Praise God for this man’s bravery! 💪
In a video published by Andrew Biggio on Instagram, Bill, a former prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War, describes the unique rosary beads he received from a fellow inmate.
“It was a rosary made out of bread. One of the older guys was Catholic, and that’s what he did—he made rosaries,” Bill explains.
Bill says each prisoner was given one piece of bread for breakfast. His fellow inmate used this bread to form beads. He also used threads from his blanket for the string and colored the rosary using a stolen pen.
“Whenever new POWs would come in who were Catholic, he would risk punishment by going over to their cell and tossing the rosary through the window,” Bill continues. “I happened to receive one of these, and I still had it when I was released.”
“During the first release of prisoners—the sick and wounded—they didn’t check us very carefully, so we were able to sneak a lot of items out.”
Watch the video below:
Here is the full text of his story:
“It was a rosary made out of bread. One of the older men was Catholic, and that’s what he did—he made rosaries.
We each received a piece of bread in the morning for breakfast, and he would take part of his portion and use it to form the beads. He would pull threads from his blanket to make the string. He had also stolen a pen with ink, which he used to color the rosary.
Whenever new POWs would come in who were Catholic, he would risk punishment by going over to their cell and tossing the rosary through the window. I happened to receive one of these, and I still had it when I was released.
During the first release of prisoners—the sick and wounded—they didn’t check us very carefully, so we were able to sneak a lot of items out.”
The video has generated over half a million views, approximately 50,000 likes, and more than 700 comments.
Hundreds of users provided their reactions. One user even told their incredible story about a family member in World War II.
Here is one user’s story:
“My husband’s grandmother was an American Catholic who was taken to a concentration camp during WW2. She moved home to Poland after the Great Depression, and her birth certificate was wrong. They thought she was an American spy. She made these rosaries as well. Her husband traveled to America, got the correct paperwork, and rescued her. My daughter is named after her. She was buried with the rosary she made with bread.”
Other users explained how much this post moved them:
“Give us this day our daily bread…Literally his daily bread,” one user commented.
“Oh my gosh...Hanoi Hilton survivor. He got a rosary from a man who risked punishment. This is heartwrenching,” another user wrote. “Today, they don't teach history in school. High school kids don't even understand Hanoi Hilton.”
“This touches my heart so deeply as a Marine and Knight of Columbus. We carry our Rosary always,” someone else added. “You and your brother POW have lifelines to every single one who touched them.”