Our World: A soldier's story

Bill Hansen is a former corporal in the U.S. Army who was captured by the enemy during the Korean War. He spent three years in a POW camp in Pyok-Dong. Today, at age 74, he lives at the Hospice of Naples, suffering from lung cancer. Here is his story:

On being captured: "At 3 a.m., we heard bugles and whistles blowing, then gunfire. We were overrun by 30,000 Chinese. We ran out of ammunition. We were fighting hand-to-hand combat. Out of 60 of us, they only took seven of us prisoner. They captured me on Nov. 2, 1950. They took us to the mountains in the north."

On living conditions there: "At the camp, we would lay on the floor and use our own body heat to keep warm. In the middle of the night, someone would yell 'shift' and everyone would roll from left to right because the floor was stone, and you'd get sores. If the guy next to you didn't move, you knew he was dead.

"I'd make the guys eat the food — millet, cracked corn and barley. We had a cup at 5 a.m. and another at 6 p.m., for a little over two years. Then the peace talks started and they added a little rice and chopped-up pork, and whatever bugs might be in it. A lot of guys just gave up hope. They wanted to die just to get out of there."

After his release: "I came back to the U.S. and took a job as Gen. Douglas MacArthur's driver. He picked me out of a whole list of drivers. I'll never know why. ... I had the Cadillac and the Chrysler to take care of. One time we were on Grand Central Parkway headed north and got bumped on the right rear bumper. MacArthur said: 'Don't worry, the government will take care of it.' But the dent is still there. The government never fixed it. I visited the MacArthur Museum in Virginia and saw it, shiny as ever."

Photo by TRISTAN SPINSKI, Daily News

On his life's work: "I became a driver for the rest of my life. Thirty years driving buses in New York City. My best years. My mind was away from everything and I could focus on the traffic and my family. I have a good family.

On his life now: "I was diagnosed with lung cancer this past January. I never know when my next breath will be. It could be now. It could be never. I have a lot of fear, nightmares. ... I wake up calling for help. I don't even know who I'm calling for. It's funny how your mind forgets. I dreamed that I had to disassemble an unexploded bomb. I never had any experience with that. I don't know what made me dream that stupid dream."