'S
up
-horal
PPer-
J con-
in the
rson's
10.
le
iduate
snces.
ition.”
need-
eight
Bobby
ile
: Clar-
nistra-
:areers
should
thwest
ication
g«
F them
linated
Hous-
firmed
is. De-
Hous-
second
'Judge
day
zing of
push to
b. 23 in
lebecca
nion in
ize the
Texas'
THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14. 1979
Page 3
POW remembers Vietnam,
says Aggie training helped
By RUTH GRAVES
Battalion Reporter
Loyalty to fellow prisoners and knowing that friends were at home
helped one Aggie prisoner of war endure more than six years, in a
North Vietnamese POW camp.
Major James E. Ray, an Air Force pilot, told students in Rudder
Auditorium Tuesday about his experiences as a POW. Ray was cap
tured in May 1966 minutes after bailing out of his burning jet. He was
held captive in North Vietnam until February 1973.
Ray said he and other POWs were tortured — “to break down our
morale, to weaken us physically, mentally and spiritually.” The pris
oners were tortured so they would give information or write phony
confessions, Ray said.
The prisoners were subjected to such tortures as solitary confine
ment, being tied to a stool for several days at a time, and being bound
to a bed, exposed to mosquitoes. “The mosquitoes,” Ray said, “like
the North Vietnamese, showed no mercy.”
The prisoners agreed among themselves not to give any informa
tion that would endanger men still in combat, he said.
They also agreed to undergo “significant levels of pain” so they
wouldn’t have to meet the demands of the Vietnamese. However, the
prisoners would only resist until they were in danger of “going off the
deep end” — unknowingly giving information because of intense pain
and lack of sleep.
Ray said when the enemy subjected the POWs to unbearable tor
ture, the prisoners adopted “another line of defense.” He said the
POWs often resorted to using a “cover story that sounded plausible
without revealing anything that would be of tactical benefit to the
enemy.”
Ray once told his interrogators that he was new in his squadron,
and only “played follow the leader. ” He said the Vietnamese believed
him because their officers of similar rank and age were inferior to the
American officers.
Ray said that once, after experiencing pain so intense that he lost
even a simple train of thought, he agreed to write a phony confession.
He said he felt guilty for some time, and didn’t know whether his
actions would keep him from returning home with honor.
Ray said he experienced a “turnaround when he realized he was
not alone.
“I knew my parents and friends were praying for me and con
cerned. I knew that people here at Texas A&M were concerned.” Ray
said he found out when he returned that many Aggies had defended
him when they heard of his fake confession.
Ray said that instead of feeling sorry for himself, he decided to
“make the best out of a bad situation.” He and the other POWs
taught each other courses in foreign languages and mathematics.
They also' made things that were very entertaining, very educational
and very useful — from practically nothing.”
One item the POWs made was dice from their bread.
The prisoners devised a communication code that they tapped on
walls. They also swept and chopped wood in the rhythm of the code.
Although communicating was a punishable offense, Ray said, the
prisoners’ code went unnoticed for more than three years.
Ray said that his training in the Corps of Cadets said he remem
bered being harassed by sophomores when he was a freshman, and
remembered thinking that it was worthless, and that the up
perclassmen were “off on an ego trip.
He said, however, “When we are in an academic situation like this,
we do have to contrive situations that will put you under pressure,
but it’s not there just to put you down ... Those situations are de
signed to make you think under pressure.”
Ray said he doesn’t mind talking about his experiences as a POW
because “I kind of enjoy it when it’s my turn to talk to a captive
audience.”
Israel sends ‘flower power 9
to U.S. for Valentine’s rush
United Press International
TEL AVIV — Israel shipped
more than 1.5 million flowers to
American cupids during the
weekend in a Jumbo jet specially
marked with a big red heart for St.
Valentines Day, an El Al spokesman
said Monday.
EPISCOPAL
CHURCH
CONFIRMATION
CLASS
for adults begins
SUNDAY FEB. 18,
7:30 P.M.
