Eugene Henry DeBruin (April 1, 1933 – c. 1968) was a
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
staff sergeant, and a member of
Air America serving in
Laos during the
Second Indochina War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam an ...
. DeBruin was working as a "kicker" for Air America in 1963 when his
C-46
The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...
was shot down. He was a
POW at a
Pathet Lao prison camp in Laos until he and other prisoners attempted to escape. After this, there is
little known about DeBruin's whereabouts.
Biography
Early life and military career
Eugene DeBruin was born April 1, 1933, in
Kaukauna
Kaukauna () is a city in Outagamie and Calumet counties, Wisconsin, United States. It is situated on the Fox River, approximately north of Milwaukee. The population was 15,462 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Appleton, Wisconsin Met ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. He was the second eldest of ten children that grew up in a
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
farm. While growing up, DeBruin became interested in outdoor activities such as
hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
,
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
and
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...
.
After graduating from high school, DeBruin joined the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
in 1952. He served four years, mostly in
Japan, as an aircraft mechanic reaching the rank of
Staff sergeant. During that time, he also obtained a
private pilot license
A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The licence requirements are dete ...
. He practiced
judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
during his time in Japan.
After being discharged from the Air Force, DeBruin enrolled at the
University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fa ...
at
Missoula, Montana
Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...
, obtaining a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
. He then worked as a "
Smokejumper
Smokejumpers are specially trained wildland firefighters who provide an initial attack response on remote wildland fires. They are inserted at the site of the fire by parachute.
In addition to performing the initial attack on wildfires, they ...
" for three years in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. DeBruin then moved to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to learn
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
with the intent of becoming a writer.
After declining to join the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
, DeBruin volunteered as a "kicker" with Air America. His job was to kick the pallets of rice and other food out of an airplane to aid Lao refugees. According to his brother, he had plans of joining the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
after he finished his stint with
Air America.
Capture and first escape attempt
On September 5, 1963, during one of his flights over Laos, DeBruin's
C-46
The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...
cargo airliner was shot down by ground fire.
[Briggs, p. 208.] He took off on a mission with fellow
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
Joseph C. Cheney IIan
Charles G. Herrick Thai
Pisidhi Indradat, Prasit Promsuwan and Prasit Thanee, and Chinese To Yick Chiu. He crashed about 2 kilometers from
Tchepone in
Savannakhet Province. DeBruin, To, and the three Thai nationals parachuted to safety, but were immediately captured by the
Pathet Lao. Cheney and Herrick were killed in the crash.
After his capture, DeBruin was moved to four different prisons, together with the other four prisoners. In May 1964, they managed to escape for three days, but were caught at a watering hole.
Second escape attempt
After that failed attempt, DeBruin attempted a second escape. The other six prisoners who worked together for this second attempt were:
*
Pisidhi Indradat (Thai)
*Prasit Promsuwan (Thai)
*Prasit Thanee (Thai)
*To Yick Chiu (Chinese)
*
Duane W. Martin
Duane Whitney Martin (January 2, 1940 – July 3, 1966) was an American Air Force officer and prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
Biography
Martin was born on January 2, 1940, in Denver, Colorado. He became a commissioned officer in the Unite ...
(American)
*
Dieter Dengler (American)
Dengler was the last to arrive at the POW camp, and was initially mistrusted by the other prisoners as they thought he might be an informant.
[Dieter on Gene Debruin video]
Eventually the prisoners advised Dengler of their past escape attempts.
On June 29, 1966, while the guards were eating, the group slipped out of their hand and foot restraints and grabbed the guards' unattended
submachine guns
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automati ...
. The Pathet Lao guards spotted some of the other prisoners trying to escape. A shootout between the two sides ensued and Dengler and
Indradat ended up killing five guards so the others could escape. Two others ran off, presumably to get help. The seven prisoners split into three groups: Indradat, and the other Thai prisoners; DeBruin stayed with To, who had been too ill to continue with the escape; and Dengler and Martin headed for the
Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...
to escape to Thailand. Martin was killed by a Laotian villager, while Dengler was rescued after 23 days in the jungle. Indradat was also rescued later.
