Civilian POW: Terror and Torture in South Vietnam
Throughout our nation’s history American servicemen and civilians have resisted captivity in every form, drawing on special powers of ingenuity, determination, and patriotism to escape– sometimes repeatedly. Robert Doyle’s penetrating look at some extraordinary escapes by Americans breaks new ground in escape psychology, shedding light on the types of people
On March 23, 1961, Bob Bailey became the first American prisoner of war in Southeast Asia. A combat veteran of World War II and Korea, Bailey was assistant Army attache in Laos when communist Pathet Lao guerrillas shot down the unarmed C-47 transport plane in which he and seven companions
During a bombing raid over North Vietnam, Kenneth R. Hughey takes flak in his F-4 Phantom. With both their aircraft’s engines burning, Hughey and fellow crewman Mel Pollack eject at 22,000 feet and 620 miles an hour. The Vietcong capture Hughey as soon as he reaches ground, beginning what would
On January 23rd, 1967, Lt. Colonel Barry Bridger and his copilot, Dave Grey, launched a mission over Vietnam in their Phantom F-4 fighter jet in treacherous weather. It was Colonel Bridger’s 75th mission and the only one he had attempted in the daylight hours. Suddenly, his plane was split in
In May 1969, at the peak of the Vietnam War, two American prisoners of war escaped from a brutal North Vietnamese prison camp. Their story is one of incredible bravery against the longest of odds—and also one of bitter conflict. Air Force Captains John Dramesi and Ed Atterberry escaped with
