"We could hear the screams from down the passageway where they had taken people out. We knew people were getting beat real bad." Audio tape, 28:02

Donald Richard Peppard

Donald Peppard, passport photo, 1973 War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Navy Unit: USS Pueblo Service Location: Korea; Groton, Connecticut; Bremerton, Washington; Cambridge, Maryland; Japan Rank: Chief Petty Officer POW: Yes Place of Birth: Waverly, NY

On January 23, 1968, Donald Peppard, a thirteen-year Navy veteran, was aboard a cargo ship transformed to a surveillance vessel when North Korean war ships detained the USS Pueblo and its crew for spying. During his eleven-month stint as a prisoner of the North Koreans, Peppard and his comrades endured spartan accommodations, beatings and threats, censored mail, and the sheer boredom of life in captivity. Throughout, Peppard kept his emotional balance, offering nothing of value to his captors.