The Unlikely War Hero

"What a strange, fascinating, and ultimately powerful account of one man's endurance of life as a POW during the American war in Vietnam. Doug Hegdahl, the youngest and lowest ranking prisoner in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, survived  with a mix of courage and cunning, fortitude and the wiliness of a fox. This book, I believe, will stand the test of time as one of the finest nonfiction narratives to emerge from the Vietnam War."

—Tim O'Brien, National Book Award-winning author of The Things We Carried, If I die in a Combat Zone, and Going After Cacciato

“Marc Leepson’s The Unlikely War Hero is a masterful account of a regular youngster, fresh from boot camp, who found himself called by misadventure to play a heroic act of patriotic resistance in the Hanoi Hilton. It will reassure you that middle America can and does produce young men who unfailingly perform their duty in the most trying of times.”

—Richard A. Stratton, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander (Ret), former Vietnam War A4 Skyhawk jet pilot held in H?a Lò Prison in North Vietnam from 1967-1973

“Talk about forgotten heroes! In The Unlikely War Hero, Marc Leepson has dug gold. In telling one of the most remarkable stories to come out of the Vietnam War, he has come up with a damned good read. And he tells the story with compassion and verve.”

—Patrick Sheane Duncan, Vietnam War veteran, screenwriter and producer of Mr. Holland’s Opus and the HBO miniseries Vietnam War Story

“Marc Leepson’s The Unlikely War Hero is a comprehensive and enthralling study of Navy sailor Douglas Hegdahl’s captivity during the Vietnam War, and his extraordinary and dedicated service to his fellow POWs and to U.S. naval intelligence. It is a worthy complement to the literature on the POW experience.”

—Edward J. Marolda, Naval historian, author, and former director of Naval History and Senior Historian of the U.S. Navy

“In The Unlikely War Hero, author and Vietnam War veteran Marc Leepson probes one of the most under-appreciated stories of the American POW experience during the long and costly war in Southeast Asia. With the empathy of a former enlisted man, Leepson tells a thoroughly researched story of Doug Hegdahl, the youngest and lowest-ranking American captured by the North Vietnamese, who used his status as a low-value prisoner to become a veritable font of first-hand information regarding the status and treatment of his fellow POWs upon his reluctant early release from captivity. This book tells us once again never to underestimate the wily American enlisted man. It's an inspiring treat to read for veterans and those who simply appreciate the unsinkable American spirit.”

—Dale Dye, Captain, US Marine Corps (Ret), author, actor, and military advisor

“This remarkable, true story of a young American who used common sense, humor, guts, and guile to outwit his pitiless captors kept me turning its pages. Marc Leepson’s book is an astonishing story of survival in the brutal POW camps of North Vietnam by an average boy from South Dakota who kept himself alive, and helped many of his higher-ranking fellow captives. At times, I almost felt like I was in those cells with Doug and the other POWs. Doug Hegdahl may be an unlikely hero, but a hero he was, and the nation should be thankful for the perseverance he demonstrated across years of cruel captivity.”

—Homer Hickam, Vietnam War veteran and the author of Rocket Boys and October Sky