BENEDICT’S HATES A QUITTER: A MOTTO TO LIVE BY
Coker drew upon lessons well learned at SBP
September 29, 2011
The word hero is thrown around way too much in the vernacular of today’s society.
But one man, George Coker, showed the bravery, determination and will to survive as prisoner of war during the Vietnam War that makes him stand tall as one of America’s true heros.
Coker, a graduate of St. Benedict’s in 1961, spent 61/2 years as a POW, enduring multitudes of torture and deprivation, including spending the last three years in solitary confinement.
Coker, who was a State Champion Wrestler at St. Benedict’s, was recently lauded for his valor by being bestowed with the “Medal of Courage” Award by New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The award was given to Coker during the chapter’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rider University, Lawrenceville on Sunday, Sept. 18. It was just one of many awards and medals given to Coker over years, including the Navy Cross, the highest award for heroism.
“The training you go through in wrestling – the discipline, the focusing – it prepares you mentally,” said Coker.” It prepares you mentally and physically for duress you never dream of. I think the physical strength I built up over my wrestling years enabled me to endure and resist a lot of physical pressure that a lot of guys couldn’t.”
He co-captained the Gray Bees wrestling team with Fred Scotti during the 1961 season. Coker went undefeated and captured an individual state championship (139 pounds), while also helping St. Benedict’s claim the state team title.
Coker then went on to Rutgers, but was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy in 1963. During his 55th mission as a bombardier/navigator during the Vietnam War, Coker was shot down with his pilot, John “Jack” Fellowes, over the Northern part of the country and the two were captured and became POWs on August 27, 1966.
He was subsequently tortured and left hunger and sleep deprived. During his captivity, Coker was notable for the ferocity with which he resisted his incarceration and was labeled one of “the baddest of the baddest” of the POWs, a reference to his stubborn resistance to his captors. His fierce resistance was one of the significant reasons the North Vietnamese eventually abandoned harsh treatment of the prisoners.
“The mental focus (from SBP and wrestling) allowed me to push aside the discomfort, the pain, the hunger, the stress,” he said. “It enabled me to resist their mental pressures – propaganda, the brainwashing probably well above the norm.”
After 14 months of incarceration, Coker managed to escape. But, less than 24 hours later, he was recaptured and sent back to a POW camp. His continued resistance was the chief reason he spent most of his time in solitary confinement.
He was finally released on March 4, 1973 as part of “Operation Homecoming.” One of his fellow POWs released at the time said: “...the real reason we’re home is the bad guys wanted to get Coker out of the country. So, you see, George Coker is the real reason we were released.”
(view video of Coker being interviewed prior to Hall of Fame ceremonies)
Coker was promoted to full Lieutenant during his captivity. He was awarded six decorations at a ceremony at North Island Naval Station in San Diego upon his release – the Navy Cross, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, Legion of Merit and Navy Commendation. He remained in the Navy and attained the rank of Commander before retiring in 1986.
Coker said the military, wrestling and scouting life – he was honored by the Boy Scouts of America with their Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 2005 – enabled him to survive the rigors of captivity. But, he said, the character he built at St. Benedict’s gave him the courage to survive the mental battle.
“Between sports and the Monks, it was really what molded me and made me who I am,” explained Coker, who was also a football player at The Hive.” I can always hear Joe K (St. Benedict’s legendary coach, Joe Kasberger) yelling, ’When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“St. Benedict’s gave me the courage to keep going. ‘Benedict’s Hates a Quitter,’ went through my head thousands of times. Before long, the days turned into months and the months turned into years. It was survival.”
– Story by Ron Jandoli
– Hall of Fame photo by www.StephenTaylorPhoto.com
