96 yr. old. Sgt.Tom was a real Hogan's Hero POW - fascinating heartwarming story - long, so you might fast forward through the interview as it is all clarified and summarized with the help of his daughter Suzie in the last ten minutes or so.
THE MORE I INTERVIEW THESE OLD VETS, THE MORE I APPRECIATE OUR FREEDOM:
The Flame Keepers: The True Story of an American Soldier's Survival Inside Stalag 17 Hardcover – June 2, 2004
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The Flame Keepers: The True Story of an American Soldier's Survival Inside Stalag 17 Hardcover – June 2, 2004
page 191: "Pappy (Sgt. Tom Barksdale, called that as he was 22, one of the oldest, and definitely one of the most mature) stood up and stretched a bit to appear casual.
See you in a bit, he said and strolled off. I watched him and admired his quiet confidence. Later, he became our barracks chief after Shattuck took over the whole compound but agreed to do it on the condition that he wouldn't have to leave his bay mates and move to the barrack chief's solitary corner. He had about him an aspect of leadership similar to Meese. A steadiness flavored by a genial enjoyment of other men's company. I remembered his crew mate Bob Watson recounting the moment they had been shot down. Watson had been badly hit by flak and temporarily knocked out. When he came to, Pappy was holding him by the collar and shouting at him over the noise of a burning plane:
Your chute is on, can you hear me? It's on. Put your hand on this ring here. We're going to bail out. Don't pull that ring until everything is quiet. OK? You do as I say and we'll tend to your wounds when we get to the ground. OK? Watson bailed, waited, heard nothing and pulled the ring. Then he passed out. Pappy, he said solemnly, had saved his life. When his crewmate's testimonial got back to Pappy, he shrugged and, with the hint of a smile, commented: 'Can't a guy make an honest mistake every once in a while?" (Sgt. Tom was being humbly facetitious.)
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