Ed Davis, 67; Navy Captain Was Held Captive in Vietnam

Retired Navy Capt. Ed Davis, 67, who spent 7 1/2 years as a North Vietnamese prisoner of war and later was a motivational speaker focusing on management under difficult circumstances, died Nov. 7 at a hospice in Lancaster, Pa. He had pancreatic cancer.

Capt. Davis flew 57 combat missions off the aircraft carrier Oriskany during the Vietnam War before being shot down in his A-1 Skyraider on Aug. 26, 1965. After spending the night in a rainy ditch accompanied by a large snake, he was captured and marched for 19 days to Hanoi.

Until his release Feb. 12, 1973, he was a prisoner of war at the "Hanoi Hilton" prison compound. A common torture, he said, was an arm contortion known as the "rope trick," in which his arms were forced behind his back and toward his head.

The pain was intense, and passing out was inevitable. He once described a stalling technique popular among captives called the "bounce-back," in which they would frustrate the North Vietnamese by waking from their delirium and starting a story from the beginning.

To avoid being repulsed by what he ate, he never watched what he put in his mouth. "If you don't look, you don't see," he later said. "If you don't see, you don't care, and it won't bother you."

He was a lieutenant commander at the time of his release with other long-serving POWs as part of Operation Homecoming. Before leaving for the United States from Clark Air Base in the Philippines, he gained media attention for keeping a pet puppy from his detention.

In an account published in the book "We Came Home," edited by Barbara Powers Wyatt, Capt. Davis wrote: "One important point I do wish to make, MaCo was not given to me by a guard. In simple terms, I adopted her in Hanoi and when it came time to leave, the 'V' chose to let me take her from the camp in order to avoid trouble (strictly my opinion).

"From that point I carried her through the airport ceremony in my bag and no one was the wiser. . . . I do not want either my dog or I to be taken for something we are not. I am an Ex-POW. She is a lucky dog."

Edward Anthony Davis was born Aug. 16, 1939, in Norristown, Pa., and was raised in Roxborough, Pa. He was a champion rower at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia and graduated in 1962 from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.

After returning from Vietnam, Capt. Davis became the Navy's advertising director. His final active-duty assignment, in 1987, was commanding officer of the Navy recruiting district in Harrisburg, Pa. His decorations included two awards of the Purple Heart.

He was a prolific public speaker and appeared often before educational groups and government agencies.

His marriage to Elaine Davis ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of six years, Karen Wheeler Davis of Lancaster; two daughters from his first marriage, Jennifer Meyers of Lancaster and Amanda Davis of Wrightsville, Pa.; four stepchildren, Tim Roda of Manhattan, N.Y., Kimberly Moorhead of Louisville, and Mark Roda and Tara McNaughton, both of Lancaster; three brothers; two sisters; and eight grandchildren.