I’m No Hero is the autobiography of Captain J. Charles Plumb. It is also the detailed story of American POW’s in Viet Nam who faced an isolated world of degradation, loneliness, tedium, hunger and pain. More significantly, it is a story of hope for it deals directly with the techniques used by the POW’s to survive, and how those same techniques can be used by each of us to overcome the riggers of everyday life. The story is not pretty. It tells of illness, of insanity, of the torture room with walls built to muffle human screams, of the “rope trick” and the “fan belt” – torture procedures designed to make a man talk. But it also tells of the ingenuity and creativity which allowed the men to outsmart their guards, to set up communication systems, educational classes, escape plans, and to maintain their chain of command. It is a revealing story of hope, validating the strength of the human spirit. Plumb is a living testimony to how overcoming adversity can propel us beyond self-imposed limits, making us stronger and more confident. He leaves his readers wanting to achieve and excel, no matter what the obstacles.
Glory Denied: The Vietnam Saga of Jim Thompson, America’s Longest-Held Prisoner of War
Glory Denied is the harrowing and heroic story of Floyd “Jim” Thompson, captured in March 1964, who became the longest-held prisoner of war in American history. Tom Philpott juxtaposes Thompson’s capture, torture, and multiple escape attempts with the trials of his young wife, Alyce, who, feeling trapped, made choices that forever
