Posted on Aug 7, 2017
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Captain Humbert Roque Versace (July 2, 1937 – September 26, 1965), affectionately called “Rocky,” was an officer of the United States Army.
He went on to receive the Medal of Honor – the greatest military decoration of the United States – for the heroic actions he undertook as a prisoner of war in the Vietnam War. Puerto Rican-Italian by descent, he was the first member of the U.S. Army to have ever received such a distinction.
Born on July 2, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Versace was the eldest of five children. Versace’s father was Colonel Humbert Joseph Versace (1911–1972), and his mother was Marie Teresa Ríos (1917–1999) – who has authored three books, which includes the popular work Fifteenth Pelican, on which the 1960s Sally Field-starrer The Flying Nun was based. Having grown up in Alexandria, Virginia, Versace attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. during his freshman and sophomore years, Frankfurt American High School in his junior year, and after graduating from Norfolk Catholic High School in his senior year, enrolled in the Armed Forces from Norfolk in Virginia.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Versace graduated from the West Point U.S. Military Academy in 1959 and entered the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant of Armor.
During his time in Ranger School, Versace was a member of Ranger Class 4-60. On December 18, 1959, he received the Ranger Tab. Once he graduated from Ranger School, Versace – who was now promoted to Captain, attended Airborne School where he was awarded the parachutist badge.
Thereafter, he went on to serve with the 3rd Battalion, 40th Armor, 1st Cavalry Division in the Republic of Korea as an M-48 tank platoon leader – a post that he continued from March 1960 to April 1961.
Versace started his first tour of duty in war-torn Vietnam in the capacity of an intelligence advisor starting May 12, 1962. Just a year later, in May 1963, Versace put in a request for an extension of his tour by six months.
He wanted to attend seminary at the conclusion of his service and join the Catholic priesthood, in hopes that he could thereafter return to Vietnam at a later date to work with the orphans as a missionary.
At just about two weeks before his tour was to actually end, on 29 October 1963, on a friendly visit to a classmate from the Military Academy in Detachment A-23 of 5th Special Forces Group in the Mekong Delta, Versace accompanied numerous South Vietnamese Civilian Irregular Defense (CIDG) troop companies.
They had attacked a command post located in the U-Minh Forest, which was a stronghold area of the Viet Cong. Versace’s unit was ambushed and overrun by a Main Force battalion of the Viet Cong, and Versace himself got gravely wounded. However, even in his critical state, he could provide enough firepower to allow the CIDG forces to retreat from the killing zone.
Although a 200-strong second government force that operated from a few thousand yards from the site of the ambush learned of the mishap, they were far too late to be of any help.
According to U.S. authorities, there were communist radio jammers that had blocked the main channel as well as the alternate channel on all local military radios – which contributed to the delay.
A captured Versace was locked up in a prison that existed in the deeper areas of the jungle. With him were two other American prisoners of war – Sergeant Dan Pitzer and Lieutenant Nick Rowe. Even in his state, a valiant Versace tried to escape four times, however, he got caught every time.
Versace, however, continued to resist the torture of Viet Cong by insulting them during indoctrination sessions and repeatedly quoting the Geneva Convention treaty.
Due to his persistent behavior, Versace was separated from the other prisoners by the Viet Cong. The prisoners reportedly last heard his voice singing “God Bless America,” loudly and proudly, which they believe were indeed his last words.
On September 26, 1965, the “Liberation Radio” of North Vietnam announced Captain Humbert Roque Versace’s execution. Versace’s remains were never recovered, and his headstone, which can easily be located in the Memorial section MG-108, stands on an empty grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
Once Versace’s parents gained knowledge of the fate of their son, Marie and her husband, Colonel Versace, decided to find out everything they could the circumstances in which the tragedy had happened.
Marie went to Paris in the late 1960s to see the North Vietnamese delegation that had come to Paris to negotiate a peace deal. However, she was unsuccessful in her attempts and expressed her frustration and anguish through poems.
Although Versace was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1969, the attempt failed, and Versace received a posthumous Silver Star instead. It was only when the “Friends of Rocky Versace” reinitiated the cause of getting Versace a much-deserved Medal of Honor did the matter come back into the limelight.
Finally, in 2002, the Defense Authorization Act ended the standoff by awarding the Medal of Honor – the most prestigious military decoration for combat valor to Versace.
On July 8, 2002, in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, then-President George W. Bush awarded Versace a posthumous Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.