ST. THOMAS
CHURCH
906 Jersey
So. Side Campus
Phone 696-1726
^ V
It was the first time Agrexco, the
agricultural export board, chartered
an entire jumbo jet to ship flowers
to the United States.
“We painted a big red heart on
the nose of the plane because the
flowers are for the St. Valentine’s
Day rush,” the spokesman said.
The plane left Israel Friday and
arrived in New York Saturday in
time for the flowers to be sent to
flower shops for today’s holiday. The
flowers included gladiolas, minia
ture carnations and roses, the
spokesman said.
846-5018
KZ
zxyczz
IK=?gK " ><
Ciyiyj>
~ <Gdl>
Introducing
Kenneth Ray
4103 S. TEXAS AVE
Bryan Place Bldg.
Suite 208
Saturdays by Appointment
10% DISCOUNT ON STYLES OR 5
MERCHANDISE WITH THIS AD [|
-vtw-- - xw - HW sty vt%c la
ing-a-grams sent
o drivers, howlers
United Press International
etroit — Mike Fredrickson’s
ntine season is occasionally
gilt with the perils of amorous
imacy.
Rhodes scholar and former
lish professor says one customer
his Sing-a-Gram service re-
ited love songs be sent to two
fen.
hope the second one’s his
ter,” he said with a sheepish
tg
vestiga-
if they
es have
ttorney
threats
eering,
volving
ther times, an order can hinge
he regularity of bus service,
bevy of female bakery workers
of a particular bus driver re-
id Frederickson’s melodic serv-
to have a man board at a
ified stop and deliver the tune-
oken just as the bus cruised by
lakery.
edrickson, 34, whose Detroit
ich of the Minneapolis-based
rprise opened just in time for
ntine’s Day, said business has
a humming right along. The key
he service’s popularity, he said,
e lasting effect of the message,
^iter all, flowers wilt — a song
fn't,” the bearded musician said,
lie Detroit manager of the
ining courier service, Mark Van
pen, 23, said he already has de-
red some personalized song
sages for customers afraid of
Jetting the holiday or merely
ing to beat the rush,
mong the more unusual delivery
ings for the music education
uate from Wayne State Univer-
was a bowling alley.
't was from eight children to
attorney |r mother. Everyone in the fam-
tn three
officials
1 against
was be-
ith
says he
artment
i jail in-
h. Rep.
to Car-
lled
ped by
death,
ashing-
did not
e State
his way
i bullet
ist, but
ibs was
ir iden-
: in the
ily was there, bowling in two lanes,”
Van Harren said. “And I’ll tell you,
it was harder than hell to hear it.”
Van Harren and his two part-time
aides have cleared their schedules
to handle the gush of lovers’ wishes
they expect to face Wednesday.
The minstrels, guitars in hand
and dressed in pinstripe shirts, arm
garters and telegraphers’ caps, plan
to work day and night delivering
musical compositions to Detroit re
cipients at $15 a song over the
phone or $25 in person. Suburban
deliveries cost extra, they said.
Fredrickson said the Valentine’s
Day wishes are “usually pretty
straightforward.”
Although the business is new, his
torians say the idea isn’t.
Musical messages flourished dur
ing the time of medieval balladeers,
but the contemporary history of
singing telegrams started in 1933.
That’s when Walter Winchell asked
Western Union to send a singing
“Happy Birthday” telegram to
singer Eddie Cantor.
Fredrickson, who has operated
the service in Minneapolis for 18
months, said he expanded to De
troit Feb. 1 because it was the
largest market available without
competition.
“It’s the kind of gift that’s
oriented toward relationships,” he
said, explaining the appeal that sets
the message apart from store-
bought cards and other Valentines
paraphernalia.
“People tell us pet things about
the recipients and we write songs —
it’s personal.”
Aggieland
Flower
& Gift
Shop
Come in now
to select your
OBSBMHOUSB
dub & game barter
Disco dancing
Games Exotic drinks
COVER CHARGE
FRESHMAN BALL
Choose from roses, carnations, spring flowers or orchids.
Boutonnieres too!
209 University Dr. — At Northgate
846-5825
We Wire Flowers Worldwide
XK=
Bring your sweetheart and let Zac buy him
or her the first drink.
