The Clifton Community Woman's Club, which meets monthly at the Fairfax Station Train Museum, was treated to a wonderful presentation by a real American hero on Nov. 1. In honor of Veteran's Month, the guest speaker was chosen because of his outstanding experiences as a POW in Vietnam for a period of eight years during the war.
Rear Adm. Robert H. Shumaker spoke for about 30 minutes about his experiences and was both humorous and heart-wrenching. He detailed tortures he received and told of an ingenious code among the prisoners that allowed them to communicate against all odds. He had coined the phrase "Hanoi Hilton" when referring to the prison camp. He also told that when the prisoners were finally able to be together in one big room they dramatized their own movies. They didn't have a screen or a projector but Sen. John McCain, a fellow prisoner, would sit and tell a story of a complete movie for their enjoyment. Rear Adm. Shumaker's topic for his presentation was Stress Relief and he was definitely inspirational. For more information about the Clifton Community Woman's Club, go to www.cliftoncwc.org.