As soon as the troops were out of Paul’s chopper, the recovery team got on board and Paul pulled in power to lift off. As the helicopter got airborne, Paul recalled that the whole side of the mountain west of the LZ lit up like a Christmas tree. The VC had opened up on Paul’s chopper with everything they had. As he tried to climb, the helicopter began to lose power. Paul had run out of ideas as he felt the bullets passing next to his body and face. It was like being in a hailstorm inside the cockpit. Most of us never have the opportunity to test the strength of our wills against the most life-threatening adversary. The Day Paul Died is the true story of a Marine American hero who, through stubbornness, determination, love, and patriotism, survives five years of near total isolation and brutal captivity at the hands of the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. This is a story that every American should read and about how one’s faith in God can sustain us through pain, suffering, and the most inhumane conditions. Paul’s will to live, the support of his fellow prisoners, and the love of his family are a living testament of the Marine code, Semper Fidelis. “
Voices from Captivity: Interpreting the American POW Narrative
Popularized by books and films like Andersonville, The Great Escape, and The Hanoi Hilton, and recounted in innumerable postwar memoirs, the POW story holds a special place in American culture. Robert Doyle’s remarkable study shows why it has retained such enormous power to move and instruct us. Long after wartime, memories of captivity
