Former POW amazed at Fermanagh"s growth and prosperity

Published 25 Jun 2009 09:00 0 Comments

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A former American Navy officer with Irish parents is 'shocked and impressed' by the improvements and advances in Enniskillen since his last visit in 2005.

Ralph McClintock"s mother was Mary-Ann Tubman from Swanlinbar, his grandmother was McVitty from Dernacrieve and his father was from Darney, County Donegal. He visited Fermanagh last week for the third time since 1991 and stayed with his cousin, Mary Hogg at Maguiresbridge.

The former Prisoner of War (POW), who spent 11 months in a North Korean prisoner"s camp after the ship he was working on, the USS Pueblo was captured in 1968, talked to The Impartial Reporter about finding his roots on the Fermanagh border and the changes he has noticed in the county over the years, his time as a POW and the Obama administration that has brought 'a breath of fresh air' to America.

Mr. McClintock, who reads the Impartial Reporter online every week, recalls his first trip to Fermanagh in 1991 when he noticed that 'the roads in Fermanagh were very good quality and the roads across the border were full of potholes.' He said that when he returned in 2005, Fermanagh"s roads had the potholes while the Southern roads were of a better standard. Explaining that it took him 30 minutes to travel from Mulloughmore to Enniskillen last Friday because of the traffic, Mr. McClintock said: 'I have noticed that the volume of traffic has increased dramatically.' He added: 'When I was here in 2005 there was still a roundabout in Enniskillen but now it"s a five lane lights system and there are so many cars packed in.'

He is also impressed by the large selection of modern stores that we can choose from.

Mr. McClintock has noticed the property boom, especially in Donegal, his father"s birthplace. 'There are houses on the Pettigo moors, where there used to be only whins,' he laughs. And he was shocked when he visited the traditional fishing village of Killybegs. 'I couldn"t believe it when I saw a huge luxury cruise liner pull out of the harbour the other day! Ireland has advanced so much.'

Born in Boston on April 4, 1944, after his parents met in New York and married in 1937, Mr. McClintock was an only child who enlisted in the Navy when he was 20-years-old. He has witnessed many changes in America but reflects that he 'missed all of 1968' due to being a POW in North Korea.

The Pueblo incident became a world-wide propaganda stunt between America and North Korea and Mr. McClintock, who was a pawn for the North Koreans, was tortured and beaten in a bid to extract a false confession that they had been spying in Korean water.

'We were in international waters spying on the Russians and were suddenly captured by the North Koreans. I was 170 pounds when I was captured and left 11 months later weighing 125 pounds.'

Torture methods such as crouching with a broom stick behind both knees, a chair held above his head and a bayonet pressed between his eyes for hours on end became common for Mr. McClintock, as did beatings to all parts of the body apart from the face as it had to look as though they were being treated well in the propaganda photos.

'We decided to mutiny by giving "the finger" in photos and they didn"t know what we were doing.' Mr. McClintock revealed that it was only when his captors bought Time Magazine and saw the photo and the explanation of "the finger" that they were beaten 'everywhere'.

'They asked us why we had ashamed them and beat us everywhere but then when they realised North Korea and America had signed a deal for our release they came in with hard boiled eggs and steamed rolls to press against our faces to relieve the swelling. It was only when they did this we thought "we must be going home".'

Explaining what it was like to eventually be free, Mr. McClintock said: 'I grabbed the nearest man and asked "what happened in 1968". He looked scared and bewildered and said "there are three men on their way to the moon."

'I couldn"t speak, I hadn"t got a clue. I was completely shocked,' he said.

Mr. McClintock worked as a TV engineer after his time in the Navy, eventually moving to Vermont with his wife and setting up a TV Production Company called Lake Champlain Productions. His time in the Navy and his work with TV production has led to a keen interest in politics. A Republican all his life, Mr. McClintock said he was 'fed up' with Bush concentrating on Iraq and voted for Barack Obama.

'Obama has brought a breath of fresh air to America,' he claimed. 'We are overjoyed with Obama.' He said that Republican, John McCain was a front-runner until he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.

'She was picked to keep the ultra conservative Republicans happy. Republicans used to be about fiscal issues, how much tax we had to pay, but that changed to anti-abortion and other conservative cultural issues so many old Republicans like me turned to Obama for change,' Mr. McClintock said.

He added that they are happy with their choice: 'Obama has done more in four months than was done in Bush"s eight years. He has invested in scientific stem cell research that Bush had stopped because it involved taking cells from embryos and Bush saw the embryo as sacred. Obama has also invested in fuel efficient cars and transport. This is putting us into debt and it will be eight to 10 years until we see any returns but we have something to believe in.'

Further criticising the Bush administration, Mr. McClintock spoke of how it was becoming common for army officials with families who are called for their fourth deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan committing suicide rather than returning to the battle field.

Mr. McClintock will enjoy the rest of his holiday in Fermanagh by visiting 'Swad', which he prefers more than visiting famous historic sites. He will also look forward to keeping abreast of the issues in the county as he does every week by checking out the Impartial Reporter online.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 25 Jun 09

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