Klamath Falls, Ore. – The death of Senator John McCain Saturday is sparking memories for the wife of a former P.O.W. from Klamath Falls.
Ernie Brace met John McCain in 1968 when both were in a P.O.W. camp near Hanoi.
“John and Ernie had a special relationship because of that one year when they had only each other to talk to.” Explains Nancy Brace, wife of Ernie Brace. “They were both in solitary confinement.”
Nancy Brace says the two never met face to face while they were in prison. “They were moved at various times, and never together – they met at the White House dinner given by President Nixon when the P.O.W.’s returned.”
Ernie Brace spent nearly 8 years in P.O.W. camps.
He was the longest held civilian prisoner of war in Vietnam.
Brace documented his experiences in two books: ‘A Code to Keep’, and ‘Monkey Paw Soup’.
Senator John McCain wrote the foreword for Ernie Brace’s first book, ‘A Code to Keep’.
In that foreword, McCain called Ernie Brace ‘a true American hero’, adding that he was ‘proud to call Ernie Brace a friend.”
Brace died in 2014 at the age of 83.
Senator McCain was 81 when he died Saturday.
“He sort of died the way he lived.” Noted an emotional Nancy Brace. “He did all he could to stay alive and to be well, but when it was no longer possible, he took control. And that would be so John McCain.”
The Klamath County Museum has a new exhibit on Ernie Brace.
The museum will host an opening reception for that exhibit this Saturday morning at 10.
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