American Heritage Museum Hanoi Hilton Exhibit Conceptual Design
Submitted: February 7, 2022
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
February 4, 2022
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3D MODEL - BIRD’S EYE VIEW
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
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BUBBLE DIAGRAM
C
a - orientation b - The AIR WAR c - FIRST WEEKS AND INTERROGATION d - PRISON LIFE e - HOMECOMING
D E
b
a
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
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PROJECTION
PROJECTION
PROJECTION
AV PLAN
POW PERSONAL STORIES TOUCHSCREEN
AMBIENT AUDIO: PROPAGANDA, jingling keys, AND TAP CODE SOUNDS
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ENTRY CONCEPT
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THE AIR WAR CONCEPT
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CELL BLOCK CONCEPT
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ORIENTATION
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
A - Orientation Plinth A1 – Graphic panel - Front side Vietnam War - The Hanoi Hilton This front facing panel will be iterative in design of the other Orientation panels found throughout AHM. Here we will see images and text explaining that “Hanoi Hilton” dates back to the days of French colonial control when it was called “Maison Centrale.” We will learn that when the French were driven out, the North Vietnamese renamed the prison Hoa Lo (aka “Fiery Furnace”). We will learn that with the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, American prisoners, mostly airmen, were incarcerated at “Hoa Lo “ (which American POWs nicknamed “Hanoi Hilton”) We may also see a map that shows the location of “Hanoi Hilton” and the other, smaller. prison camps around the Hanoi region. (Note: We will also include a parental warning that this area has intense and difficult imagery and stories)
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
A2 - Graphic panel and Digital touchscreen - Back side Heroes Remembered The backside will be a large textured hanging POW/MIA flag. A digital touch screen will be centered on the flag and will display the center part of the flag when not in use. (Note: The idea of this flag and touch screen being on the backside is for visitors exiting the prison to go to this touchscreen as a final remembrance) Visitors may access the names of all U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine aviators who were shot down, captured, and incarcerated at Hanoi Hilton and other POW camps and prisons in North Vietnam. When clicking a name, visitors may see a brief description of the veteran’s rank, branch of service, date, and place where he was captured, when he was released (or, in some cases, whether he died in captivity, or whether he is still considered missing-inaction) A3 - Graphic Panel - Beside the entryway to the prison About the Artifacts Guests learn about how the AHM came to collect these precious and terrible artifacts. They learn about why preserving them is important.
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THE AIR WAR
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
B – The Air War B1 – Graphic panel The Fight Over North Vietnam Here we will see images of American fighter planes and bombers in missions over North Vietnam. Text will tell us of the controversial strategy of “Operation Rolling Thunder” and the politicians’ early control of the air war. Quotes from BPI’s POW interviews may include the following: - “The Joint Chiefs of Staff came up with a list of target priorities based on a systematic system of crippling the infrastructure and bringing them to the negotiating table. But, the President, Robert McNamara and his think tank, largely ignored that list.” – JOHN DOUGLASS BURNS - “At one point in the war, if you were an F-105 pilot, it was a hundredmission tour. And statistically you would last about 60 missions before you were shot down.” – ROBERT D. JEFFREY B2 - Graphic panel The Technology of Shoot Downs Here we will see images of N. Vietnamese S.A.M. and artillery
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
emplacements located in and around Hanoi. Text will include quotes from American pilots who were shot down, pointing out how early missions were not properly prepared. - “ Our flight leads were very inexperienced, to the point they really didn’t have it down yet. We didn’t have any RHAW gear to warn us of radar controlled antiaircraft guns or surface-to-air missiles.” – ROBERT D. JEFFREY - “In about a 30-mile ring around Hanoi there were 19,000 anti-aircraft guns, more than any place in World War II. It was the most heavily defended airspace in the history of air warfare.” – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. - “If you went down right around Hanoi, there was no effort made to come in to pick you up. It was too dangerous, and too much anti-aircraft fire.” – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. B3 - Video projection on back wall Capture Here we will see clips of BPI ‘s video interviews with POWs Robert D. Jeffery, John Douglass Burns, and Thomas H. Kirk, Jr. talking about being shot down and captured. The video may include archival images - with photos, news footage and N. Vietnamese propaganda film clips showing shootdowns and capture of U.S. airmen. We may hear audio clips of an actual rescue attempt by U.S. forces (in an HH-3E “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter) at the time of a shootdown that, despite best efforts, was unsuccessful. We may also see images showing downed U.S. airmen marched into Hoa Lo prison (aka “Hanoi Hilton”) upon arrival. POW comments will include:
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
- “We popped out - An airfield was heavily defended by a Chinese crew with a radar controlled 57 millimeter, and I was on the end! Seconds later, my master warning lights on the glare shield came on. Every one of those lights lit up. And then the airplane literally disintegrated in a fireball. I’m telling myself ‘ I’m not gonna die in this airplane’. I was able to get to that ejection handle and pull it. That’s when I broke my back, ‘cause my spine was curved like that since I was bent over. I got out of the airplane.” – ROBERT D. JEFFREY - “I was knocked unconscious …When I came to on the ground in sort of a stupor, I was surrounded by Vietnamese men, women, and children, and they were beating me with sticks and throwing rocks at me and spitting on me and kicking me.” – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. - “They marched me. They got me up on a truck and it took off. I had my wedding ring on. I had never worn it before on a combat flight. And then, a Vietnamese soldier that was in the back of the truck with me pointed at the gold ring. He wanted that ring and, you know, my hands were all swollen (laughs) and everything, I couldn’t get it off. He got out a penknife, and he was gonna cut my finger off to get the ring. So I skinned all the skin off of that finger, but I got it off. And then it was on to Hanoi.” – JOHN DOUGLASS BURNS - “The Vietnamese army came up and took me. They blindfolded me, bound and gagged me, put me on a truck and bumped me over the 27 miles in the back of a dump truck into the Hanoi Hilton.” - THOMAS H. KIRK, JR.
