POW’s turned friends reflect on time held captive

World War Two veteran Paul Wagner and Korean War vet Nick Tosques live at Brandywine Assisted Living in Fenwick Island.

Looking at them, it’s hard to believe what they had to endure nearly 70 years ago.

But it’s the pain that brings them together.

They’re former prisoners of war.

And now decades after their liberation, they both openly share their stories.

“Don’t hold everything inside.” Said Tosques, he added, “I always felt that, let it out because people want to know what your experience was.”

86-year-old Nick Tosques was drafted into the U.S. Army when he was just 18.

He worked in artillery.

That was in 1946.

But in April 1951, when Tosques was 23, he was captured by Chinese forces and held captive for more than two years in Changsong North Korea.

Tosques described the conditions in Changsong, saying, “We all slept on mud floors.” and “We just had to take it one day at a time, we did hard labor.”

As for Private First Class Paul Wagner, his story is a bit different.

He also joined the Army at 18, but shortly after he deployed, Wagner was captured by German forces in the mountains of Italy.

He spent the next year working on a civilian farm in Italy before American forces were able to rescue him.

Wagner spoke of his time working on the farm, saying, “They made you work and you worked with the German civilians on the farm and sometimes they’d get a little angry with you if some of their family was hurt during the war, sort of take it out on you.”

Nick and Paul met last year at the Ocean Pines VFW and when they started swapping war stories they hit it off.

And it’s because of that friendship that they both decided to live at Brandywine supporting each other, former soldiers, former prisoners, veterans, brothers.

On Memorial Day, a special ceremony was held at Brandywine Assisted Living.

Nick and Paul were honored along with the other veterans living at the facility.