First Heroes: The Pows Left Behind in Vietnam [Hardcover]

Rod Colvin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A broadcaster for radio station WOW in Omaha, Colvin examines the tough question of whether there are still American POWs/MIAs in Vietnam and concludes that there are. He explains why none of these prisoners have been seen or heard from by pointing out the difficulty of escape through the jungle and the possibility that some of the missing might be deserters with no wish to return home. He also considers reasons why the Vietnamese government may have held the POWs, ranging from anger over the failure of the U.S. to honor President Nixon's promise of 3.25 billion in reconstruction aid to a desire to exploit American technical expertise. The book includes interviews with 13 families whose husbands, fathers and sons are still missing. Although Colvin's account is fervent and moving, those skeptical about the existence of POWs are likely to remain unconvinced. Photos.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: Irvington Pub; 1st edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082902008X
• ISBN-13: 978-0829020083
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,512,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abandoned POW Family Members Tell Their Stories, April 16, 2010

By 

Grammy (Marin County, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Heroes: The Pows Left Behind in Vietnam (Hardcover)

I met Rod Colvin in Washington, D.C. the year FIRST HEROES was published, over 20 years ago. My husband, a Navy A6 Intruder pilot, was an abandoned POW in North Vietnam. When I opened FIRST HEROES, I realized I knew or had met almost every POW family member Rod Colvin interviewed. The stories of U.S. and North Vietnamese lies and betrayal are heartbreaking because they reveal the truth about U.S. Government policy regarding American prisoners of war: POWs are expendable in pursuit of foreign policy objectives.
President Richard Nixon left one-half of our POWs behind in Southeast Asia in 1973 and every president since Nixon has participated in efforts to withhold the truth from the American people.
Read FIRST HEROES and you cannot help but feel compassion for the families and their abandoned and betrayed men who served us so loyally. Read AN ENORMOUS CRIME by Bill Hendon and Elizabeth Stewart and weep. There is overwhelming evidence that many still survive, It is truly a national disgrace.

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended by Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295, December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: First Heroes: The Pows Left Behind in Vietnam (Hardcover)

This book is on the "Recommended Reading List" of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295, Indianapolis, Indiana