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FIRST WEEKS AND INTERROGATION
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
C – First weeks and Interrogation C1 - Graphic panel
C2 - Graphic Panel
The Interrogators
Torture
Here we see the images showing airmen being force-marched into the Hanoi Hilton. We also see the first of POW Mike McGrath’s sketches revealing interrogation sessions at Hanoi Hilton. We see quotes from POWs on the graphic panel such as:
Here we will again see Mike McGrath’s sketches showing what he, and other POWs went through. We will also see POW quotes about what they endured . For example…
- “With my back broken, I couldn’t walk. So interrogators brought me into a room, sat me on the floor, and propped me up with an old milk case. The first words out their senior officer were, ‘ You are not a prisoner of war, you’re a war criminal. You’ll be tried for crimes against the Vietnamese people, and most probably shot! Now, answer all of our questions!’ I gave him nothing.” – ROBERT D. JEFFREY Looking into the INTERROGATION space (aka “Knobby Room”) visitors will see a table and a chair. Above, they will see a large hook and a length of heavy rope suspended from the ceiling… Wall Text just outside the area may list the Geneva Conference rules regarding POWs…and the U.S. military Code of Conduct for POWs- ”Give name, rank and serial number, only” …explaining that these rules were ignored by the North Vietnamese.
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
- “They cuffed your hands behind at the wrist, behind your back and then they ran a thick rope under your arms, coming up your back and they had a hook in the ceiling, and then they would just lift you up so your arms were like that, and they would lift you up until the, in many cases, the shoulders just dislocated.” – MIKE McGRATH - “Some died during the torture session… Because you know that a body can only take so much punishment and then it’s going to give out.” – JOHN DOUGLASS BURNS C3 – Video projection on the Knobby wall Every man’s breaking point. Guests will see clips from BPI’s POW interviews talking about torture at Hanoi Hilton, designed to obtain strategic information or coerce ”confessions” for propaganda purposes.
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
- “Everybody broke.” – JOHN DOUGLASS BURNS - “You know, you got to the point where it was hard to envision in my mind actually being free. Even though I never gave up hope that I’d be coming home, it was hard to imagine being free again.” - “My family didn’t know if I was alive or dead, ‘cause no one saw me get outta the airplane. Three years before they knew if I was alive or dead.” – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. - “It was the worst period of my life, including the torture because I was 38 years old, absolutely top of my game as a fighter pilot, a squadron commander, shot down doing the thing I’d been trained to do for for 17 years. Been tortured, failed my country and myself. – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR.
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PRISON LIFE
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PRISON LIFE
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
D – Prison Life D1 - Graphic Panel
- “The primary means of communication was by use of the “tap code.” The code was a simple arrangement of the alphabet into a 5 x 5 block…” - MIKE MCGRATH
Conditions Mike McGrath’s sketches will convey for visitors the look of living conditions in dank cells…often shackled to hard beds…forced to sit upright for days on end…meager rations, rats, constant harassment, and beatings by guards etc. Quotes accompany the sketched images: - “We lived almost every day under either self-induced stress or stress for whatever was going on at the time, because we, we knew they were always running some kind of program, trying to get you to write things, or do things, or say things, or make...tapes or something, the whole period of time.” - ROBERT D. JEFFREY D2 - Graphic Panel and audio A lifeline, the tap code A faint series of taps is heard emanating from the text panel Again we will see a Mike McGrath sketch, together with his quote & explanation of how the POWs communicated via the tap code, the cupto-wall, the deaf-mute code, and notes on toilet paper.
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
- “Robby Risner was next to me. And, he taught me to tap code. And when nobody was around, we could talk through the transit. But I said, “When do you think we’ll be going home, Robby?” – MIKE MCGRATH D3 - Video projection on the cell walls A Living Hell Visitors look inside the cell. On the wall, they will see a 4-6 minute video on the far wall conveying what life was like for American POWs incarcerated (some or 7 or more years) at Hanoi Hilton. The video may feature several of Mike McGrath’s sketches. Some of these sketches convey the look of conditions in dank cells…POWs often shackled to concrete slab “beds” … forced to sit upright for days on end…meager & often putrid rations, rats, constant harassment, and frequent torture by guards etc. General life, isolation, hope, despair – Here, our POW interview clips with Bob, John and Tom will convey these feelings…including... - “I wanted to die... There is no question about that. Everything in my life had been taken. I kept saying, ‘Why Lord? Why God? Did I do something wrong?