This was the first time in history that a POW had ever been awarded the very highest military distinction for showing immense courage in the face of captivity.
The surviving siblings of Rocky Versace – Dr Stephen Versace, Richard, Michael and Trilby Versace were present at the ceremony.
On November 7, 2008, an announcement was made by the Department of the Army which revoked the Silver Star awarded to Versace as he had received the Medal of Honor.
Medal of Honor citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while a prisoner of war during the period of October 29, 1963 to September 26, 1965 in the Republic of Vietnam.
While accompanying a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol engaged in combat operations in Thoi Binh District, An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam on October 29, 1963, Captain Versace and the CIDG assault force were caught in an ambush from intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire from elements of a reinforced enemy Main Force battalion.
As the battle raged, Captain Versace fought valiantly and encouraged his CIDG patrol to return fire against overwhelming enemy forces. He provided covering fire from an exposed position to enable friendly forces to withdraw from the killing zone when it was apparent that their position would be overrun, and was severely wounded in the knee and back from automatic weapons fire and shrapnel. He stubbornly resisted capture with the last full measure of his strength and ammunition.
Taken prisoner by the Viet Cong, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and resolute adherence to the tenets of the Code of Conduct from the time he entered into a prisoner of war status. Captain Versace assumed command of his fellow American prisoners, and despite being kept locked in irons in an isolation box, raised their morale by singing messages to popular songs of the day, and leaving inspiring messages at the latrine.
Within three weeks of captivity, and despite the severity of his untreated wounds, he attempted the first of four escape attempts by dragging himself on his hands and knees out of the camp through dense swamp and forbidding vegetation to freedom. Crawling at a very slow pace due to his weakened condition, the guards quickly discovered him outside the camp and recaptured him. Captain Versace scorned the enemy’s exhaustive interrogation and indoctrination efforts, and inspired his fellow prisoners to resist to the best of their ability.
When he used his Vietnamese language skills to protest improper treatment of the American prisoners by the guards, he was put into leg irons and gagged to keep his protestations out of earshot of the other American prisoners in the camp. The last time that any of his fellow prisoners heard from him, Captain Versace was singing God Bless America at the top of his voice from his isolation box.
Unable to break his indomitable will, his faith in God, and his trust in the United States of America and his fellow prisoners, Captain Versace was executed by the Viet Cong on September 26, 1965.
Captain Versaces extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and personal bravery involving conspicuous risk of life above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army, and reflect great credit to himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
He went on to receive the Medal of Honor – the greatest military decoration of the United States – for the heroic actions he undertook as a prisoner of war in the Vietnam War. Puerto Rican-Italian by descent, he was the first member of the U.S. Army to have ever received such a distinction.
Born on July 2, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Versace was the eldest of five children. Versace’s father was Colonel Humbert Joseph Versace (1911–1972), and his mother was Marie Teresa Ríos (1917–1999) – who has authored three books, which includes the popular work Fifteenth Pelican, on which the 1960s Sally Field-starrer The Flying Nun was based. Having grown up in Alexandria, Virginia, Versace attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. during his freshman and sophomore years, Frankfurt American High School in his junior year, and after graduating from Norfolk Catholic High School in his senior year, enrolled in the Armed Forces from Norfolk in Virginia.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Versace graduated from the West Point U.S. Military Academy in 1959 and entered the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant of Armor.
During his time in Ranger School, Versace was a member of Ranger Class 4-60. On December 18, 1959, he received the Ranger Tab. Once he graduated from Ranger School, Versace – who was now promoted to Captain, attended Airborne School where he was awarded the parachutist badge.
Thereafter, he went on to serve with the 3rd Battalion, 40th Armor, 1st Cavalry Division in the Republic of Korea as an M-48 tank platoon leader – a post that he continued from March 1960 to April 1961.
Versace started his first tour of duty in war-torn Vietnam in the capacity of an intelligence advisor starting May 12, 1962. Just a year later, in May 1963, Versace put in a request for an extension of his tour by six months.
He wanted to attend seminary at the conclusion of his service and join the Catholic priesthood, in hopes that he could thereafter return to Vietnam at a later date to work with the orphans as a missionary.
At just about two weeks before his tour was to actually end, on 29 October 1963, on a friendly visit to a classmate from the Military Academy in Detachment A-23 of 5th Special Forces Group in the Mekong Delta, Versace accompanied numerous South Vietnamese Civilian Irregular Defense (CIDG) troop companies.
