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Navy Captain John Ensch, callsign "Fingers," was an F4 Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) when shot down over Vietnam and later held as a Prisoner of War at the Hanoi Hilton. His left thumb was so severely wounded from the missile shrapnel, doctors decided to amputate it without anesthesia to deliberately cause him pain. On a previous mission, he and his pilot shot down two Mig17's while on a MIG combat air patrol with their sidewinder missiles.

Upon coming home from Vietnam Cpt. Ensch worked his way back into a cockpit, this time as an F14 RIO, after convincing his superiors he could still do what he needed to do without a left thumb.

Recorded on April 10, 2022 on the USS Midway.

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