The POW card was one of those innovations at Drummond Island that were designed to create a unique environment for the trainees. While its main purposes were to inform the parents that their child had arrived safely and to let them know where they could mail letters and “care packages”, the staff on DI never missed a chance to turn the mundane into the surreal.

As with the prison camp feel of “Drummond Dog” (see below), the POW cards were a subtle reminder that the staff had complete control over the cadets’ lives for the next two weeks. Cadets were not allowed to write anything on the cards except their home address and the checks in the appropriate spaces.

While the scanned version is from 1982, earlier versions actually said POW on them. Fortunately, the parents got the joke and we never had any complaints. Because Drummond Island was a 15 day ranger school, the mail from home generated by the POW cards was essential to morale. Not to miss another opportunity to mess with our heads in 1980, certain letters would reach us with black magic marker on certain passages. It seems the “censors” found classified information in our mail. It was a real hoot trying to figure out what our parents had tried to tell us.

The best was when a parent would send cookies or other treats to one of the other guys. The staff made sure that the recipient shared the treat with everyone in the school. There were cases where the poor guy ran out of treats before he got one for himself. There’s nothing much worse than watching your buddies eat your Oreos while you sit there starving!