Tap Code is very much a story about Col. Harris and Louise regarding the same event. The book spans 255 pages spread across 53 chapters and an epilogue. While a majority of the chapters primarily focus on Col Harris, interspersed are chapters about what Louise was going through. While different than what her husband was enduring, it was challenging in its own right.
On 4 April 1965, Col. Harris, then a captain, was shot down and taken captive by the Viet Cong. Tap Code jumped right into the horrific event on the first page of chapter one. In one moment, he is flying his F-105 and in the next, he is surrounded and a prisoner of war (POW).
Each chapter is only a few pages long and highlights a different point in his quest to survive and get back to his wife. Because the Viet Cong was not at “war” with the United States, the Viet Cong considered the captives to be criminals rather than POWs. As a result, their treatment was not in line with the Geneva Conventions. The captives, on the other hand, believed and acted as though they were POWs. Even though they knew that they would undergo extreme torture, the captives adhered to the Armed Forces Code of Conduct. They worked tirelessly to try to establish a chain of command and a flow of communication.
Tap Code focuses on the importance of communication. This was challenging because they were isolated and were forbidden to communicate. Yet, they did. They did this in a large part due to the code that Harris helped to spread around the different camps. Captives were required to learn it. In short order, they became extremely proficient at tapping out and decoding messages. They were able to send messages not only by tapping on a wall but also by sweeping a broom or clanging their waste buckets. The code was simple but effective.
They used the code to not only enforce discipline in the ranks but also raise morale and show encouragement when one of them was tortured. One short, code phrase was used over and over, GBU – God bless you.
I was quite impressed with how the men kept their military bearing until the end. They refused to be subservient to their captors and this made their captors furious. As a result, the captors dealt out punishment resulting in more defiance.
Louise’s experience was also eye-opening. It was quite obvious that the military did not have a plan for the families when husbands and fathers were taken captive. Louise quickly took command of her situation. She helped to establish rights for other spouses in the same situation. This reminded me of scenes from We Were Soldiers, when the Killed In Action (KIA) notices started to arrive at the homes of the widows in a taxi cab.
I found Tap Code to be riveting. Being familiar with the Armed Forces Code of Conduct, I was curious to see how it was put into action and the results. Tap Code is another lens in which to look at the Vietnam War. I definitely recommend it.
File: Republic F-105D-30-RE (SN 62-4234) in flight with full bomb load 060901-F-1234S-013.jpg. (2015, August 2). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 01:21, December 20, 2019 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Republic_F-105D-30-RE_(SN_62-4234)_in_flight_with_full_bomb_load_060901-F-1234S-013.jpg&oldid=167370415.
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