Eternal Values Sustained Prisoner of War

Knowledge of eternal values plus oft-sung hymns were among the spiritual strengths that sustained Major Jay Criddle Hess as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.

Major Hess, 42, a United States Air Force pilot, was shot down August 24, 1967, and spent five and one-half years in prisoner of war camps near Hanoi and close to the Chinese border.

Major Hess, a native of North Farmington, Utah, now resides with his wife and five children in Bountiful, Utah. He met recently with the Ensign and discussed his ordeal. The following are extracts from that interview.

“As a prisoner of war I was stripped of every material thing that I owned. I was isolated from any contact with the outside world. It was a bad situation to be in, but it provided me with a period of reflection and meditation such as I had never had before.

“The first two months when I was alone gave me what was perhaps my most spiritual experience. So many things were vividly clear to me in memory. I could remember people whom I thought I had forgotten, and I could realize how they had been an influence in my life. I could remember scriptures that I had memorized in the past but hadn’t reviewed in many years. And they had more meaning for me.

“You know, my philosophy of life after this experience is that everyone, sometime in his life, needs to get away as did the Savior—perhaps not for 40 days as he did, but for some period of time to reflect and to meditate, and to just analyze one’s life.

“What I had been doing to that point, I felt, was wrong. What had occupied my mind was material things. What kind of car was I going to buy? Am I going to do this? Am I going to go here or there? I was so wrapped up in the world, and not at all concerned about people. I came to see this very clearly. The experience helped me put things into perspective.

“Some of my fellow prisoners felt alone, and they were in need of help. I felt that I had complete support from whatever source I needed. I enjoyed a closeness to God. There was no fear; it was almost a time of warmth. I suppose I really can’t say there was no fear, because I well remember the nights when the guards would come and open the doors of cells around me. There was always fear that they might be coming to my door. Every night I could hear them coming to take people out for questioning or for moving to other cells. Chains rattled, people would be moaning; it was kind of a horror show.

“The hymns of the Church provided me with the greatest lessons during this time. I couldn’t remember all of them, of course, and even now I can’t remember more than one verse of any song. But the phrases from one hymn, one verse from another, and parts of others gave me gospel lessons when I needed them.

“One such phrase was ‘Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear.’ I would think of that song on days that were tough and say to myself, ‘That is a great lesson for me right there. Don’t fear, just do whatever you have to do.’ And the last verse: ‘And should we die before our journey’s through, happy day!’ There were a lot of days just like that. It would have been happiness to have died that day, but I knew that if I could make it through, then I was going to be really happy. So it gave a balance to my life in prison.

“I remember once when I got hold of some paper and made a pen; using blue iodine for ink, I wrote down as many hymns as I could remember. I listed about a hundred. Hymns were used in my prayers, like the one the children sing in Primary: ‘Lead me, guide me, walk beside me. …’ However, I didn’t apply the words to myself, but turned them around. Don’t teach me or guide me; rather, lead my children and guide them.

“The first chance I got to write home, the main thing I had on my mind was to assure my family that the things that are valuable and important are those that have to do with the Church. I tried to put emphasis on family home evening, proper education, missions, temple marriage, and a family history.

“This is the first letter I wrote to my wife; I was only allowed to write six lines, so I concentrated on the essentials: ‘Above all I seek for eternal life for all of you. These are important: temple marriage, missionary, college. Press on.’

“I just wanted to give them encouragement. You see, we wander around so much in life without a goal, and I wanted to tell my family that. I think writing a family history helps make us realize how well we are accomplishing our goals.

“When you have time to meditate, you think of the people who have had a good influence on you, and you think of the good you could do to make a friend happy. Someone once said that a good measure of a friend is someone who makes you a better person when you are with them.

“I looked back to all those who had helped make me a better person, all the activities I had engaged in. I firmly believe that our young people should get wrapped up in the activities of the Church. Whenever there is a chance to do something in the Church, do it.

“I had been involved in Scouting, and I knew what it could do for my son; and then in the very first letter I got from him he told me that he had been made Eagle Scout. Knowing that gave me a boost for months.

“The friends I had made through activity in the priesthood meant a lot to me. The examples of men with whom I had associated—bishoprics, priesthood advisers, Scoutmasters—made me look up to them and want to become the kind of persons that they were.

“The things that helped sustain me were prayer and good people. I just can’t say enough about the people that I lived with. I had a lot in common with them. We loved to fly, and we had a perspective on the world that few people have. I enjoyed being with them before my experience as a prisoner, but it was amazing to me that we ended up together in prayer. It was almost like a missionary praying with his companion; we developed that kind of closeness.

“Most of the people I lived with were happy and had a good sense of humor—both important attributes in life. We learned to accept the situation we were in. And we did have control over some things, such as exercise. It was a great outlet to get our mind off our problems.

“Competition with oneself became a source of satisfaction. Fantastic records were set in such exercises as pushups, setups, and kneebends. The only thing that we were competing against was ourselves. We tried to go beyond each accomplishment, and we found that with continual practice, things do become easier.

“I learned that if we will put ourselves to it, we can do anything.”

Major Jay C. Hess