They had attacked a command post located in the U-Minh Forest, which was a stronghold area of the Viet Cong. Versace’s unit was ambushed and overrun by a Main Force battalion of the Viet Cong, and Versace himself got gravely wounded. However, even in his critical state, he could provide enough firepower to allow the CIDG forces to retreat from the killing zone.
Although a 200-strong second government force that operated from a few thousand yards from the site of the ambush learned of the mishap, they were far too late to be of any help.
According to U.S. authorities, there were communist radio jammers that had blocked the main channel as well as the alternate channel on all local military radios – which contributed to the delay.
A captured Versace was locked up in a prison that existed in the deeper areas of the jungle. With him were two other American prisoners of war – Sergeant Dan Pitzer and Lieutenant Nick Rowe. Even in his state, a valiant Versace tried to escape four times, however, he got caught every time.
Versace, however, continued to resist the torture of Viet Cong by insulting them during indoctrination sessions and repeatedly quoting the Geneva Convention treaty.
Due to his persistent behavior, Versace was separated from the other prisoners by the Viet Cong. The prisoners reportedly last heard his voice singing “God Bless America,” loudly and proudly, which they believe were indeed his last words.
On September 26, 1965, the “Liberation Radio” of North Vietnam announced Captain Humbert Roque Versace’s execution. Versace’s remains were never recovered, and his headstone, which can easily be located in the Memorial section MG-108, stands on an empty grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
Once Versace’s parents gained knowledge of the fate of their son, Marie and her husband, Colonel Versace, decided to find out everything they could the circumstances in which the tragedy had happened.
Marie went to Paris in the late 1960s to see the North Vietnamese delegation that had come to Paris to negotiate a peace deal. However, she was unsuccessful in her attempts and expressed her frustration and anguish through poems.
Although Versace was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1969, the attempt failed, and Versace received a posthumous Silver Star instead. It was only when the “Friends of Rocky Versace” reinitiated the cause of getting Versace a much-deserved Medal of Honor did the matter come back into the limelight.
Finally, in 2002, the Defense Authorization Act ended the standoff by awarding the Medal of Honor – the most prestigious military decoration for combat valor to Versace.
On July 8, 2002, in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, then-President George W. Bush awarded Versace a posthumous Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.
This was the first time in history that a POW had ever been awarded the very highest military distinction for showing immense courage in the face of captivity.
The surviving siblings of Rocky Versace – Dr Stephen Versace, Richard, Michael and Trilby Versace were present at the ceremony.
On November 7, 2008, an announcement was made by the Department of the Army which revoked the Silver Star awarded to Versace as he had received the Medal of Honor.
Medal of Honor citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while a prisoner of war during the period of October 29, 1963 to September 26, 1965 in the Republic of Vietnam.
While accompanying a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol engaged in combat operations in Thoi Binh District, An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam on October 29, 1963, Captain Versace and the CIDG assault force were caught in an ambush from intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire from elements of a reinforced enemy Main Force battalion.
As the battle raged, Captain Versace fought valiantly and encouraged his CIDG patrol to return fire against overwhelming enemy forces. He provided covering fire from an exposed position to enable friendly forces to withdraw from the killing zone when it was apparent that their position would be overrun, and was severely wounded in the knee and back from automatic weapons fire and shrapnel. He stubbornly resisted capture with the last full measure of his strength and ammunition.
Taken prisoner by the Viet Cong, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and resolute adherence to the tenets of the Code of Conduct from the time he entered into a prisoner of war status. Captain Versace assumed command of his fellow American prisoners, and despite being kept locked in irons in an isolation box, raised their morale by singing messages to popular songs of the day, and leaving inspiring messages at the latrine.
Within three weeks of captivity, and despite the severity of his untreated wounds, he attempted the first of four escape attempts by dragging himself on his hands and knees out of the camp through dense swamp and forbidding vegetation to freedom. Crawling at a very slow pace due to his weakened condition, the guards quickly discovered him outside the camp and recaptured him. Captain Versace scorned the enemy’s exhaustive interrogation and indoctrination efforts, and inspired his fellow prisoners to resist to the best of their ability.
When he used his Vietnamese language skills to protest improper treatment of the American prisoners by the guards, he was put into leg irons and gagged to keep his protestations out of earshot of the other American prisoners in the camp. The last time that any of his fellow prisoners heard from him, Captain Versace was singing God Bless America at the top of his voice from his isolation box.
