By 1950, Air Force pilot David MacGhee had already provided service "above and beyond the call" to his nation during 25 bomber runs in WWII. But like many veterans during that era, he returned to combat in the Korean War.
Captured in the early months of the conflict, MacGhee would spend almost three years in the prison system run by China and North Korea with assistance from their Soviet patrons.
What MacGhee and his fellow Americans endured is almost unthinkable: The guards "use(d) a pair of needle-nose pliers to curl my fingernails back in the manner similar to the opening of a can of sardines;" hung him from the rafters; squeezed his testicles until he passed out; pistol-whipped him; set his clothing on fire while he was tied down; and jammed him into into various icy holes.
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