events, air
shows etc. David and Jean have two sons, Bo and
Scott, and three grandchildren - Chimere,
Christopher, and Royal. They Jean reside in
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