Unable to break his indomitable will, his faith in God, and his trust in the United States of America and his fellow prisoners, Captain Versace was executed by the Viet Cong on September 26, 1965.
Captain Versaces extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and personal bravery involving conspicuous risk of life above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army, and reflect great credit to himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
Put up such a fight in captivity, Viet Cong executed him out of frustration. He was last heard...
Posted from warhistoryonline.comPosted in these groups: 
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POW/MIA
Medal of Honor POW/MIA
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Thanks TSgt Joe C. for sharing the background on Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace
Images: Rocky's dad pins the CIB on Rocky; Humbert Versace's memorial plaque outside MacArthur Barracks at West Point; Capt. 'Rocky' Versace; U.S. President George W. Bush hands the Medal of Honor to Steve Versace, brother of Army Captain Humbert "Rocky" Versace, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, July 8, 2002
"One Last Tribute to Captain Versace
A visit last week to Arlington National Cemetery by family and friends brought an emotional end to a remarkable series of events this month honoring Rocky Versace.
Versace, an Army captain, was executed in September 1965 by his Viet Cong captors. His heroism while in captivity was belatedly recognized at these events after a lengthy campaign waged by a group calling itself the Friends of Rocky Versace, his West Point classmates and other supporters inside and outside the military.
"It was truly extraordinary," Rocky Versace's brother, Stephen, an administrator with the University of Maryland, said Monday. "It really brought closure to a lot of them."
Versace, who would have turned 65 this month, grew up in Alexandria and attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington.
On July 6, hundreds gathered for the dedication of the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria. The plaza, located at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center near where Versace grew up, includes the names of 65 Alexandrians who were killed in Vietnam inscribed in a circular seating area surrounding the memorial.
On July 8, in a ceremony in the White House East Room, Versace was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush for his heroism, the first time an Army POW has received the nation's highest honor for actions in captivity.
"In his defiance and later his death, he set an example of extraordinary dedication that changed the lives of his fellow soldiers who saw it firsthand," Bush said. "His story echoes across the years, reminding us of liberty's high
price, and of the noble passion that caused one good man to pay that price in full."
Finally, in a simple ceremony at the Pentagon on July 9, Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki inducted Versace into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.
"First and foremost, we are here today to recognize Rocky's example as the model of adherence to the Code of Conduct; as the model of physical and moral courage; as the model of complete selflessness; as the model of one
who never broke faith with God and country -- regardless of the cost," White said. "But our presence here today is also a tribute to the many in his family, and in our Army family, who never broke faith with Rocky."
After the Pentagon ceremony, members of the Friends of Rocky Versace and family members drove to Versace's memorial marker in Arlington -- his remains were never recovered. When family members left, the friends stayed
behind for a few minutes.
Duane Frederic, a Cleveland postal worker who did important research supporting the Medal of Honor submission, read a poem about Rocky's heroism written by fellow prisoner Nick Rowe. "Each member spoke his piece to Rocky as we sought closure," said John Gurr, a West Point classmate and group member now living in the Charlottesville area.
Joe Flynn, a friend of Rocky Versace's during his Alexandria years, suggested they end by singing "God Bless America." It was the song that Versace was singing the last time his fellow captors heard him.
After everyone had returned to their homes last week, Gurr sent an e-mail to his West Point classmates with this coda:
"We came, Rocky. We were late, but we came. We came in force. We came with Rocky's family, Special Forces representatives, Congressmen, and perhaps it should be said that we came following the utterly indomitable Friends of Rocky Versace -- they led the way."
resident Awards Posthumous Medal of Honor to Vietnam War Hero
Remarks by the President at Presentation of Medal of Honor
The East Room
July 8, 2002
3:07 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, and welcome to the White House. It's a -- this is a special occasion. I am honored to be a part of the gathering as we pay tribute to a true American patriot, and a hero, Captain Humbert "Rocky" Versace.
Nearly four decades ago, his courage and defiance while being held captive in Vietnam cost him his life. Today it is my great privilege to recognize his extraordinary sacrifices by awarding him the Medal of Honor.
I appreciate Secretary Anthony Principi, the Secretary from the Department of Veteran Affairs, for being here. Thank you for coming, Tony. I appreciate Senator George Allen and Congressman Jim Moran. I want to thank Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense; and General Pete Pace, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; Army General Eric Shinseki -- thank you for coming, sir. I appreciate David Hicks being here. He's the Deputy Chief of Chaplains for the United States Army.
