11 Months as a POW in North Korea | Steven Woelk

Steven Woelk recounts his service aboard the USS Pueblo, its 1968 capture by North Korea, and the brutal 11 months he and his shipmates spent as prisoners. We also discuss the crew’s resistance inside captivity, the injuries and abuse he endured, their eventual release, and why he wrote Pig Fat Soup to keep the Pueblo story from being forgotten.

Get Steve's book here: https://a.co/d/0j4rcW1x

Today's Sponsors:
VAER Watches ⬇️
https://www.vaerwatches.com/theteamhouse 
get a free watch roll with your purchase.
20% for active duty, veteran, leo, & first responders 
GhostBed ⬇️
https://www.ghostbed.com/house
FOR 10% off! 
Blue Chew ⬇️
https://bluechew.com/
Get 1 month free when you buy 2 of BlueChew Gold with code "HOUSECALL"
Ultra Pouches ⬇️
Don’t sleep on @ultrapouches. New customers get 15% Off with code HOUSE at https://takeultra.com/  #ultrapouches #ad
 
For ad free video and audio and access to live streams...JOIN OUR PATREON! 
https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse
To help support the show and for all bonus content including:
-live shows and asking guest questions 
-ad free audio and video
-early access to shows
-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests
Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️
https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse
___________________________________________________
GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" 
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/
Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured
Jack Murphy's book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/
Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️
https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse
Social Media: ⬇️
The Team House Instagram:
https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link
The Team House Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod
Jack’s Instagram:
https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link
Jack’s Twitter:
 https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21
Team House Discord: ⬇️
https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6
"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"
00:00 – Start
01:01 – Stephen Joins the Navy
01:50 – Assigned to the USS Pueblo
03:02 – The Pueblo’s Intelligence Mission
04:09 – The Blue House Raid & the Road to the Pueblo Crisis
06:36 – USS Liberty & the Vulnerability of Spy Ships
08:00 – How Poorly Armed Was the Pueblo?
09:09 – The North Koreans Close In
10:52 – General Quarters
11:34 – Trying to Destroy Classified Material
13:03 – Why the Pueblo Couldn’t Destroy Its Secrets Fast Enough
14:42 – North Korea Opens Fire
17:11 – Stephen Is Hit by a 57mm Round
19:01 – Losing His Friend During the Attack
20:15 – North Korean Forces Board the Pueblo
21:47 – Being Taken Off the Ship
24:37 – The Crew Enters North Korean Captivity
26:04 – Wounds Become Severely Infected
27:02 – Surgery Without Anesthesia
31:04 – Transferred to a North Korean Hospital
32:18 – The North Korean Doctor Who Treated Him
35:35 – Forced Propaganda & Confessions
36:46 – Commander Bucher Refuses to Sign
38:05 – Life Inside the POW Camp
40:16 – How the Crew Resisted Their Captors
42:23 – Giving North Korea the Middle Finger
43:47 – The North Koreans Discover What It Means
44:42 – “Hell Week” Begins
47:23 – The Worst Beatings of His Captivity
47:41 – Did North Korea Try to Brainwash the Crew?
48:49 – Leadership Inside the Prison Camp
50:54 – Planning an Escape From Pyongyang
53:38 – Was U.S. Intelligence Watching the Prisoners?
54:47 – Signs That Release Might Be Coming
56:21 – Crossing the Bridge of No Return
57:31 – Fear of Returning Home to Face the Navy
58:42 – 11 Months in North Korean Captivity
58:57 – The Negotiations That Finally Freed the Crew
1:01:34 – Returning to the United States
1:04:00 – Telling His Father What Happened in North Korea
1:05:30 – The NSA Debriefing
1:06:42 – Leaving the Navy
1:08:05 – Building a Life After the Pueblo
1:08:31 – Why Stephen Wrote Pig Fat Soup
1:10:47 – Why the Pueblo Story Has Been Forgotten
1:12:04 – The Meaning Behind “Pig Fat Soup”
1:13:41 – Losing 55 Pounds in Captivity
1:14:00 – Life Today & Helping Other Veterans
1:16:57 – The Painting of the Pueblo Attack
1:19:14 – Final Thoughts

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.