Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War : An Oral History of Korean War POWs

by Carlson, Lewis H.

• ISBN13: 9780312286842
• ISBN10: 0312286848
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-04-18
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

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 gone largely 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 POWs suffered injustices on a scale few can comprehend. More than 40 percent of the 7,140 Americans taken prisoner died in captivity, and as 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 P'yongyang 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 POW experience, in the survivors' own words.

Author Biography

Lewis H. Carlson is a prolific author, a retired professor of history, and the director of American Studies at Western Michigan University. His books include We Were Each Other's Prisoners: An Oral History of World War II American and German Prisoners of War and Tales of Gold: Olympic Stories as Told by Those Who Lived Them. Dr. Carlson lives in Michigan and Texas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Three Prisoners of War	p. 23
"Let Them March Till They Die"--The Tiger Death March and Beyond	p. 49
The Sunch'on Tunnel Massacre	p. 97
Death Valley and the Temporary Camps	p. 107
Life in the Permanent Camps	p. 121
Injuries, Disease, and Medical Care	p. 151
Escape: Myth and Reality	p. 163
Interrogation, Propaganda, Indoctrination, and "Brainwashing"	p. 177
Progressives, Reactionaries, and the Twenty-One Who Chose to Stay	p. 195
Freedom and Recrimination	p. 213
Legacy	p. 225
Postscript	p. 255
Biographical Sketches	p. 257
Notes	p. 269
Selected Bibliography	p. 285
Index	p. 295
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