I want to thank the entire Versace family for coming -- three brothers and a lot of relatives. Brothers, Dick and Mike and Steve, who's up here on the stage with me today. I appreciate the classmates and friends and supporters of Rocky for coming. I also want to thank the previous Medal of Honor recipients who are here with us today. That would be Harvey Barnum and Brian Thacker and Roger Donlon. Thank you all for coming.
Rocky grew up in this area and attended Gonzaga College High School, right here in Washington, D.C. One of his fellow soldiers recalled that Rocky was the kind of person you only had to know a few weeks before you felt like you'd known him for years. Serving as an intelligence advisor in the Mekong Delta, he quickly befriended many of the local citizens. He had that kind of personality. During his time there he was accepted into the seminary, with an eye toward eventually returning to Vietnam to be able to work with orphans.
Rocky was also a soldier's soldier -- a West Point graduate, a Green Beret, who lived and breathed the code of duty and honor and country. One of Rocky's superiors said that the term "gung-ho" fit him perfectly. Others remember his strong sense of moral purpose and unbending belief in his principles.
As his brother Steve once recalled, "If he thought he was right, he was a pain in the neck." (Laughter.) "If he knew he was right, he was absolutely atrocious." (Laughter.)
When Rocky completed his one-year tour of duty, he volunteered for another tour. And two weeks before his time was up, on October the 29th, 1963, he set out with several companies of South Vietnamese troops, planning to take out a Viet Cong command post. It was a daring mission, and an unusually dangerous one for someone so close to going home to volunteer for.
After some initial successes, a vastly larger Viet Kong force ambushed and overran Rocky's unit. Under siege and suffering from multiple bullet wounds, Rocky kept providing covering fire so that friendly forces could withdraw from the killing zone.
Eventually, he and two other Americans, Lieutenant Nick Rowe and Sergeant Dan Pitzer, were captured, bound and forced to walk barefoot to a prison camp deep within the jungle. For much of the next two years, their home would be bamboo cages, six feet long, two feet wide, and three feet high. They were given little to eat, and little protection against the elements. On nights when their netting was taken away, so many mosquitos would swarm their shackled feet it looked like they were wearing black socks.
The point was not merely to physically torture the prisoners, but also to persuade them to confess to phony crimes and use their confessions for propaganda. But Rocky's captors clearly had no idea who they were dealing with. Four times he tried to escape, the first time crawling on his stomach because his leg injuries prevented him from walking. He insisted on giving no more information than required by the Geneva Convention; and cited the treaty, chapter and verse, over and over again.
He was fluent in English, French and Vietnamese, and would tell his guards to go to hell in all three. Eventually the Viet Cong stopped using French and Vietnamese in their indoctrination sessions, because they didn't want the sentries or the villagers to listen to Rocky's effective rebuttals to their propaganda. Rocky knew precisely what he was doing. By focusing his captors' anger on him, he made life a measure more tolerable for his fellow prisoners, who ooked to him as a role model of principled resistance.
Eventually the Viet Cong separated Rocky from the other prisoners. Yet even in separation, he continued to inspire them. The last time they heard his voice, he was singing "God Bless America" at the top of his lungs.
On September the 26th, 1965, Rocky's struggle ended in his execution. In his too short life, he traveled to a distant land to bring the hope of freedom to the people he never met. In his defiance and later his death, he set an example of extraordinary dedication that changed the lives of his fellow soldiers who saw it firsthand. His story echoes across the years, reminding us of liberty's high price, and of the noble passion that caused one good man to pay that price in full.
Last Tuesday would have been Rocky's 65th birthday. So today, we award Rocky -- Rocky Versace -- the first Medal of Honor given to an Army POW for actions taken during captivity in Southeast Asia. We thank his family for so great a sacrifice. And we commit our country to always remember what Rocky gave -- to his fellow prisoners, to the people of Vietnam, and to the cause of freedom.
July 8, 2002 -- Forty years ago, Army Captain Humbert Roque 'Rocky' Versace wanted to become a priest and work with Vietnamese orphans. He'd been accepted into a seminary, but his dream was not to be fulfilled.
Two weeks before he was due to return home, Versace, 27, was captured on October 29, 1963, by Viet Cong guerrillas who spent the next two years torturing and trying to brainwash him. In return, he mounted four escape attempts, ridiculed his interrogators, swore at them in three languages and confounded them as best he could, according to two U.S.soldiers captured with him.
