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A few years ago, I wrote about Vietnam War POW Porter Halyburton.

Halyburton was a POW for seven and a half years, some of the time at the notorious Hanoi Hilton. I noted when I wrote that "beatings and interrogation were a daily occurrence, living conditions abysmal and communication forbidden while living in solitary confinement."

Halyburton decided that he would live through this horrible period: "My method was to take it one day at a time. At night, I would tell myself, 'Well, I got through another day.'"

He did live, and was repatriated when the war ended. Halyburton had a distinguished career as a student and then instructor at the Naval War College.

I received a wonderful e-mail from him about his recent experiences with the U.S. Men's Olympic Baseball Team.

It all began when Halyburton was asked to speak to UNCG's athletics department by Athletics Director Nelson Bobb. "(It was) a motivational workshop, so I spoke about the importance of teamwork, communication and determination in my own experience in Vietnam and tried to relate this to the group."

Halyburton met Mike Gaski, UNCG's head baseball coach and president of the Board of Trustees of USA Baseball, the umbrella organization that oversees all national teams, including the Olympic Team.

Afterward, Halyburton was invited to speak to the Olympic Baseball Team this month in Cary.

"I had never felt nervous about speaking to the team and coaches, (but) I did feel a powerful sense of responsibility," Halyburton said. "I knew my charge was to inspire these guys to come together as a team in a short period of time with a strong determination to win the gold."

Halyburton said he tried to keep his talk simple and short, stressing the importance of several of the lessons learned from in Vietnam.

"Lessons in leadership, communication, faith, determination and humor played such an important part in our survival and return with honor," he said. "I also brought my lifetime pass to Major League games and expressed the gratitude we all felt in receiving them upon our return." He presented the team manager with a Fourth Allied POW Wing coin to take to China.

The team gave Halyburton a team jersey with his name on it.

"All the players and coaches came by to sign the jersey as well as a game ball. When Paul Seiler (executive director/CEO of USA Baseball) asked if I would like to sit in the dugout for the last (pre-Olympics) game, I jumped at the chance."

The team departed for China at 4 a.m. the next day. Team Manager Davey Johnson said he "wished he could take me to Beijing as he thought the team had really responded to my pep talk."

What a great experience for the American Olympic Baseball Team -- and for Halyburton. All are American heroes.

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On the day I wrote this column, we received a catalogue of music from what is called "The YesterYears." The catalog showcased hit tunes from the forties including the World War II era. The top band leaders of the era -- Glenn Miller, Harry James, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, The Dorsey Brothers, Tommy and Jimmy -- are all included, and so are the top vocalists: Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, Helen Forrest, Ella (of course,) Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, The Mills Brothers. Even Kate Smith is featured.

Included in the catalog are the top tunes of the war years.

It was a time when the whole country was on the same page. We had one goal: Win the war. But it was a great time to be an American. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said it best: "This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."