V 11 N. 33 Remembering Our Veterans "Interval Training in Hanoi" by Jon Epperson

 

Oklahoma U., Oklahoma State, USAFA triangular cross country meet

                       Norman, Oklahoma September, 1961

                                 Jon Fer on the left

A few years ago, we published a Memorial Day piece remembering the POW's who were interned in the Hanoi Hilton during the Viet Nam war.

Particularly we remembered former USAFA runner Jon Fer who won the NCAA 10,000 meters and a few years later was shot down and spent six years in captivity.  One of our regular readers, Jon Epperson has written a moving tribute to Jon Fer and several others who spent long days and years in captivity.

So here is Jon Epperson's salute to those who served, survived and to those who died.  

Please continue below this for an interesting postscript sent in by Richard Mach.

Richard Mach (Western Michigan University ) sent this in after reading the above postings.


Geo -

Wrote this tiny piece for the celebration a year ago last October around the 50th anniversary of the back to back Div I team championships Western Michigan won in cross country.  The center piece is John Fer.  May have sent this to you earlier, but don't believe so.  He transferred from USC after at least 2 years there I recall and started all over again in the rigorous program @ the Academy so this guy was, like the Aussies often were who were coming over to compete in our nation's colleges, a few years older which did give them -- and him -- some advantage.  After the fall races, John won the NCAA 10,000 m race outright the following spring.
Here's what I prepared.

THE VIETNAM WAR AND RUNNING @ ALTITUDE 

During this period in American history, we, as a country, were enmeshed in a far off war that soon enough invaded our living rooms every night on the news.  As athletes who competed against the service academies — all three - but especially the AFA, with which we traded venues each year in cross country and they were invited to the WMU indoor Relays in late winter, our trajectories intersected those of athletes who were going to go on to war after graduation.   One story especially is telling about the times then.  In 1962, Reid, Hancock, Bashaw, Green, Tom Martin myself and another flew into Denver the night before and spent a restless night at 6900 ft elevation @ the academy — our bone marrow trying desperately, on very short notice, to make much more hemoglobin.   The next morning coach warned us about the plebes, who were clustered at the start/finish line found @ midst of what proved to be a most daunting figure 8 four mile course, as to their not so polite inquires if we’d like an oxygen tank.  

At the gun, there on the Academy’s Eisenhower Golf Course nearly 7 grand above sea level, the race went downhill for the first mile running in the foothills away from the front range of the Rockies.  At the mile I was 7th or 8th in 4:21 The leader was about 4:18, a then 25 yr old cadet named John Fer, who was the following spring to win the NCAA 10 K championship.  We circumnavigated the bottom of the “Eight” and proceeded uphill almost immediately along a tightly winding path about  250 m long through a forest of scrub pine. Upon exiting, Fer was gone.  Out of sight.  Never saw him again.  At the middle of the figure eight, the halfway point, a plebe -- seeing that I was — by then — nearly green — asked if I’d like a peanut butter sandwich.   Then it was another lung busting mile uphill toward the front range before the top of the eight and then that last mile downhill -- quads burning -- to the finish.   At the finish, Air Force’s #2 guy was 9th.  Score:  20 to 43. Next time I saw John Fer was 11 yrs later on television getting off a plane of POWs @ Clark Air Base  shot down over N. Vietnam 6 years earlier. And still a stanch defender of our country.   And of John McCain, his cell mate at the Hanoi Hilton.

I took the top photo of the triangular meet at Norman, OK almost 60 years ago.  I was a freshman, and in those days could not run on a varsity team until the following year.  I lost my copy of it, but it came to me this morning from Austin, TX from Walt Mizell who is in the picture.  He in turn had only recently received it from Neville Soll (also in the picture) who lives in South Africa.   While preparing this post I had been looking through all my 'stuff' and felt that it was long gone, but it wasn't.  The race was three miles which accounts for the relatively fast first mile in those days.  All those guys have a story to tell. George Brose

George:

Thank you for honoring John Fer and all of these men on this Memorial Weekend!

John Bork

It is so great that you were able to find the picture from 60 years ago.  I wish I had taken pictures back in the day.

Reading the description Richard Mach gave of his CC race on the AFA Eisenhower Golf Course gave me PTSD!  The place gave new meaning to the term oxygen debt.  And in my case John Fer was “out of sight” much earlier in the race.  Sounds like Mach was able hang with him much longer.  Jon Epperson

Incredible story. The courage and strength of those men is truly inspirational and needs to be remembered. 

Thank you for posting.   Tom Pagani