The witnesses said the unbroken Versace sang "God Bless America" at the top of his lungs the night before he was executed on September 26, 1965. His remains have never been recovered.
Nominations starting in 1969 to award Versace the Medal of Honor failed; he received the Silver Star posthumously instead. Language added by Congress in the 2002 Defense Authorization Act ended the standoff and authorized the award of the nation's highest military decoration for combat valor.
Today, President Bush and the nation recognized Versace for his courage and defiance. Bush said the Army captain was "a soldier's soldier, a West Point graduate, a Green Beret who lived and breathed the code of duty, and honor and country.
"Last Tuesday would have been Rocky's 65th birthday," the president said. "So today, we award Rocky the first Medal of Honor given to an Army POW for actions taken during captivity in Southeast Asia.
"In his defiance and later his death," Bush said, "he set an example of extraordinary dedication that changed the lives of his fellow soldiers who saw it firsthand. His story echoes across the years, reminding us of liberty's high price and of the noble passion that caused one good man to pay that price in full."
Versace's brother Steve accepted the award during a White House ceremony witnessed by family members and many of the friends and supporters who had worked for years to have Versace's Silver Star upgraded.
Versace grew up in Norfolk and Alexandria, Virginia, and attended Gonzaga College High School. He graduated from West Point in 1959 and became a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia, and a member of Army Special Forces.
Bush said a fellow soldier recalled that Versace "was the kind of person you only had to know a few weeks before you felt like you'd known him for years." As an intelligence adviser in the Mekong Delta, he befriended many local citizens. "He had that kind of personality," the president said.
"One of Rocky's superiors said that the term 'gung-ho' fit him perfectly," he noted. "Others remember his strong sense of moral purpose and unbending belief in his principles. As his brother Steve once recalled, if he thought he was right, he was a pain in the neck. If he knew he was right, he was absolutely atrocious."
The Vietnamese tortured prisoners to persuade them to confess to phony crimes. Versace gave only his name, rank and serial number as required by the Geneva Convention. "He cited the treaty chapter and verse over and over again," the president said. "He was fluent in English, French and Vietnamese and would tell his guards to go to hell in all three."
Versace knew what he was doing, Bush said. "By focusing his captors' anger on him, he made life a measure more tolerable for his fellow prisoners, who looked to him as a role model of principled resistance."
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/hrversace.htm
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Images: Rocky's dad pins the CIB on Rocky; Humbert Versace's memorial plaque outside MacArthur Barracks at West Point; Capt. 'Rocky' Versace; U.S. President George W. Bush hands the Medal of Honor to Steve Versace, brother of Army Captain Humbert "Rocky" Versace, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, July 8, 2002
"One Last Tribute to Captain Versace
A visit last week to Arlington National Cemetery by family and friends brought an emotional end to a remarkable series of events this month honoring Rocky Versace.
Versace, an Army captain, was executed in September 1965 by his Viet Cong captors. His heroism while in captivity was belatedly recognized at these events after a lengthy campaign waged by a group calling itself the Friends of Rocky Versace, his West Point classmates and other supporters inside and outside the military.
"It was truly extraordinary," Rocky Versace's brother, Stephen, an administrator with the University of Maryland, said Monday. "It really brought closure to a lot of them."
Versace, who would have turned 65 this month, grew up in Alexandria and attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington.
On July 6, hundreds gathered for the dedication of the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria. The plaza, located at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center near where Versace grew up, includes the names of 65 Alexandrians who were killed in Vietnam inscribed in a circular seating area surrounding the memorial.
On July 8, in a ceremony in the White House East Room, Versace was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bush for his heroism, the first time an Army POW has received the nation's highest honor for actions in captivity.
"In his defiance and later his death, he set an example of extraordinary dedication that changed the lives of his fellow soldiers who saw it firsthand," Bush said. "His story echoes across the years, reminding us of liberty's high
price, and of the noble passion that caused one good man to pay that price in full."
Finally, in a simple ceremony at the Pentagon on July 9, Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki inducted Versace into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes.
"First and foremost, we are here today to recognize Rocky's example as the model of adherence to the Code of Conduct; as the model of physical and moral courage; as the model of complete selflessness; as the model of one
who never broke faith with God and country -- regardless of the cost," White said. "But our presence here today is also a tribute to the many in his family, and in our Army family, who never broke faith with Rocky."
