Robert H. Shumaker

Midshipman Shumaker

Commander Robert Shumaker meeting with Lieutenant Commander Phillip N. Butler following their release as POWs

Lieutenant Commander Shumaker was an F-8D pilot assigned to VF-154 on board the carrier USS Coral Sea. Shumaker's aircraft, a F8 fighter, was shot down by 37mm cannon fire on February 11, 1965 in the province of Quang Binh. His parachute opened a mere 35 feet (11 m) from the ground, and he was captured by the North Vietnamese. He was the second navy aviator to be captured. The impact broke Shumaker's back and he was first frogmarched through the countryside, at which time his photograph was taken by acclaimed Vietnamese War photographer Van Bao. He was then placed in a jeep and transported over the rutted roads to Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, a white-smocked North Vietnamese gave him a cursory examination before dozens of photographers yet did not give him any medical attention. His back healed itself, but it was six months before he could bend.[4][5]

For the next eight years, Shumaker was held in various prisoner of war camps, including the infamous Hỏa Lò Prison in Hanoi dubbed the "Hanoi Hilton". Shumaker, as a prisoner, was known for devising all sorts of communications systems, including the notable tap code system and never getting caught. Like other POWs, he was badgered to write a request for amnesty from Ho Chi Minh, which he refused to do. As punishment, the Vietnamese forced Shumaker to stay in a cell with no heat and no blankets during the winter. After about a week, Shumaker had not relented, and he was forced to kneel for another week. Finally, he was kneeling on broom handles with boards on his shoulders. After a month the Vietnamese finally broke him and went on to the next POW.

Shumaker was released in Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He had been promoted to the rank of commander during his captivity. His fellow POWs consider him as a resister, leader, and patriot.[6]

Shumaker was hospitalised to recover from his injuries at Balboa Naval Hospital, from February to June 1973, and then attended the Naval Postgraduate School to complete his master's degree and PhD in electrical engineering from June 1973 to June 1977. Shumaker next served as a project manager for smart missiles with the Naval Air Systems Command at NAS Patuxent River, from June 1977 to June 1983, followed by service as superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School from June 1983 to June 1986.

Shumaker's final assignment was as director of the Tactical Air, Surface & Electronic Warfare Development Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon from June 1986 until his retirement from the navy on February 1, 1988, at the rank of rear admiral.[7]