Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-09
|Poppy' Was POW ~ Years
Because Heart Was Too Big

following the sinking Of his ship
by a japanese submarine of
Sumatra.
Before that he had covered the
Malayan campaign and the siege
of Singapore. Before going to
Asia for the AP he was stationed
in Buffalo, Albany and Atlanta.
In April, 1912 he returned to New
York as chief APP photographer.
In 1945, he was transferred to
Rome. The next five years he
covered stories wherever strife
and tension were at their worst
from Israeli-Arab war to the
turmoil in Germany.
In July, 1850, Frank went to
Korea and was in the thick of
the war until the Seventh
Marines-and Pappy-were sur
rounded. A man who covered the
Korean war with Frank said:
Frank has seen many wars
the big ones and the nasty little
ones. Somewhere along the line,
Frank forgot to be afraid" g.
Feet Nearly Frozen.
After his capture, the world
lost sight of Frank for while.
Then on January 5, 1851, the
Peiping radio announced he was
safe in a rear area camp, pre-
sumably living with the rank and
privileges of a captain.
Six months later, 10 American
prisoners came through the lines
and gave something of an idea
Of what was happening to Pappy.
The Reds marched him and
the other prisoners, they said,
so miles over the mountains.
When his feet nearly froze, they
said, he was permitted to ride
part of the way with an oxcart.
They said he stood up under
the strain better than many
men half his age. Many of them
didn't survive the march at all
in the 20 below zero weather.
Then. in January, 1852, the
world was electrified to learn
that Pappy Noel was taking pic
lures for the newspapers again
inside a Red prison camp. The
Communist correspondents called
it Operation Father Christmas"
Took Pictures in Prison Camp.
For some reason, the Reds
permitted AP Photographer Bob
Schultz, now stationed in Wash
ington, to send Pappy a news
camera, f1aSh-gun, bag and all.
The equipment got all the way
to Pappy's new home at Pyok-
dong Prison Camp Number Two
near the Yalu River. Then
Pappy went to work.
His pictures were developed
by the Reds. censored and passed
along to the Americans who
again censored them. Most of
them passed. They brought new
hope to thousands of Americans
whose loved ones appeared in
the photographs. Some families
learned for the first time that
their men were alive. These
pictures were printed all over
the world.
Then from inside the Commu-
mist lines came a note from
Pappy himself to AP Writer Bob
Tuckman:
IF I can get enough film and
bulbs and fresh batteries, I'll
Keep the packs coming in your
direction" This moved the APP
photo desk in Tokyo to message,
Wen keep Pappy in film and
tlash-bulbs If we have to get
them in by parachute"
Pictured Washington Men.
Three Washington area men
were among those appearing in
Pappy's prison camp pictures.
They are I'd 1t. Robert S. Wood,
husband of Mrs. Betty Mollison
Wood of 3140 Wisconsin avenue
NV; 1t. Ray M. Dove, jr., son
OF Mr.. and Mrs. Ray Dove Of
1413 North Wakefield street, Ar
llngton, and 1t. Carroll Wright,
Jr.. of S05 Ridge place, Falls
Church, Va.
Later, the Communists were
reported to have taken Pappy on
a tour of prison camps in North