After the Pentagon ceremony, members of the Friends of Rocky Versace and family members drove to Versace's memorial marker in Arlington -- his remains were never recovered. When family members left, the friends stayed
behind for a few minutes.
Duane Frederic, a Cleveland postal worker who did important research supporting the Medal of Honor submission, read a poem about Rocky's heroism written by fellow prisoner Nick Rowe. "Each member spoke his piece to Rocky as we sought closure," said John Gurr, a West Point classmate and group member now living in the Charlottesville area.
Joe Flynn, a friend of Rocky Versace's during his Alexandria years, suggested they end by singing "God Bless America." It was the song that Versace was singing the last time his fellow captors heard him.
After everyone had returned to their homes last week, Gurr sent an e-mail to his West Point classmates with this coda:
"We came, Rocky. We were late, but we came. We came in force. We came with Rocky's family, Special Forces representatives, Congressmen, and perhaps it should be said that we came following the utterly indomitable Friends of Rocky Versace -- they led the way."
resident Awards Posthumous Medal of Honor to Vietnam War Hero
Remarks by the President at Presentation of Medal of Honor
The East Room
July 8, 2002
3:07 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, and welcome to the White House. It's a -- this is a special occasion. I am honored to be a part of the gathering as we pay tribute to a true American patriot, and a hero, Captain Humbert "Rocky" Versace.
Nearly four decades ago, his courage and defiance while being held captive in Vietnam cost him his life. Today it is my great privilege to recognize his extraordinary sacrifices by awarding him the Medal of Honor.
I appreciate Secretary Anthony Principi, the Secretary from the Department of Veteran Affairs, for being here. Thank you for coming, Tony. I appreciate Senator George Allen and Congressman Jim Moran. I want to thank Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense; and General Pete Pace, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; Army General Eric Shinseki -- thank you for coming, sir. I appreciate David Hicks being here. He's the Deputy Chief of Chaplains for the United States Army.
I want to thank the entire Versace family for coming -- three brothers and a lot of relatives. Brothers, Dick and Mike and Steve, who's up here on the stage with me today. I appreciate the classmates and friends and supporters of Rocky for coming. I also want to thank the previous Medal of Honor recipients who are here with us today. That would be Harvey Barnum and Brian Thacker and Roger Donlon. Thank you all for coming.
Rocky grew up in this area and attended Gonzaga College High School, right here in Washington, D.C. One of his fellow soldiers recalled that Rocky was the kind of person you only had to know a few weeks before you felt like you'd known him for years. Serving as an intelligence advisor in the Mekong Delta, he quickly befriended many of the local citizens. He had that kind of personality. During his time there he was accepted into the seminary, with an eye toward eventually returning to Vietnam to be able to work with orphans.
Rocky was also a soldier's soldier -- a West Point graduate, a Green Beret, who lived and breathed the code of duty and honor and country. One of Rocky's superiors said that the term "gung-ho" fit him perfectly. Others remember his strong sense of moral purpose and unbending belief in his principles.
As his brother Steve once recalled, "If he thought he was right, he was a pain in the neck." (Laughter.) "If he knew he was right, he was absolutely atrocious." (Laughter.)
When Rocky completed his one-year tour of duty, he volunteered for another tour. And two weeks before his time was up, on October the 29th, 1963, he set out with several companies of South Vietnamese troops, planning to take out a Viet Cong command post. It was a daring mission, and an unusually dangerous one for someone so close to going home to volunteer for.
After some initial successes, a vastly larger Viet Kong force ambushed and overran Rocky's unit. Under siege and suffering from multiple bullet wounds, Rocky kept providing covering fire so that friendly forces could withdraw from the killing zone.
Eventually, he and two other Americans, Lieutenant Nick Rowe and Sergeant Dan Pitzer, were captured, bound and forced to walk barefoot to a prison camp deep within the jungle. For much of the next two years, their home would be bamboo cages, six feet long, two feet wide, and three feet high. They were given little to eat, and little protection against the elements. On nights when their netting was taken away, so many mosquitos would swarm their shackled feet it looked like they were wearing black socks.
The point was not merely to physically torture the prisoners, but also to persuade them to confess to phony crimes and use their confessions for propaganda. But Rocky's captors clearly had no idea who they were dealing with. Four times he tried to escape, the first time crawling on his stomach because his leg injuries prevented him from walking. He insisted on giving no more information than required by the Geneva Convention; and cited the treaty, chapter and verse, over and over again.