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE Why did this happen to me? Could I have done something different with the airplane that those shells would’ve missed me and I wouldn’t have been hit.” –THOMAS H. KIRK, JR.
We may also hear the voice of Trinh Thi Ngo alias “Hanoi Hannah (the N. Vietnamese version of WWII’s “Tokyo Rose”) from a Radio Hanoi broadcast, further designed to confuse and breakdown the POWs with lies, propaganda and misinformation.
- “Every time a time guard would walk down the cellblock and rattle his keys, eight to 10 cells break out in sweat. They’re gonna come in to get you, beat you, whatever.” – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. -”Then, one day, I said, ‘ I’ve got to dig deep into my soul somewhere and I’ve got to find the strength and the courage to handle this.’ And, and I did, it was almost like going into yoga. And I said, ‘ With the strength of God, and the faith in the country, I can make this. If I do everything humanly possible, someday I will go home. This war has to end and someday I will go home.’ And as God is my witness, my whole world in Vietnam turned over that day.” – THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. D4 - Audio ambience in the prison corridor Propaganda We hear the POWs tell us that their captors would pump anti-war music into their cells to taunt them…as if no one “at home” (U.S.) supports what you are doing. We may hear music played faintly in the background, anti-war songs of the time (i.e., Joan Baez – “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” or “Saigon Bride”, Phil Ochs- “I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore”, The Animals – “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, Freida Payne- “Bring The Boys Home!”)
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3D MODEL VIEWS - E - HOMECOMING
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE
E – Homecoming E1 - Graphic Panel What changed in the war . . . Here, our images and text will convey the action and the impact of the “SON TAY” Raid…a highly strategic and well-executed special forces attempt to save the POWs. We will learn, from our text, that the POWs had been moved prior to the night of the raid. Although the Son Tay raid did not achieve its goal. It had a profound, positive effect on the POW morale. Text quotes from our POWs at Hanoi Hilton tell us they were elated that the attempt had been made. We will also learn that the Son Tay Raid impacted and “changed” the N. Vietnamese captors’ tactics. The captors were now afraid of what might happen next. They consolidated all prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton and brought their senior officers in together with them. And the N. Vietnamese captors sensed that the end of the war was now in sight. E2 - Graphic Panel The Homefront The panel explores the efforts of POW wives and families in the U.S., led by Sybil Stockdale, “Fearless Phyllis” Galanti, Marty Halliburton, Doris Sorenson “Viking” Day and more, to form the National League Families and lobby for the return of the American POWs incarcerated at Hanoi
American Heritage Museum • Hanoi Hilton Exhibit • Conceptual Design
Hilton and other prison camps in North Vietnam. Visitors will learn that the NLF grew from a handful of West Coast Navy families in 1966 to a membership in the thousands that stretched across the United States with ties to every branch of the service. This “Tell The World” panel will include the image of the now famous POW/MIA flag and its solemn proclamation “You Are Not Forgotten.” E3 – Graphic Panel Repatriation Here we will see images of the POWs “cleaned up” by the N. Vietnamese for propaganda purposes, as they’re being prepared for liberation beginning in February 1973. We see quotes from our POW interviews on the panel telling what it was like. - “One day, they brought us all out in a big area at Hoa Lo, and the camp commander got up and told us the war was over. And they actually handed out the conditions of the way the war ended. – ROBERT D. JEFFREY - “A week before we were released, they fitted us for clothes and it was very interesting. They gave us a Red Cross duffle bag with a kit and shaving gear, and we hadn’t had any of that for five or six years.” - THOMAS H. KIRK, JR. - “We get on the airplane and everybody’s talking. We take our seats, the airplane fires up and taxis. When the wheels left the ground, everybody started jumping up and hugging.” - ROBERT D. JEFFREY
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EXHIBIT NARRATIVE E4 – Graphic Panel Returning Home: Here we will see photos of the POWs on buses leaving the Hanoi Hilton, boarding planes, celebrating a take-off from the airfield…and then iconic shots of them returning to family and friends in the U.S. We will include a final Mike McGrath sketch of Mike being embraced by his wife and kids, with his text quote: - “On 7 March 1973, I returned to San Diego, California, where I was greeted by my wife Marlene, and our two sons, John Jr. and Richard. …The years of waiting for this moment were suddenly forgotten. Then I realized how great it was to just be alive, to be wanted and loved, and most of all, to be an American. As so many of my friends and comrades said, as they stepped from the giant Air Force C-141s to the land of the free, “God Bless America!” - MIKE MCGRATH
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