CRESTVIEW — Retired Air Force Col. Edward Hubbard, a Vietnam veteran, received near-daily beatings as a prisoner of war.
But he survived.
“I sat down and made a conscious decision that I was going to beat this,” Hubbard said.
See 25 photos of the Veterans Day event
He and some fellow American prisoners persevered by relying on their faith, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, saying the 23rd Psalm and softly singing “God Bless America."
They sang it softly, he said, “because we were already in enough trouble with our captors.”
Hubbard related the experience during Tuesday's Veterans Day Wall Ceremony at the Okaloosa County Veterans Memorial.
Veterans Day “is not a somber day of remembrance but a day to honor our veterans," AmVets Post 35 Cmdr. Craig Sarrasin said.
After he led the audience in patriotic song, representatives of area veterans organizations and the Crestview Elks Lodge placed wreaths before the veterans memorial.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Vietnam veteran recalls being a prisoner of war (PHOTOS, VIDEO)