01 Hwy.30 Briar wood Apts. College Station 693-9781
it+riew AAAAk'k'k * * itikw irk * * * * 'krk'k
r «t
-c
c
c
*
*
*
*
*
c
-c
-c
1979-1980 COMPUTER SCIENCE/EE GRADUATES
of 80 c
, .Kifl'bj
T.iiNe*’
,Gr^
n-proft’
nony-j ,
fed l>!l 5,11
"V'S
rlbljtht 1 '
GRADUATES...
Revolutionize Your Marketing
Skills with Texas Instruments.
The revolution in consumer electronics is just begin
ning. The world market for consumer electronic
products within the scope of TI’s interest is projected
to grow from $8.1 billion in 1978 to more than $25
billion by the late 1980s.
Openings/Benefits
Texas Instruments has openings for BBAs in market
ing or business. We also have openings for Bachelor
of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Sci
ence or Physics. MBA preferred for all categories, if
you have a high degree of motivation for market
ing/sales, marketing development and planning,
marketing research, etc., and would like to live in
Dallas or Lubbock, Texas with subsequent assign
ments to the field in major cities throughout the na
tion then you are the kind of individual TI is looking
for in their growth marketing program.
Frontier:
This market is still a frontier.
Consider these facts. See what they tell you about the
career potential of marketing/sales at Tl:
• TTs goal is to be a $10 billion company by the
late 1980s.
• One of TI’s three major growth thrusts is consumer
electronics.
• TI has long been the leader in solid-state technol
ogies. It is this catalyst technology that provides the
foundation to TTs leadership in consumer elec
tronics such as handheld and programmable cal
culators, watches, electronic learning aids, and
other soon-to-be-announced new consumer
products.
Opportunities
At TI we are aware of your efforts to receive the best
education possible, and we recognize that you want
to fully utilize your abilities — immediately. We need
your knowledge and skills and will provide you with
ample opportunities to demonstrate them. Can any
one offer you more?
If interested, send your resume to: Personnel
Director/Consumer Products Group/
P. O. Box 225012, M. S. 87/Dallas, TX 75265.’
Texas Instruments
INC ORPOR A I E D
An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F
NCR/Wichita
introduces the
stress-relieving,
expense-naid
weekend.
Worried about where you’ll be 5-10 years
from now?
We’ll tell you about ground floor opportunities in VLSI
technology, or areas like Resource Partitioned
Architecture.
Worried about two-narrow specialization?
We’ll tell you how we make “Total Systems” involve
ment a day-to-day reality, and about our flexible
methodology and informal hardware/software taskforce
approach to problem-solving.
Worried about high-stress living?
We’ll give you a look at a lifestyle that’s affordable,
unhurried, uncrowded, smog-free. A city of half a million
where neighbors greet one another, and where you can
be home in 10-15 minutes of light traffic driving.
Worried about isolation? Obsolescence?
We’ll tell you about the interactive minis and micros
we’re designing, and how you can help us continue to
lead the way in Distributed Networking, Data
Communications, Direct Migration, New Automated
Languages ... and a dozen other areas.
Mark Alft
Helen McMahon
Ron Engelbrecht
Dwight Ensinger
Find out if you qualify for this stress-relieving, all expense-paid
weekend in Wichita. Arrange an informal preliminary interview at your
Placement Office.
Or write directly to: Mr. Jerry Long, ~
Manager, Professional Recruitment, NCR
Corporation, Engineering and Manufac
turing, 3718 North Rock Road, Wichita,
Kansas 67226.
N C R
Complete Computer Systems
And we’ll introduce you to people like Project
Leader Ron Engelbrecht who’s a gentleman farmer
weekends; or Design Engineer Mark Alft who
regularly visits NCR’s overseas operations; or
Programmer Helen McMahon who likes working
with language compilers, and being part of
a company that already is second only to IBM
in total computer related sales; or to Programmer
Dwight Ensinger who’s earning an MBA at a local
university.
we
plan to visit
your campus
FEB. 21
An equal opportunity employer