Aiken Standard in Aiken, South Carolina

Prisoner of War Hook recalls Death Valley and rescue

Aiken veteran James Hook recounts captivity in Chinese and North Korean camps near the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. He describes hunger, frostbite, amputations, lice infestations, the black box torture, and near-constant fear, yet he remained defiant and eventually released in August 1953. He later served in the Navy Sea Bees and retired after 24 years. Hook accepted an Americanism Award and honors on National POW MIA Recognition Day.