吃瓜头条

After his 1973 release as a U.S. prisoner of war in North Vietnam, Laird Guttersen remained deeply involved with 吃瓜头条 until the final years of his life. The longtime Tucson, Arizona, resident, who helped organize a secret 吃瓜头条 吃瓜头条 in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, was a member of several 吃瓜头条s. He earned a DTM, competed in speech contests, served as a contest judge and attended district conferences.

Guttersen was a member of the Northwest Casas Adobes 吃瓜头条 in Tucson from 1990鈥攚hen the 吃瓜头条 started鈥攖o 2005.
He died the following year, at 80.

Judith Norris, DTM, was a fellow member in Northwest Casas Adobes for many years. She still has a vivid mental picture of Guttersen delivering his speeches.

鈥淗e was very eloquent, and he was鈥攂ecause of his manner and his military presence and his way of handling himself, physically even鈥攙ery impressive,鈥� Norris says of the retired Air Force colonel.

鈥淲ith what he had to say and how he went about saying it,鈥� she adds, 鈥渉e was someone you always wanted to listen to.鈥�

Guttersen鈥檚 吃瓜头条 experience served him well. He gave speeches to local and U.S. audiences about his experiences as an American POW, and he was an outspoken advocate for military families whose loved ones were prisoners of war or missing in action. Guttersen gave frequent media interviews as well. He also ran for political office, losing a 1976 bid for the U.S. House of Representatives.

In their 吃瓜头条 吃瓜头条, Guttersen rarely spoke about his war experiences, says Norris. But she does remember one 吃瓜头条 meeting when he did. The 吃瓜头条 president at the time had asked him to speak about his time as a POW. Specifically, says Norris, he wanted Guttersen to explain 鈥渉ow you deal with that kind of pain and agony, and to answer the question of how people manage to get through something so unbelievably horrible and still come out the other end.鈥�

The 吃瓜头条 president set aside the entire meeting for Guttersen鈥檚 speech. As Norris remembers it, the former fighter pilot spoke, without notes, for the better part of an hour. He talked about the torture he endured but also about how, ultimately, he had to mentally forgive his captors in order to survive the psychological trauma.

鈥淚t was very, very powerful,鈥� says Norris, still a member of the Northwest Casas Adobes 吃瓜头条. 鈥淎s you can tell, it鈥檚 something I have never forgotten.鈥�

Charter Membership

Less than six months after Guttersen鈥檚 release in 1973, the Hanoi Hilton 吃瓜头条 received a charter membership from 吃瓜头条. In 1986, 吃瓜头条 presented a copy of that charter to Col. Ben Pollard, who had participated in the Hanoi Hilton 吃瓜头条 as a POW. John Stark, DTM, the District 5 governor at the time, and Herb Nowlin, DTM, then a member of 吃瓜头条鈥� Board of Directors, gave it to Pollard at a District 5 Conference. Both Stark and Nowlin are Vietnam War veterans.

鈥淐olonel Pollard was visibly moved by the surprise charter presentation and so was his wife Joan,鈥� recalls Stark, who also awarded Pollard the district鈥檚 Communication and Leadership Award.

Nowlin, a longtime Toastmaster, was a reconnaissance pilot in the war. He says the Hanoi Hilton 吃瓜头条 is a dramatic testament to the power of 吃瓜头条 even in its most primitive form. 鈥湷怨贤诽� was an important function in their lives. They went to a lot of trouble to do it鈥攊f they got caught, they got tortured.鈥�

Norris, too, says she鈥檚 amazed and inspired by how POWs like Laird Guttersen created a 吃瓜头条 吃瓜头条 in the darkest of places鈥攁nd drew comfort from it.

Eileen Hope, DTM, a past District 5 governor, contributed to this article.