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apt. Charles E. “Ev” Southwick, USN (Ret), recalls, “The first three years [as a Vietnam War POW] were stark terror.

The last three were sheer boredom.” Southwick was a veteran combat aviator when the North Vietnamese shot down his F-4 Phantom May 14, 1967. Following his return from captiv- ity in 1973, Southwick graduated law school then served a final tour. He subsequently held legal positions in industry and with NASA. Today, he volunteers as a docent at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego. Did your POW experience shape your aspirations after coming home? There’s no question in my mind about that. I volunteered for Vietnam knowing I risked getting “bagged” — shot down, captured, or even killed. So there was no second- guessing. As time wore on in the POW camp, though, I realized I was burning up time. In the “real world,” I’d missed six years. I felt at a competitive dis- advantage. Since I’d taken a pre-law path in college, I decided to go for- ward with law school. How did you get involved at the Midway Museum? I knew the Mid-

way was here, of course. The Midway is San Diego’s No. 1 attraction, and a big reason is the docents. One of my good friends from the Navy and a fellow POW became a Midway docent early on. Two other docents are the sons of one of my former squadron skippers. In some ways, it’s like being back with a squadron. What counsel would you give to officers being affected by the residual stresses of battle? I’m not a psychologist. I can only tell people what my experi- ence was. The hidden thought that everyone has when they start asking a former POW about the experience is I could never have done what you did. That is not true. If you

find yourself in these circumstances,

you have challenges to meet. We’d al- ready been through a number of hoops, achieved certain thresholds. If you’re an officer, you’ve already passed some tests. Don’t underestimate yourself. Also, communicating with your bud- dies is vital. If you’re isolated, you become more vulnerable.

— David Sears Attention! Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.

BOOK TOMORROW WAR (Gallery Books) Au- thor and military and intel- ligence expert J.L. Bourne explores in this dystopian novel one man’s struggle to survive after U.S. in- frastructure collapses and martial law engulfs the streets of America.

CLASS RIDING ACAD- EMY Harley-Davidson is offering current and for- mer U.S. servicemembers free Riding Academy mo- torcycle training through Sept. 13. Learn more at your local dealership or visit www.h-d.com/milita rylearntoride. Those de-

24 MILITARY OFFICER AUGUST 2015

ployed outside the U.S. are eligible for a voucher.

FILM MAX: BEST FRIEND. HERO. MA- RINE (Warner Bros.) When things go terribly wrong in Afghanistan and Marine Kyle Wincott (Robbie Amell) is mor-

tally wounded, his work- ing dog, Max, is unable to remain in service and uninterested in most human contact. This fic- tional film explores the story of Max eventually growing to trust Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin (Josh Wiggins). MO

PHOTO: SCOTT MCGAUGH