Bible Gateway Blog

How does love, honor, courage, and faith sustain a US Air Force pilot for eight years as a prisoner of war? And how does an old, long-unused World War II method of communicating by tapping on a common water pipe offer a lifeline, give strength, boost morale, and build unity among other POWs during their solitary internment?

Bible Gateway interviewed Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris about his book, Tap Code: The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code That Changed Everything (Zondervan, 2019).

How did you come to write your book?

Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris: I had written a chronicle of my incarceration covering the first two years back in the mid-1970s. It was not intended for publication—just a record for my family to have. My life became so busy with work, study, and family time that I put the chronicle aside. But I did attend many recitals and sports events and had quality time with Louise and the kids. They, in turn, asked for me to finish it many times, but that just never happened.

My daughter, Robin, had become good friends with Sara Berry, and she found out that Sara was a very gifted writer and might be coerced into helping me finish the book. Sara was a godsend. She had many work sessions with Louise and me and poured over many books and other sources to get and present an accurate account for Tap Code. It was Robin’s friendship with Sara and her desire to get a better story of her mother and her dad’s lives during almost eight years of their separation that prompted the writing of the book.

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