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MY
CAGE
TIME |
| | by Joyce Chamberland-Reyes "95" |
In 1993, I was introduced to the POW - MIA Awareness Vigil when I attended one with my Mother, Sandra Brown, who is President of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 199, and my Dad, George E. Brown III, who is American Legion Post 199 Commander. I had no idea what the purpose of the vigil was, but I became interested in learning more about the vigil and the POW - MIA issue. Since I was born in the early seventies when the Vietnam War was winding down, I was ignorant of what our Vietnam Veterans went through and about the men we left behind. First I'd like to introduce you to a POW - MIA Awareness Vigil.
The POW - MIA Awareness Vigil is just what the name implies. It's a vigil to make the public more aware of the plight of our warriors from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, that have not returned home. They are listed by our government as either MIA ( Missing In Action) or POW (Prisoner of War ). The vigil is usually sponsored by a Veteran's Group, ie. The Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 647, West Haven, Ct. The vigil is usually held on a town green so that the general public may participate and is usually eight, twelve, twenty four, or forty hours long. In the center of the vigil area sits a "Tiger Cage", which is a true life replica of the cages the enemy kept our POW's in
during the Vietnam War. It is made of bamboo and is about four feet square and six feet high. Each hour a volunteer, either a Veteran or an issue supporter, sits or stands in the cage for an hour. He or she represents one of the thirty nine missing Connecticut servicemen from the Vietnam War. Each "Prisoner" is dressed in black pajamas, representative of what our POW's wore while in captivity, is placed in chains around both the hands and feet, and is bare footed. In order to represent, as close as possible, the conditions our men went through, all personal items are left behind ie. jewelry, eye glasses, etc. When the hourly "Change Ceremony" takes place, a two man "Honor Guard" escorts the new prisoner to the cage.
The "Cage Guard", consisting of four Veterans or supporters, lifts the cage so that the old prisoner can be taken out and the new prisoner inserted. The prisoners salute, then hug each other, a symbolic gesture of "The Brotherhood". The old prisoner gives the new one a small American flag to hold onto for the next hour, the new prisoner is placed into position, blindfolded, and the cage is lowered. The Cage Guard then salutes the prisoner in the cage and along with the Honor Guard, escorts the old prisoner to a spot where all those present can welcome him or her home. Those present will form a line and each person salutes, and gives a hug to the prisoner in a symbolic "Welcome Home" gesture. While this whole
ceremony is carried out, a song entitled "Forgotten Man", author unknown, is played in the background. After each person welcomes home the prisoner, they help form a circle. When the last person is through welcoming home the prisoner, all join hands in the circle and sing along with Billy Joel's recording Of "Goodnight Saigon". During the hour, music from the sixties and early seventies, mostly rock and roll, some protest music, and some music with military themes, is played in the background. This ceremony takes place once an hour over the entire length of the vigil.
After my first vigil, I knew I wanted to attend more, to learn the background of the POW - MIA issue, and somehow participate in a deeper way. I knew it was emotional from all the tears I saw, and I wanted to be a part of it. After a year had passed and I had a few vigils under my belt, I began to form a bond with the Veterans and their supporters. People whom I had not known before, were now my friends, friends with whom I could share my tears and sorrow , and who were not afraid to share theirs with me.
In June of 1995, I participated in a vigil on the Derby, Ct. town green, in a way that I had hoped would happen. When I arrived at the vigil, Tim Meade, the vigil organizer, asked if I wanted "Cage Time", and I jumped at the chance. I was given 3:00 to 4:00 o'clock Saturday morning. At 2:30am it was damp and very cold. I decided to take a walk around the green to settle my nerves and clear my head in preparation for what I was about to do. I went and changed into the black pajamas and handed over all my possessions. Then they shackled me in chains, and "the Forgotten Man" began playing. I was lead to the cage, the chains making an eerie sound in the dark, by the Honor Guard, and stood while the old
prisoner was removed. I saluted him and as he hugged me, I could feel him trembling, and could see the tears welling up in his eyes. I thought to myself "Where had this Veteran's mind been during his hour? What would I feel?". I was soon to find out. They placed a blindfold over my eyes, and put me in a sitting position. I then heard the cage lowered, and my hour began. During my hour, several people, who knew it was my first time, came over and asked if I was all right. I really wasn't, but a prisoner cannot talk while in the cage, so I could not answer them. My mind drifted to thoughts of our POW's and how
they must feel. I know my ordeal will be over soon, but how do they feel not knowing when and if they'll ever see home again? What more can I do to bring them home? I try to lock my mind into the background music but these thoughts keep coming back. All of a sudden I hear "Forgotten Man" playing and the clanking of chains. I know my hour is over and I'm going home. What about them, will they ever come home? The cage is lifted, I'm taken out and the blindfold is removed. As I embrace the new prisoner, I realize that it is I who is trembling this time. I was now brought before my peers to be welcomed home. Most of the Veterans were in tears and I now understood why.
After experiencing my first hour in the cage, I began to realize the sacrifice our men and women have made to keep us free. All I Kept thinking about, more and more, was the men and women who gave their lives for us and those still held in captivity some where in Southeast Asia.
In late summer of 1995, I was offered another "Cage Hour" at a vigil in my home town of Plainville, Ct. The first time in Derby, I was nervous and scared because I didn't know what I was facing, or what I would feel. This time I was just plain scared. It was 12:00 noon, August 5, 1995 and I was about to begin my second time in the cage. It was raining, cold, and damp. I don't know if I was shaking because of the weather or my nerves, but I was shaking. Steve Carney, and my boy friend Jim Demato, both Vietnam Combat Veterans, were my Honor Guard. Everyone that I cared about was there to lend me their moral support, and their love. The prisoner coming out was my Dad, and as I saluted and hugged
him, I trembled. As tears fell to an already wet ground I wondered, "How would I react to my father being "Missing In Action? He gave me the small American flag, they set the blindfold, sat me down, and my hour began.
This hour was totally different from my first experience. I went into some very deep thoughts concerning the warrior I was representing. Andre Guillet, U.S. Air Force, missing since 1966 over Laos. What was he like? Was he still alive, and if so how was he coping with being abandoned by his country to rot in a bamboo cage until death? The first time I was in the cage, I could hear the background music and the people talking around me. This time it was as though my mind was in Southeast Asia searching for an answer to the question, Why? The first time, my hour seemed short, this time it seemed to last months, as if I were some where else, someone else. All of a sudden, someone is speaking to me, hands are grabbing my arms and lifting me up. It's my Dad and Bert Gray, both Korean War Era Veterans. I'm home! The man going into the cage was my boy friend, and again I wondered how I would react to my boy friend, my fiancée, or my husband, being listed by our government as "Missing In Action", and then forgotten. The first time I didn't shed a tear during the whole ceremony, this time I couldn't stop crying. Though the salutes from my peers seemed crisper, and the hugs seemed warmer and more reassuring, I couldn't shake this empty feeling in my soul, the sadness in my heart, or the question on my mind. Why? After the ceremony, many spoke of their pride for me, and one veteran told me, "It doesn't get any easier". As the day progressed, it got colder with the rain feeling like icicles, and although I was wet, cold, and tired, a fire blazed in my heart for our Veterans and the POW - MIA issue.
Now that the season is over, I look back at how I have grown, both in knowledge and compassion. I look forward to next year, the camaraderie of the "Brotherhood", the chance to teach others what I have learned, and the feeling that I can make a difference. I will continue to work along side of these "Heroes", their families, and the families of the "Missing", like Doris Maitland from Morris, Ct., sister to Andre Guillett, until there is a full and complete resolution to the POW - MIA issue.
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