Doug Hegdahl
publication date: Saturday, November 11, 2023 (part of November 2023)
category: 
Military
clue: This North Dakotan had a trick, E I E I O. Mnemonically, he won Hanoi, E I E I O.
explanation: Hegdahl was detained at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison during the Vietnam War. He convinced the guards that he was too stupid to be a threat so that they would let him wander the grounds freely, then he used "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" as a mnemonic to memorize details about 256 of his fellow POWs. When he was released by the North Vietnamese for propaganda, he provided his American superiors with an enormous amount of intel about the conditions of the prison and a roster of its inmates. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates
Similar Goos
Israel Ziv
Leaping into action with a mere pistol in hand, this retired general has come to symbolize Israel's resistance to Hamas in the 2023 war. Their sharing of a name is a coincidence. Go »
Joan of Arc
Dieu parlait à elle en français. Go »
Robert E. Lee
This Southern gentleman's war on Grants was plenty civil. Go »
Curtis LeMay
Let's just say George Wallace's would-be VP wouldn't have gotten the Japanese vote after Hiroshima. Go »
Scott O'Grady
This Falcon had a hard landing in Bosnia. Go »
