Everett Alvarez Jr. - Code Of Conduct - Part 2

USN CMDR Everett Alvarez Jr.

Everett Alvarez, Jr., was born in Salinas, CA, on December 23, 1937, to his parents Everett and Soledad (Rivera) Alvarez. He attended Salinas Union High School and Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA, and in June of 1960 graduated from the University of Santa Clara, CA, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

On October 14, 1960, Everett joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and was commissioned as an Ensign.

After receiving his commission Everett completed his flight training at the U.S. Naval Air Basic Training Command in Pensacola, FL. In June 1961 Everett transferred to the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Kingsville, TX where he received additional training until December 9, 1961.

Following this he received eighteen weeks instruction while attached to Attack Squadron 125 which was based on the Naval Air Station in Lamoore, CA. In June Everett joined Attack Squadron 144 on the carrier USS Constellation.

A photograph of a Douglas A4E Skyhawk enroute to a target in North Vietnam in 1965.

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Specifications:

• Crew: 1
• Length: 40 feet 1.5 inches
• WIngspan: 27 feet 6 inches
• Height: 15 feet 2 inches
• Empty weight: 9,853 pounds
• Gross weight: 16,216 pounds
• Max takeoff weight: 24,500 pounds
• Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney J52-P-6A turbojet

Performance:

• Maximum speed: 673 mph at sea level
• Range: 1,160 miles
• g limits: +8 gs - 3 gs
• Rate of Climb: 5,750 feet per minute

Armament:

1. Guns: 2 20mm Colt Mk 12 cannon, 100 rounds per gun
2. Rockets: 4 under wing and 1 under fuselage with a capacity of 8,500 pounds
3. 4 each LAU-10 rocket pods each with 4 127mm Mk 32 Zuni rockets
4. Bombs: 6 Rockeye-II Mark 20 Cluster Bombs, or:
   1. 6 Rockeye Mark 7/APAM-59 Cluster Bombs, or;
   2. Mark 80 series unguided bombs
   3. B43 nuclear bomb
   4. B57 nuclear bomb
   5. B61 nuclear bomb
5. Missiles:
   1. 4 AIM-9 Sidewinder
   2. Air-to-surface missiles:
      1. 2 AGM-12 Bullpups, or
      2. 2 AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missiles, or
      3. 2 AGM-62 Walleye TV-Guided bombs, or
      4. 2 AGM-65 Mavericks

Vietnam

On Aug. 5, 1964, Lt. j.g. Everett Alvarez, Jr, a young U.S. Navy aviator, had just finished bombing a North Vietnamese patrol boat base in retaliation for the Tonkin Gulf Incident when his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was struck by enemy fire.

After ejecting, he was captured by Vietnamese militia, then interrogated by North Vietnamese officers before being taken to Hoa Lo Prison (later known as the “Hanoi Hilton”) in Hanoi.

Lt. JG Everett Alvarez Jr. in his striped prison uniform at the Hanoi Hilton in downtown Hanoi 1967

He was the first naval aviator and first American to be held in North Vietnam. He would spend the next eight and a half years in captivity.

Alvarez is just one of the nearly 600 American prisoners of war (POWs) captured during the Vietnam War. Of those, one-fourth were Navy, mostly naval aviators. Several were senior officers, tasked with setting the example of resistance for the rest of the POWs to follow.

LtJG Alverez Returns To The US

Most of the prisoners in Vietnam were Air Force and Navy pilots and navigators shot down over the North. The typical Air Force prisoner was a fighter pilot who had survived a bailout from a crippled F-105, F-4, or F-100.

Sometimes he was able to evade his pursuers for days, but often his parachute was spotted and he was captured immediately.

These airmen knew that the war did not end if they were captured.

POWs were bound by the long-standing tradition of the American fighting man and the Code of Conduct, they would be obligated to resist and oppose the enemy while in captivity.

The 247-word Code of Conduct was prescribed by President Eisenhower in I 955. Under the Code, POWs are required to make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. The senior-ranking prisoner is obligated to take command, and all subordinates will obey his lawful orders. Though it is mandatory to give name, rank, service number,
and date of birth, American servicemen will evade answering further questions to the utmost of their ability.

Failing to abide by the Geneva convention, the communists resorted to torture and brainwashing, trying to force the Americans to reveal military information or denounce their government.

A prisoner, tortured to the breaking point, who responded to the interrogator's questions knew that he was fully responsible for his statements. Upon repatriation, the man's conduct and the circumstances of his captivity would be examined by military authorities.

Though unsuccessful, the attempt in 1970 to rescue the POWs in the daring Son Tay prison raid demonstrated to the world that America had not forgotten her bravest sons.

In February 1973 the first POWs were released by the North Vietnamese. By the end of March all surviving prisoners had been repatriated.

Navy Lieutenant Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., who was a captive for eight and one-half years, was the longest held pilot.

A Welcom Home sketch of Lt. Everett Alvarez Jr. imprisoned in North Vietnam from 1963 to 1973.

Sixteen pilots were reported to have died in captivity and 324 returned.

Over the next two weeks I will be writing about two more Vietnam era POW pilots with a description of what happened to them while a POW held by the North Vietnamese.

I hope you enjoyed this trip through some of the history of aviation. If you enjoyed this trip, and if you are new to this newsletter, sign up to receive your own weekly newsletter here: Subscribe here!