Interview With William Spencer Reeder
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And you can only imagine those seven POWs must be counting the hours too. What must be going through their minds of these soldiers as they prepare for a joyous homecoming so soon after nearly three harrowing weeks as prisoners? Colonel William Spencer Reeder Jr., a former Vietnam POW is on the phone with us from Kansas City, Missouri, with some thoughts on that. Colonel, 13 hours in their journey, making their way from Germany and making their way now to Texas. One can only imagine what they must be reflecting on. Is it your thought that they're reflecting mostly on what they just left or what likely might be lying ahead?</s>COL. WILLIAM SPENCER REEDER, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: Fredricka, I myself have been reflecting on about 30 years ago when we came back from Vietnam and I know that they are just filled with total joy at this moment. I don't think they really know exactly what to expect. We didn't. The crowds, the reception, it's just a joyous time for them.</s>WHITFIELD: We have heard so much about what kind of medical treatment, physical medical treatment many of these soldiers were getting while they were in Kuwait, while they were in Germany and then making their way now to the U.S. Can you give us some sense as to what you experienced, as a Vietnam vet, as a former POW. Are these soldiers -- did they also receive an awful lot of medical help in terms of mental health as well?</s>REEDER: They should get all of the medical help that they need. I know we came out of Hanoi and went first directly into the Philippines, and we spent a few days there getting full medical evaluation, some treatment. I, myself, had three kinds of malaria and</s>WHITFIELD: It's known that military personnel receive this kind of training just in case they were to be taken as POWs. And it's happened along the lines over a period of years. Do you suppose, though, that the sophistication of the training at these soldiers may have had prior to going to Iraq in any way better prepared them for situations that they have just encountered?</s>REEDER: Yes, absolutely. We had some level of training. It wasn't near the sophistication of the training that they have today. In fact, based largely on input that we provided on our return, we upgraded and changed the training programs that the return prisoners -- that they went through before they went over on their tours of duty. And I'm sure that they were well prepared, or as much prepared as they could be, for what they had to face over there.</s>WHITFIELD: What do you believe separates the soldier who is able to endure this kind of -- the rigors of being a POW better than others who might not be able to recover with as much ease?</s>REEDER: I think we all surprise ourselves when we get into a situation where we have to dig down inside of ourselves and pull everything that we have to survive. I know that each of them did what they had to do, and were able -- and maybe surprisingly -- to deal as well as they did with the situation that was at hand.</s>WHITFIELD: Colonel William Spencer Reeder, thank you very much for joining us on the telephone, giving us a better insight into what some of these seven POWs might be going through, mentally and physically as they now make their way back to the U.S. this evening.</s>REEDER: Thank you, Fredricka.