Local Veteran To Surrender To Vietnamese Prisoner Camp

By Holly Loon

Upon seeing the meal schedule at the Ohio Veterans Home Tuesday night, Sandusky resident Carl Daniels had enough: He decided to purchase a one way ticket to Vietnam in order to live out the rest of his life as a prisoner of war. "It was the only way I felt that I could prove my point," Daniels says. "The food here really sucks."

Daniels says that his battle with the Ohio Veterans Home over substandard treatment has been long and hard. While his family doesn't support his decision to live as a POW, they understand that living as a POW is necessary to prove a point. "Even though we have thousands and thousands of America veterans, we all need to understand that they deserve 5 star treatment from the moment they leave the service. They deserve it all," says Daniel's nephew, an active duty soldier in the US Army.

Daniel's plans to live out the rest of his years as a prisoner of war has proven to be a daunting task. Daniel's has contacted nearly 40 former North Vietnamese officers, but so far none of them have been willing to give him free shelter, clothing and food. "You'd be amazed at how hard it is to surrender as a POW anymore," Daniel's said. "Most of these guys are looking for caretakers themselves, so it's been pretty hard to find one willing to take me captive."

Daniel's says that if his quest to become a POW doesn't work, there's other ways to avoid the substandard food at the Ohio Veterans Home. "If this food doesn't improve real fast, I'm planning on shooting myself," Daniels says. "At least then I'd go to the emergency room. Firelands [Regional Medical Center] has a really good cafeteria."