I served with a fellow, Lawrence Mack, who was on board the USS Pueblo when it was captured by the North Koreans in 1968. One of Larry’s stories he told resonates even today, and it’s about the importance of human contact.

He said that after capture they were held in a POW camp in North Korea. Larry spoke of the isolation and cold, with little or no protection most of the year. But he said that twice a day, the soldiers would take them out of their tiger cages and beat them before returning them to their cages.

I’ve never been in a N. Korean POW camp, but many employers have reminded me of my friend’s stories of isolation.

Larry said they never even asked questions. They just beat them.

When the American Red Cross finally got permission to visit them in the POW camp after nine months, the North Korean soldiers feared repercussions so the beatings stopped.

My friend said those were the worst weeks of captivity. The sailors had grown to need that daily human interaction: even if it was from bitter enemies who wanted nothing more than to humiliate and hurt them. It was still human contact. Without those twice-daily beatings, my friend and his shipmates lived without any human contact.

He said he never came as close to suicide as in those weeks.

I’ve never been in a N. Korean POW camp, but many employers have reminded me of my friend’s stories of isolation.

We’ll accept beatings if that’s all we can get. Some will take advantage of that.

** PH1 Lawrence Mack died in 2003. He was a good friend and a hero.