Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War, by Lewis Carlson

Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War: An Oral History of Korean War POWs, by Lewis H. Carlson
St. Martin's Press, 2002
255 pages plus Biographical Sketches, Notes, Bibliography and Index. 8 pages of b&w photos
Library: 951.904 CAR

Description
The Korean War POW remains the most maligned victim of all American wars. For nearly half a century, the media, general public and even scholars have described hundreds of these prisoners as "brainwashed" victims who uncharacteristically caved in to their Communist captors or, even worse, as turncoats who betrayed their fellow soldiers. In either case, these boys apparently lacked the "right stuff" required of our brave sons.

Here, at long last, is a chance to hear the true story of these courageous men in their own words-a story that, until now, has largely gone untold. Dr. Carlson debunks many of the popular myths of Korean War POWs in this devastating oral history that's as compelling and moving as it is informative.

From the Tiger Death March to the paranoia here at home, Korean War POWs suffered injustices on a scale few can comprehend. More than 40% of the 7,140 Americans taken prisoner died in captivity, and as the haunting tales of the survivors unfold, it becomes clear that the goal of these men was simply to survive under the most terrible conditions.

Each survivor's story is a unique and personal experience, from missionary teacher Larry Zeller's imprisonment in the death cells of Pyongyang and his first encounter with the infamous killer known as the Tiger, to Rubin Townsend's daring escape from a death march by jumping off a bridge in a blinding snowstorm. From capture to forced marches, isolation, permanent camps and torture, Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War is one of the most fascinating and disturbing books on the Korean War in years, and a brutally honest account of the Korean War POWs experience, in the survivor's own words.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1. Three Prisoners of War
2. "Let them March til they Die" - the Tiger Death March and Beyond
3. The Sunch'on Tunnel Massacre
4. Death Valley and the Temporary Camps
5. Life in the Permanent Camps
6. Injuries, Disease, and Medical Care
7. Escape: Myth and Reality
8. Interrogation, Propaganda, Indoctrination and "Brainwashing"
9. Progressives, Reactionaries, and the Twenty-one Who Chose to Stay
10. Freedom and Recrimination
11. Legacy
Postscript
Biographical sketches
Notes
Selected bibliography
Index