During the Vietnam War, Doug Hegdal was knocked off the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin, three miles off the coast. Cambodian fisherman picked him up, but eventually passes him off to the Vietnamese militiamen. He was taken to the prison, “Hanoi Hilton”.

He was interrogated, but they didn’t believe him. He figured he had a better chance if he played dumb. He pretended to be of low intelligence and couldn’t read or write. He was known as the “incredibly stupid one” and eventually had free reign of the camp.

He memorized names, capture dates, method of capture, and other personal information of 256 prisoners to the tune of Old Macdonald Had a Farm.

He was released as part of a propoganda move by the North Vietnamese. After release he shared the information memorized and the terrible conditions of the POW camp.