Station HYPO

The afterglow of Super C’s (guard) satisfaction following the international press conference warmed Commander Bucher and his men well into September 1968. Their captors began to show greater concern for their welfare—medical attention improved, and the food became more plentiful and nutritious. Plates were suddenly heaped with fresh fish, canned ham, bread and butter, and apples. Some of the sailors even began to regain the weight they had lost during the previous eight months of captivity.

By the end of March 1968, the North Koreans appeared to believe their prisoners were becoming too defiant. When two sailors accused a guard of stealing their cigarettes, Super C decided to make an example of them.

The Americans’ spirits lifted on March 17, 1968 when Steve Woelk, the young fireman injured by the same shell that killed Duane Hodges, was reunited with them. Since the day of their capture, Woelk had been kept in a North Korean hospital, and despite numerous inquiries, Bucher had received almost no information about his condition. An upbeat Kansan known for his country-western singing, Woelk was well liked by his shipmates, and Bucher and the officers warmly greeted him as he hobbled through the front door of the “Country Club,” (prison) as the men had dubbed their new prison.

After six weeks on a diet nearly devoid of vitamins and protein, the crew began to exhibit signs of severe malnutrition. The ship’s cook, Harry Lewis, estimated they were surviving on only 500 calories per day—the equivalent of three unbuttered English muffins. Most of the men were rapidly wasting away—Bucher alone had lost forty pounds—and many suffered from debilitating diarrhea. What began as mild illnesses soon worsened; bouts of flu turned into pneumonia, and minor cuts festered into dangerous infections.