Later life
Of the seven prisoners that attempted to escape, only two reached safety (Dengler and Indradat). One report stated that DeBruin was killed in the escape attempt, but Indradat originally reported that he last saw DeBruin attempting to "reach high ground in a classified location".
In March 1971, the Central Intelligence Agency had
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
Team Papaya/305 operating in the area of DeBruin's capture. Tasked with gathering
military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
concerning DeBruin, it returned a report that the CIA's case handler thought truthful:
[Briggs, pp. 210–211.]
Eugene Henry DeBruin arrived at Muong Phine ( XD 0927) in late 1966. On or about 3 January 1967 DeBruin was taken from Muong Phine and arrived at Muong Nong ( XD 6010) on or about 5 January 1967. The Muong Nong prison contained only eight other Americans at this time. While in Muong Nong, DeBruin was strictly guarded by the North Vietnamese Army
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...
and he suffered very much. The North Vietnamese Army did not torture him but kept him imprisoned and gave him propaganda lectures. Pathet Lao General Khamkong and North Vietnamese Army General Tao, who speaks English, were the only high ranking officers to interview him. The North Vietnamese Army often displayed anger toward the prisoners because of the U.S. bombing in their area. DeBruin was allowed to eat his meals with, and talk to the other Americans but the villages had no knowledge whether he ever received letters or packages. DeBruin never escaped from Muong Phine or Muong Nong, because he was strictly guarded. In early January 1968 Ong Lui and six North Vietnamese Army soldiers took DeBruin and eight other Americans away. The villagers did not know Ong Lui's rank and said he was not from that area, but probably came from NVN to get the prisoners. The villagers were told only that DeBruin and the others were being taken away for training. End of report.
The case agent's superiors in the CIA disbelieved the report, as did the
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence.
A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the ...
.
[
DeBruin's brother, Jerome DeBruin, traveled to Laos in 1972 in search of information. Although the Pathet Lao admitted holding American prisoners of war, they insisted that the ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
negotiate directly with them to ensure their release, but this never happened.
Eugene DeBruin in film
Eugene DeBruin was portrayed by Jeremy Davies
Jeremy Davies (né Boring; born October 8, 1969) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Ray Aibelli in ''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), Corporal Upham in ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998), Snow in '' Solaris'' (2002), Bi ...
in Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...
's 2007 film ''Rescue Dawn
''Rescue Dawn'' is a 2006 American epic war drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog, based on an adapted screenplay written from his 1997 documentary film ''Little Dieter Needs to Fly''. The film stars Christian Bale and is based on the ...
''. The film focuses mostly on Dieter Dengler's life as told to Herzog by Dengler himself, but has been severely criticized by members of the family of DeBruin and Indradat, the other survivor of the group, for portraying DeBruin as a selfish and unstable prisoner who threatened to betray his fellow prisoners at any time, and who, at the time of their escape, did not know what to do.
Herzog acknowledged that DeBruin acted heroically during his imprisonment, refusing to leave while some sick prisoners remained, but Herzog was unaware of this until after the film had been completed. Herzog states that this narrative aspect probably would have been included had he learned it earlier.[Herzog, Werner, ''The Making of a True Story'', documentary feature on the American ]DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release of ''Rescue Dawn''
See also
* List of people who disappeared
Notes
Textual reference
* Briggs, Thomas Leo (2009). ''Cash on Delivery: CIA Secret Operations During the Secret War in Laos''. Rosebank Press, ISBNs 0-9841059-4-6, 978-0-9841059-4-6.
External links
Air America Association web site
Air America
by Christopher Robbins
The Ravens, Pilots of the Secret War in Laos
by Christopher Robbins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Debruin, Eugene
1933 births
1960s missing person cases
American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War
Missing people
Shot-down aviators
Vietnam War prisoners of war
United States Air Force airmen
University of Montana alumni
Laos–United States relations
United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War