Dozens 'ride to the rock' through rain for POW/MIA Freedom Ride

A hard hitting, but quick, storm rolled through the Lakes Region Thursday, but that didn’t halt the POW/MIA Freedom Ride, which brought dozens of riders and supporters to Meredith Bay, to hear the story of one Army captain's journey to receive the Medal of Honor.

Capt. Isaac “Ike” Camacho was the first prisoner of the Viet Kong to escape, on July 9, 1965. The 89-year-old veteran has a long list of awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Prisoner of War Medal. Federal government, military and Northeast POW/MIA leaders have been pushing to bring him the Medal of Honor, as well.

The ride started at Lowe’s in Gilford, with kickstands up at 6 p.m., and a police escort for the massive group down Route 3 to Hesky Park, in Meredith, for the memorial ceremony at 7 p.m. Rolling Thunder Chapter 1 — a nonprofit group composed of veterans who raise awareness for prisoners of war and those missing in action — assisted in getting everyone lined up.

The tradition has been running for 38 years during Laconia Motorcycle Week, and the first five years it was a POW/MIA Awareness Vigil at Hesky Park. Dubbed “Ride to the Rock,” streams of motorcycles made their way through the town docks parking area Thursday afternoon. American and POW/MIA flags hung from the ladders of fire engines, creating a draped entryway through which the bikes to arrive.

Spectators cheered on the riders, and made their way to the gazebo to hear military and government leaders — notably, retired U.S. Army Col. Alan J. Shumate and Sen. Maggie Hassan — speak about the importance of honoring Camacho with the military’s highest award.

According to information from Northeast POW/MIA Network, the vigil was to bring awareness to prisoners of war, and those missing in combat, who are yet accounted for.

Every Thursday for the past 36 years, veterans in Meredith have met at “the rock” for weekly vigils around the need to account for all service men and women still missing from Vietnam. Participants have endured the heat of the summer, cold rain of the fall and spring, and the snowy evenings of the winter to keep the awareness, and they are not forgotten.

While heavy rain forced the vigil to the gazebo, nine supporters who attend the weekly vigils held flags by the memorial during the ceremony. Northeast POW/MIA Network President Bob Jones recognized them, thanking them for their dedication.

Town Manager Judie Milner addressed the crowd, saying she is grateful for the country she lives in, and for those who served. She thanked supporters for keeping this sad part of history in the forefront of everyone’s minds.

“In this country, we shouldn’t leave anybody behind,” Milner said.

After Army veteran Chris Clark sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," retired Col. Richard Duncan read what Jones called one of the best benedictions he can recall. Duncan said they were gathered, not simply for a ride, but for a promise.

“A promise that those who were prisoners of war, and those who remain missing in action, will never be forgotten,” Duncan said.

He said they honor these soldiers’ courage and sacrifice, as well as families who have carried hope, grief, and unanswered questions for years. Duncan blessed those who are still serving, and the families who keep stories of their loved ones alive.

“As these motorcycles travel the roads today, let them be visible reminders that remembrance is not a single day, but a duty carried forward by each generation,” Duncan said.

Duncan said until all are accounted for, the group will remain faithful to the mission of “no one left behind.”

“May God watch over those who serve, comfort those who wait, strengthen those who mourn, and guide us all until the day that every warrior comes home,” Duncan said.

Hassan said the country is approaching its 250th birthday, because there have always been people willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure freedom.

“Sometimes that sacrifice is the ultimate sacrifice, it’s death. Other times, of course, it is captivity,” Hassan said. “It is a torture. It is a suffering that most of the rest of us can never even imagine. And so, as we think about this vigil, as we think about our MIAs and POWs, it’s important to think what those who have come home have told us, what their families have told us, is one of their biggest fears is that they’ll be forgotten.”

Participating in the ride and the vigil, Hassan said, shows they will work to free prisoners, and bring home those missing in action, to bring peace to families.

“There is a lot more work to do,” Hassan said. “Among other things, we’ve got to work to get Ike Camacho the Medal of Honor. He needs it. He deserves it. We’re working to push that as hard as we can.”

She introduced Shumate, who was deployed six times for combat to Iraq and Afghanistan, and 15 operational deployments. In retirement, he advocates for veterans, and Hassan said they were lucky to have him there to speak.

Shumate said Hassan’s sentiments aren’t just words; she takes action. He said the same about Jones and the Northeast POW/MIA Network for holding the longest lasting vigil in the country.

Shumate followed in his father’s footsteps as a Green Beret, saying his dad is the famous one, and had a great career, finishing as a sergeant major. Before attending the ceremony, Shumate did some research, and the first name on the list of those missing in action was a man who served with his dad in Vietnam, named Staff Sgt. Frank Badolati.

Badolati was in a reconnaissance group, and his team got hit hard, and he died in action on Jan. 29, 1966. Shumate said three members of that six-man team are missing today. By fate, his father’s team was going the next day. Shumate was emotional, saying he grew up hearing these names from his father, and knows it could have been him.

Shumate said about 3.5 years ago, Hassan’s team reached about service members missing in action. He has experience with valor awards, and Hassan’s staff wanted him to assist with recognizing a special forces captain from Texas.

“I stopped the staffer and said, ‘You’re talking about Isaac Camacho,’” Shumate said. “That guy’s like my SF uncle. I saw him last week. He’s great.”

Shumate said Camacho’s camp northwest of Vietnam was attacked by a battalion of Viet Kong on Nov. 22, 1963. He said about 400 men attacked a camp with 120 soldiers, and only five Americans. Shumate knew all about the battle, and Camacho's time as a prisoner, and his escape.

“Isaac Camacho is your first American to escape captivity in Vietnam,” he said. “That’s very significant. You can look him up. He’s famous.”

Despite being ordered to evacuate, Camacho made a decision to fight back in and get teammates out. They were ultimately captured, and he was awarded a Distinguished Service Star.

Inside a prisoner of war camp, there is a chain of command, Shumate explained, saying the job of a senior-ranking officer is to push back on the captors. Camacho was the senior ranking officer for 18 of 19 months as a prisoner. Four soldiers were marched from that camp Nov. 24, 1963, for six weeks, moving through the jungle and contracting malaria, nearly dying.

Shumate said Camacho has street smarts, and while the Viet Kong thought he was a friend, he was working against them. He was getting food for fellow prisoners, medical care needed, and helped keep them alive.

Camacho started working with another captor, U.S. Marine Col. Donald G. Gook, on an escape plan. He wanted to escape on July 4, but he had to wait for the monsoon rains on July 9, 1965, to slip out of his bamboo cage. It took him five days, following a river, and he found a South Vietnamese camp, and on July 13, 1965, he was freed.

His original award was a Bronze Star, but Shumate said Camacho should have received the Medal of Honor to start. It has since been upgraded to a Silver Star, but the goal is to continue the recommendation for the high medal.

“Ike Camacho deserves it,” Shumate said. “He is a true hero. Donald G. Cook, who died in captivity, did get the Medal of Honor as he should have. There’s precedence.”

Shumate called him a proud American and family friend, who has influenced a lot of people since his escape.

“Hopefully, we’ll all be watching Camacho get that Medal of Honor in a year or so,” Shumate said.

Jones said Camacho has earned this honor as much as any Medal of Honor recipient. The work to recognize Camacho has been a long process, complete with filing countless pieces of paperwork, lobbying to officials, and working with the office of the secretary of defense. Jones said they are now “on the 1-yard line,” in their third, and possibly final, attempt to bring Camacho the award.

“I feel it in my bones, I really honestly do, that this 89-year-old hero is going to receive the Medal of Honor, and it’s not going to be posthumous,” Jones said.