Inside the ‘Hanoi Hilton’.

Unlikely is the key word in the relaying of twenty year old Seaman Apprentice Doug Hegdahl’s story of captivity in North Vietnam.
Ending up in the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ after falling overboard from his ship the U.S.S. Canberra, a guided missile cruiser, off North Vietnam in the South China Sea, the picture we have of Doug is an highly intelligent young man whose bumbling attitude covered an adept mind. The lowest ranking prisoner in the Hilton, Doug was dismissed as being importantly, or even capable.
The men he was imprisoned with, including Senator John McCain, are legend.
This is his and their stories and how against his wishes Doug was ordered by the camp higher command to take release as a POW to let the Pentagon know about POW’s who’d been listed as dead or MIA. Doug finally came home against his will, having memorized the details of 254 men and their condition.
An unsung hero of a war no-one in the end wanted I found it a testimony to the strength of mind of many of these men.
Their suffering is not to be ignored. The idea of humanely treating prisoners, the Geneva convention, is necessary to separate us from the those we stand against. Which I am sure is no easy task.

A Globe Pequot ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This story of a young US Navy enlisted man, Doug Hegdahl, imprisoned in the notorious prison known to the West as ‘Hanoi Hilton’ during the Vietnam War, is unique in several ways. The circumstances of his capture are still unclear as he was on the deck of the USS Canberra during that cruisers’ bombardment of North Vietnamese positions and it is surmised he was blown overboard by the blast of
the 5 inch salvo. Picked up by the North Vietnamese he was taken to Hanoi and interrogated with his captors not believing he was such a lowly rank (E2) or his circumstances of being in the water. He was eventually delivered to the Hanoi Hilton where he was the odd man out amongst the aircrew officers who had been shot down. He was befriended by certain officers who discovered that despite his
apparent lowly education, he had the ability to remember names and he was encouraged to behave as the ‘stupid one’ and meet and collect the names of as many of the prisoners as possible. As his captors saw him as not a threat, he was allowed to quietly sweep the compound yards, shuffling in his slow manner and quietly gathering names. He taught his technique to other inmates who may be
repatriated through being seriously wounded and in this way pass on their remembered names to US authorities upon release. This happed to Doug and a -few others and in man cases was the first the authorities and families knew of their survival. Doug’s subsequent involvement post-Vietnam was sporadic, but he did support the families whenever he was approached. He was a shy unassuming individual but in his own way, endured captivity and brought valuable intelligence back home.

This is an interesting tale about a young American who is taken prisoner in the Vietnam War and what happens to him. However, I would recommend not reading the introduction as it goes into such detail, its hardly worth reading the book as all has been revealed.

There is the usual American pomp surrounding military personnel (and the idea that anyone survives a conflict is somehow a 'hero', without actually doing anything heroic. I was also rather hoping some of the servicemen who promptly chose to take the chance to come home (with accompanying propoganda) were not apparently held to account at all.

Doug Hegdahl was an unusual and resilient young man, who survived his imprisonment and made the best of it, bringing home information to help the families of other men still in prison. He was an example to many (if incredibly unlucky in how he became captured). It sounded as though the rest of his life was sadly affected by his experiences.

The story is well researched, with interviews with survivors. The early part was rather disjointed, but overall the story is told well. Thank you to NetGalley, Globe Pequot and Stackpole Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book tells the story of an apprentice seaman, Doug Hegdahl , who fell off a warship whilst in combat operations in Vietnam, who was picked up by North Vietnamese fisherman and then taken to the prisoner of war camp near Hanoi. The story includes Doug's early life, his short career in the US Navy and includes his experience as a prisoner of war and finally his release and campaigning efforts.
The author also covers other prisoners of war who were held in the notorious Hanoi Hilton and gives a insight into the ordeals of the men who were captive there.

This was a fantastically written book! I thought the story of the Vietnam War prisoner experience was captivating and held my attention to the end. I thought the book was well written and will be a fantastic addition to the bookshelves of any history buff. I will certainly be recommending this book to my audience and I will purchase a copy for myself as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it early.

This was a great book. I have heard of Mr. Hegdahl prior to reading this book, but could never find much about him. In my book he is a hero and deserves that title.

This was a really well done memoir, it was engaging and thought the overall feel worked overall. You could tell the research was done well and appreciated getting to hear the personal experiences of war. Marc Leepson does a strong job in writing this.