Tap Code
The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code that Changed Everything
Carlyle “Smitty” Harris and Sarah W. Berry
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2019, 256 pages
Book Review published on: May 26, 2023
In the book Tap Code: The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code that Changed Everything, the author, Col. Carlyle Harris, affectionally known as “Smitty,” an Air Force F105 pilot in the Vietnam War, looks back at his time as a prisoner of war (POW) in the Hỏa Lò Prison, infamously coined the “Hanoi Hilton.” He shares his experiences from the time his fighter jet was shot down during a critical bombing mission that failed, the difficulties during his time in captivity including his experiences with the prisoner guards that held him in captivity, his relationships with other American POWs, and why he credits the “tap code” for their survival. He also describes the family bond that he mentally and emotionally held on to with his pregnant wife and two young daughters that motivated him to fight for survival. Tap Code goes back and forth between chapters as Smitty and his wife, Louise Lambert Harris, share their experiences negotiating her way as the wife of a POW with two young daughters and eventually a newborn son.
Tap Code opens with Smitty’s heroic effort as part of a task force to take down the Hàm Rồng Bridge on 4 April 1965. Forced to delay his mission due to a fellow pilot’s ejection from his damaged aircraft near the bridge site, Smitty’s later bombing attempt was met with the same fate. He too was shot down and had to eject. Miraculously, he was able to release his bombs on the target moments before he took on damage and was forced to eject, but he did not know whether his mission was a success. He learned while in captivity that the Hàm Rồng Bridge was not dropped until over two years later by a three thousand-pound laser-guided smart bomb.
Before Smitty was called to duty in Vietnam, he attended Escape and Evasion school in Nevada. It was there that one of his instructors, Sgt. Claude Watkins, mentioned casually in one of the classes that a former POW he knew in Germany used a water pipe “tap code” to send messages to other prisoners. It was Smitty’s curiosity that prompted him to stay after class that day and ask Watkins to tell him more about the tap code. Watkins explained that this was not Morse code but rather a five-by-five matrix of the alphabet, and he went on to explain how it worked. Smitty had no idea at the time that the conversation with Watkins would one day save his own life and the lives of hundreds of other American POWs.
Smitty speaks of the relationships he and the other POWs built with each other while in captivity. These bonds and their communication with someone who spoke their language are credited as the biggest reasons why they survived. He also describes how the North Vietnamese moved the POWs often to different facilities. The rationale for this was to try to keep the POWs from communicating, which brought in the necessity of the tap code.
Besides maggot infested food, water served in rusty containers, and a lack of quality medical attention, the most difficult portion of captivity was when the North Vietnamese frequently removed the POWs from their cells to interrogate them. As Smitty put it, they attempted to indoctrinate the POWs in attempt to get propaganda statements from them. Their refusal to cooperate led to brutal beatings and torture as they were tied up and beaten with fists and sticks.
Meanwhile, the book elaborates on what was happening in his wife Louise’s world parallel to Smitty’s position as a POW, including her receiving the news of his downed aircraft. Many interesting scenarios are explained, including her talks with the secretary of the Air Force when she, as the wife of a missing-in-action officer, was told that she would only get a small percentage of her husband’s pay, and the rest would be placed into a savings account for him should he return. They had not had a system in place for this situation back then, but with fierce determination, Louise fought through the bureaucratic process until she was awarded 100 percent of her husband’s pay so she could take care of their three children.
Tap Code’s target audience is those who have served in the military, their families and friends who want to understand a POW’s story, and more importantly, those who have served and suffered as a POW. Tap Code explains how Smitty kept his sanity during uncertain times when he questioned each day whether he would live to see the next. It details the significance of how the comradery and connection with his fellow POWs, along with his desire to see his wife, two daughters, and newborn son, provided him with the motivation and the will to survive. At times, however, it may be hard reading for military personnel and their families as it does tell the tale of one of many military families’ biggest fears.
Book Review written by: Rodney S. Morris, EdD, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas