When it comes to strong will and overall survival, Dieter Dengler is on top of that list. Born in Germany in 1938, Dengler lived his childhood in complete poverty and fatherless (due to the war). Despite the hardships, his mother tried her best to provide for him, even when most of his meals consisted of scraps, boiled paper and anything else that would make most people puke; a trait that would later save his life.
At the age of 18, he decided to move to the United States. After spending a week on the streets of Manhattan, Dengler found an Air Force recruiting station and enlisted.
By 1965, Lt. Dengler was headed to Vietnam.
On February 1, 1966, he was shot down over Laos and was subsequently captured by the enemy. Regardless of the circumstances, he wasn't worried; this is the guy who escaped multiple times from SERE and the only "prisoner" who actually gained weight while going through the program from eating scraps and garbage.
Lt. Dengler endured endless torture, suffering and hell. The enemy tried to break him multiple times, but he wouldn't give in; another trait that ran in his bloodline since his grandmother was the only citizen in her village in Germany who didn't vote for the NSDAP.
On June 29, 1966, while the guards were eating, Dengler, along other POWs, slipped out of their restraints and grabbed the guards' unattended weapons. The guards realized the prisoners had escaped and five of them rushed toward Dengler, who shot at least three with his AK47. The seven prisoners split into three groups and headed off into the jungle.
After 23 days in the jungle, Lt. Dengler managed to signal a C-130 by setting a village on fire. A rescue chopper was sent for extract and he was finally back in the hands of his brothers..along with a half eaten snake he brought on board. His rescue made him the first captured U.S. airman to escape enemy captivity during the Vietnam war and the only American to ever escape a Laotian pow camp alive.
Lt. Dengler was awarded many awards, to include the Navy Cross, and even though he recovered physically, he never put his ordeal behind him
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