John A. Dramesi
Encyclopedia
Colonel John Arthur Dramesi (born February 12, 1933) is a retired U.S. Air Force officer who was held as a prisoner of war
at the Hanoi Hilton
in North Vietnam
during the Vietnam War
. Dramesi is one of the very few captives who never broke under torture. He was held along with Senator John McCain
and has criticized McCain's conduct as a prisoner and after release. McCain would later hail him as "one of the toughest guys I've ever met." Dramesi has also criticized the conduct of a number of his fellow POWs.
Dramesi was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on 22 February 1933 and grew up in Blackwood
, a neighborhood in Gloucester Township, New Jersey
. He graduated from Rutgers University
and its Air Force ROTC program in 1956, and was trained as a fighter pilot
flying first F-100 Super Sabre
s and then F-105 Thunderchief
s. He was shot down over North Vietnam and captured on 1 April 1967.
While a prisoner, Dramesi twice attempted to escape, without success. On the second occasion, his partner, Edwin Atterbury, was killed, and the entire prison population was subjected to "barbaric" reprisals. Plans for a third escape attempt, to be assisted by Navy SEALs in Operation Thunderhead
, were cancelled after the SEALs were injured, and one killed, when jumping from a helicopter.
Dramesi was released in 1973. Following his release, he continued his career in the Air Force, serving as a planner for U.S. forces in Europe and as commander of the 509th Bomb Wing
(SAC
), Pease AFB
NH. He retired in 1982 with the rank of colonel.
Dramesi ran as a Republican for the Congressional seat held by James Florio
in 1982, and switched parties in 1990 to run in the Democratic primary to fill Florio's then-vacant seat following his election as Governor of New Jersey
.
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
at the Hanoi Hilton
Hanoi Hilton
Hỏa Lò Prison, later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War....
in North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Dramesi is one of the very few captives who never broke under torture. He was held along with Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and has criticized McCain's conduct as a prisoner and after release. McCain would later hail him as "one of the toughest guys I've ever met." Dramesi has also criticized the conduct of a number of his fellow POWs.
Dramesi was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on 22 February 1933 and grew up in Blackwood
Blackwood, New Jersey
Blackwood is a census-designated place located within Gloucester Township, in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 United States Census, the section population was 4,692...
, a neighborhood in Gloucester Township, New Jersey
Gloucester Township, New Jersey
Gloucester Township is a Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 64,634...
. He graduated from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and its Air Force ROTC program in 1956, and was trained as a fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
flying first F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
s and then F-105 Thunderchief
F-105 Thunderchief
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, was a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. The Mach 2 capable F-105 conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War; it has the dubious distinction of being the only US aircraft to have been...
s. He was shot down over North Vietnam and captured on 1 April 1967.
While a prisoner, Dramesi twice attempted to escape, without success. On the second occasion, his partner, Edwin Atterbury, was killed, and the entire prison population was subjected to "barbaric" reprisals. Plans for a third escape attempt, to be assisted by Navy SEALs in Operation Thunderhead
Operation Thunderhead
Operation Thunderhead was a highly classified combat mission conducted by U.S. Navy SEAL Team One and Underwater Demolition Team -11 in 1972. The mission was conducted off the coast of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War to rescue two U.S. airmen said to be escaping from a prisoner of war prison...
, were cancelled after the SEALs were injured, and one killed, when jumping from a helicopter.
Dramesi was released in 1973. Following his release, he continued his career in the Air Force, serving as a planner for U.S. forces in Europe and as commander of the 509th Bomb Wing
509th Bomb Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....
(SAC
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
), Pease AFB
Pease Air National Guard Base
Pease Air National Guard Base is a New Hampshire Air National Guard base located at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. Formerly, the base was open as Pease Air Force Base until it was closed in 1991. Before it was closed, it was under the control of the United States Air Force's Strategic...
NH. He retired in 1982 with the rank of colonel.
Dramesi ran as a Republican for the Congressional seat held by James Florio
James Florio
James Joseph "Jim" Florio is a Democratic politician who served as the 49th Governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994, the first Italian American to hold the position...
in 1982, and switched parties in 1990 to run in the Democratic primary to fill Florio's then-vacant seat following his election as Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
.
Further reading
- Dramesi, John A., Code of Honor. New York: Norton, 1975. ISBN 0-446-36055-4.
- Rochester, Stuart and Frederick Kiley, Honor Bound: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973. Naval Institute Press: 2007. ISBN 1-591-14738-7.
- Stockdale, Sybil, In Love and War: The Story of a Family's Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam Years. Naval Institute Press, 1990. ISBN 1-557-50784-8.