Douglas Brent Hegdahl III was born in 1946 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school. While assigned to the USS Canberra (CA-70) he was thrown overboard in a accident and eventually rescued by fishermen in the China Sea. After being turned over to the North Vietnamese he was held captive in the Hanoi Hilton where he feigned low intelligence to gain their trust. Because he was perceived to be a minimal threat (they had come to refer to him as "The Incredibly Stupid One") he was allowed unusual freedom to roam about the prison. During that time he sabotaged five military trucks by putting dirt in their gas tanks and memorized the layout of the prison. With the aid of Air Force Captain Joseph Crecca, Jr., a fellow-POW, Hegdahl memorized the names, dates of capture, methods of capture, and personal information of 256 fellow prisoners to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."

Hegdahl was released in 1969 as a propaganda move by the North Vietnamese -- he initially did not want to be released and had to be ordered to accept release by the senior American POW -- and was sent to the Paris Peace Talks where he confronted the North Vietnamese with first-hand knowledge of the mistreatment of his former fellow prisoners and verified the identity of those still in captivity. This resulted in better treatment of them and aided in assuring that those verified were released.

Hegdahl returned to civilian life following his discharge from the Navy. His full story can heard here.

Doug Hegdahl was later awarded the Prisoner of War Medal when that was established in 1985 but received no decoration for his efforts and ingenuity in assisting his fellow Prisoners of War. This petition, therefore, calls upon the Department of the Navy to review his actions with a view to getting him appropriate recognition for the risks that he took and the lives that he saved.