By Mark Ambrogi
Charles Layton, a U.S. Army Ranger, is a true survivor.
Layton helped engineer an escape from a North Korean POW camp in February 1952. After sharing miserable, filthy conditions, Layton succeeded on a daring escape. Yet following the rescue, he has never seen his fellow prisoners again.
“My prayer would be to just meet one,” Layton said. “Chances are not good, but I never give up hope.”
The prisoners were all from different units and included two French soldiers. He didn’t know names because they couldn’t talk most of the time.
Layton, an 87-year-old Noblesville resident, wrote a book about his life, called “Escaped with Honor: A True Story Of A Korean War POW/MIA.”
Layton has given more than 40 talks about his experiences. He will give several more this month, including at Wellbrooke of Westfield on Veterans Day in a program for residents and their families.
Layton, then 22, was captured in the fall of 1951 and escaped 17 weeks later in the February 1952. Prisoners were held in 18 by 36-foot mud hut with mud walls in frigid conditions.
“We could all lay down, or we could all stand up,” said Layton, who suffered through beatings. “There was no latrine or water to wash. It was nasty.”
Layton and the others noticed a trend of alcohol and women being brought in every few weeks. They also noticed the guards became intoxicated during those visits. They had the escape planned for the 18th week, but the women and alcohol arrived one week earlier.
They decided to go anyway and were able to overtake and kill the smaller guards and escape through the heavy snow. A Cessna L-19 saw ground movement, and they were rescued about 1 1/2 hours later by U.S. ground forces.
Layton had always had a strained relationship with parents and sister. When he returned home to Chicago from the war, Layton said his mother asked if he had any part in killing the guards to escape. When he told her he had, he said she said, ‘There is no room in this house for a killer, pack up and get out.’”
Layton began selling insurance and eventually became commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. He has lived in Noblesville for 12 years with his wife, Jaci, and became a volunteer for Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County.
There, he met Tammy Elmore, director of marketing and volunteer services, who helped him co-author the book with Georgiann Coons. It was released in 2013. Layton said writing the book was therapeutic for him.
“Escaped with Honor” is available for purchase online at amazon.com and locally at The Wild Bookstore, 884 Logan St., downtown Noblesville.
Honor flight
In September, Layton took his first Indy Honor Flight to visit the war memorial Washington, D.C.
“They called and said my escort will be (Dr.) Mary Spolyar, who has operated on me several times for (skin) cancer,” Layton said. “She found out my name was in the hopper, and she said she would be my guardian. She’s neat gal, and we had a lot of fun.”
As he got to the Korean War wall, he was met by a group of about 20 South Korean visitors.
“They came up and said, ‘May we touch you?’” said Layton, who was wearing a Korean War veteran hat. “Their history books tell about how America saved their country.”
The South Koreans, including teens, asked to pose for pictures with him.
“It was kind of revealing. They still care,” he said.
Indy Honor Flight is concentrating on getting any World War II and Korean vets who have not been on any flights to be on the 2016 flights.
