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Captain Guy GrutersFormer Prison of War in the “Hanoi Hilton”

“Forgiving Your Enemies”

Guy D Gruters was born in 1942 in Sarasota, Florida. His father was away in Europe fighting as a soldier in World War II for 28 months. Guy did not see his father until he was over two years old. His father then moved the family to the Northeast. Guy grew up in Fairlawn, New Jersey. He attended a Catholic school until 9th grade. The family, by then six children, three girls and three boys, then moved back to Sarasota, Florida. Guy finished high school and graduated from Sarasota high school with honors.

By special recommendation of Florida State Representative James D Haley he was accepted to attend the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Guy spent four years there earning a degree in engineering science, graduating in the top 5%, Summa Cum Laude. During this period of his schooling he attended Army paratrooper school in Fort Benning, Georgia. He learned how to handle a parachute and earned his jump wings.

Over 400 combat missions in Vietnam...

After graduation from the Air Force Academy he married his wife, Sandy, and attended Purdue University where he earned a Masters Degree in Astronautical Engineering. Then he attended Air Force pilot training. After this training, he attended fighter gunnery school. Guy, having earned his wings and as a lieutenant in rank with Sandy and now two young children, volunteered for “Vietnam service only,” entering the war zone in 1967, believing that it was best to fight communism militarily overseas, far from our country.

Guy initially served our country as a forward air controller in a light O-1 Bird Dog aircraft flying dangerously low missions over South Vietnam during ground fighting with the enemy, directing airstrikes for the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Central Highlands area. The 173rd operated out of the Dak To Special Forces Camp.

After seven months in the O-1 aircraft, Guy then volunteered as a Fast Fac in a top-secret fighter unit called Misty, flying F-100 fighter aircraft over North Vietnam directing fighter airstrikes on enemy targets. He was shot down twice, the second time captured on December 20, 1967. Guy spent five years and three months as a POW in six different North Vietnam prison camps, most notably the Hanoi Hilton. His total stay in Vietnam was just over six years.

Before ending his flying career in Vietnam he flew over 400 combat missions. He was advanced in rank to captain and was awarded more than 30 combat awards including: two Silver Stars, two DFCs, two purple hearts, two bronze stars for valor, a Presidential Unit

citation, the POW medal, 20 air medals and numerous other medals.

He was released from the prison camps in March, 1973, and returned to the US. He was interviewed extensively by the Air Force and an author named Malcolm McConnell, because of he and another POW having cared for a pilot named Lance Sijan during Lance’s last days on earth. As a result, Lance received the Medal of Honor post mortem and the book Into The Mouth Of The Cat was published.

Guy’s story as a POW witnessing Lance’s heroic last days is also told to all Air Force officers in training. It is in the USAF officer’s training manual.
Today, Guy works as a writer/editor and together with his brothers Peter, Terry and others they are doing the work necessary to form a new Association Of Christian Faithful of Families in an attempt to save, rebuild and strengthen families worldwide.

Guy is currently working with his brothers on a new full-featured Hollywood film titled “Heroic Love.” The film will portray an intriguing true story of the lives of POWs and of a family that suffered the trial with them. The films web site is heroiclovemovie.com.

Guy and Sandy have been married for over 50 years. They have welcomed seven natural children. They also adopted an eighth child late in their marriage. They have 21 grandchildren. Guy and Sandy currently reside in farm country a few miles from the small town of McCartyville, Ohio, in the city limits of Sidney, Ohio.