He was fluent in English, French and Vietnamese, and would tell his guards to go to hell in all three. Eventually the Viet Cong stopped using French and Vietnamese in their indoctrination sessions, because they didn't want the sentries or the villagers to listen to Rocky's effective rebuttals to their propaganda. Rocky knew precisely what he was doing. By focusing his captors' anger on him, he made life a measure more tolerable for his fellow prisoners, who ooked to him as a role model of principled resistance.
Eventually the Viet Cong separated Rocky from the other prisoners. Yet even in separation, he continued to inspire them. The last time they heard his voice, he was singing "God Bless America" at the top of his lungs.
On September the 26th, 1965, Rocky's struggle ended in his execution. In his too short life, he traveled to a distant land to bring the hope of freedom to the people he never met. In his defiance and later his death, he set an example of extraordinary dedication that changed the lives of his fellow soldiers who saw it firsthand. His story echoes across the years, reminding us of liberty's high price, and of the noble passion that caused one good man to pay that price in full.
Last Tuesday would have been Rocky's 65th birthday. So today, we award Rocky -- Rocky Versace -- the first Medal of Honor given to an Army POW for actions taken during captivity in Southeast Asia. We thank his family for so great a sacrifice. And we commit our country to always remember what Rocky gave -- to his fellow prisoners, to the people of Vietnam, and to the cause of freedom.
July 8, 2002 -- Forty years ago, Army Captain Humbert Roque 'Rocky' Versace wanted to become a priest and work with Vietnamese orphans. He'd been accepted into a seminary, but his dream was not to be fulfilled.
Two weeks before he was due to return home, Versace, 27, was captured on October 29, 1963, by Viet Cong guerrillas who spent the next two years torturing and trying to brainwash him. In return, he mounted four escape attempts, ridiculed his interrogators, swore at them in three languages and confounded them as best he could, according to two U.S.soldiers captured with him.
The witnesses said the unbroken Versace sang "God Bless America" at the top of his lungs the night before he was executed on September 26, 1965. His remains have never been recovered.
Nominations starting in 1969 to award Versace the Medal of Honor failed; he received the Silver Star posthumously instead. Language added by Congress in the 2002 Defense Authorization Act ended the standoff and authorized the award of the nation's highest military decoration for combat valor.
Today, President Bush and the nation recognized Versace for his courage and defiance. Bush said the Army captain was "a soldier's soldier, a West Point graduate, a Green Beret who lived and breathed the code of duty, and honor and country.
"Last Tuesday would have been Rocky's 65th birthday," the president said. "So today, we award Rocky the first Medal of Honor given to an Army POW for actions taken during captivity in Southeast Asia.
"In his defiance and later his death," Bush said, "he set an example of extraordinary dedication that changed the lives of his fellow soldiers who saw it firsthand. His story echoes across the years, reminding us of liberty's high price and of the noble passion that caused one good man to pay that price in full."
Versace's brother Steve accepted the award during a White House ceremony witnessed by family members and many of the friends and supporters who had worked for years to have Versace's Silver Star upgraded.
Versace grew up in Norfolk and Alexandria, Virginia, and attended Gonzaga College High School. He graduated from West Point in 1959 and became a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia, and a member of Army Special Forces.
Bush said a fellow soldier recalled that Versace "was the kind of person you only had to know a few weeks before you felt like you'd known him for years." As an intelligence adviser in the Mekong Delta, he befriended many local citizens. "He had that kind of personality," the president said.
"One of Rocky's superiors said that the term 'gung-ho' fit him perfectly," he noted. "Others remember his strong sense of moral purpose and unbending belief in his principles. As his brother Steve once recalled, if he thought he was right, he was a pain in the neck. If he knew he was right, he was absolutely atrocious."
The Vietnamese tortured prisoners to persuade them to confess to phony crimes. Versace gave only his name, rank and serial number as required by the Geneva Convention. "He cited the treaty chapter and verse over and over again," the president said. "He was fluent in English, French and Vietnamese and would tell his guards to go to hell in all three."
Versace knew what he was doing, Bush said. "By focusing his captors' anger on him, he made life a measure more tolerable for his fellow prisoners, who looked to him as a role model of principled resistance."
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/hrversace.htm
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Humbert Roque Versace, Captain, United States Army
Biography of Captain Versace
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