Captured, Tortured … Freed: Faith Lessons from More Than 7 Years as a Vietnam-Era POW

When everything you hold dear is suddenly stripped away, where do you turn?

IN 1965, USAF COL Thomas “Jerry” Curtis’s rescue helicopter was shot down over North Vietnam. He was immediately captured and spent the better part of 71/2 years confined in filthy cells throughout the notorious Hanoi prison camps. Thousands of miles from home and unable to communicate with his wife and children, Jerry endured months of solitary confinement, suffocating heat, freezing cold, grueling physical and psychological torture, constant hunger, and unimaginable mental distress. Yet, time and again, the Light that darkness cannot overcome became his beacon of hope, reminding him that no matter how dire the circumstances, there are some things that can never be taken away.

Now, for the first time in print, Jerry shares the full story of his 2,703 days in captivity and what he learned about faith, hope, and the indomitable power of the human spirit.

Other Books You Might Be Interested In

They Wouldn’t Let Us Die

Immediately after their release from captivity in Vietnam, veteran broadcast journalist Rowan set out to discover how the POWs were able to survive their long years of physical and mental torture. In this classic, he presents twelve gripping interviews with the true heroes of that era: Navy Lieutenant Commander John

Read More »

Abandoned in Place

“Abandoned in Place” provides a snapshot of the Vietnam POW/MIA issue. From the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, in January 1973, ending American involvement in the war in Southeast Asia to the “dysfunctional” POW/MIA accounting effort of 2014. With the period 1980 -1981 a clear line in the sand.

Read More »

Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot

In describing his seven and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, the late Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale has said: “In that atmosphere of death and hopelessness, stripped of the niceties, the amenities of civilization, my ideas on life and leadership crystallized.” Despite torture, intimidation,

Read More »

Contact Us