Into the Mouth of the Cat: The Story of Lance Sijan, Hero of Vietnam [Hardcover]

Malcolm McConnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

Lance Sijan was always a special kind of person: as a child growing up in the Midwest; as a cadet who made his mark in the Air Force Academy. But it took Vietnam to show how special he was - in an epic of jungle survival and prison-camp defiance. On the night of November 9th, 1967, Sijan was ejected from his crippled fighter-bobmer over the steep mountains of Laos. Although critically injured and virtually without supplies, he evaded capture in savage terrain for six weeks. Finally caught and placed in a holding camp, he overpowered his guards and escaped, only to be captured again. He resisted his interrogators until the end, and he died two weeks later in Hanoi. His courage was an inspiration to other American prisoners of war and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gripping adventure...suspense...what a story. Hey, this guy was a hero! -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Red Badge of Courage of the Vietnam War....An inspiring account of the human spirit. -- Time --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Malcolm McConnell lives in Queenstown, Maryland. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Replica Books (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735100136
• ISBN-13: 978-0735100138
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage, November 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Into the Mouth of the Cat: The Story of Lance Sijan, Hero of Vietnam (Hardcover)

I handed a strip map to Lt. Sijan just minutes before he began his last mission and had believed for years that he had been shot down and that perhaps I had failed to mark AAA emplacements or a SAM site on his map. I was relieved to know after so many years that I had no bearing in what happened. I've read many stories of courageous men, but never a story that compares with this one. Lance Sijan is a person that no young person could make a mistake in emulating. It is a book that I plan to give to my young son when he is at an age when he is ready to comprehend the strength of Sijan's character and I hope that he will endeavor to become the kind of man Sijan was. I believe that Sijan's story should become required reading in high school civics class - I think every young person should know what the true meaning of the word "hero" means and what the true connotation of "sacrifice" is.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courage Beyond Belief, June 15, 2004

By 

Lawrence Mayes "Larry Mayes" (Rapid City, SD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Into The Mouth Of The Cat: The Story Of Lance Sijan, Hero Of Vietnam (Paperback)

This story of Medal of Honor winner 1Lt Lance Sijan's November 1967 shoot down, escape and evasion and ultimate death in a North Vietnamese prison, as related through two of his companions during much of the ordeal, is compelling and inspirational, yet disquieting. The relating of the nighttime shoot down of Lance's F-4C over Laos and subsequent Search and Recovery effort make for riveting reading and the ultimate failure of the rescue reveals the character of Lance. He refuses to allow a Pararescue Jumper to come down the jungle penetrator to assist him because the enemy is too close, but he is unable to crawl the necessary 20 feet or so to safety due to horrible injuries to his leg and arm. In the subsequent 46 days Lance crawls over sharp rocks and through jungle in an attempt to escape, along the way debilitating his body to the point he was near death. When finally captured, he later overpowers a guard, despite being unable to stand or walk, and escapes yet again, only to be recaptured in a few hours. United with two exceptionally brave fellow POWs, Guy Gruters and Bob Craner, F-100 Misty FACs who were shot down earlier, Lance is able to relay what had happened to him during his ordeal, a story validated by the very North Vietnamese captors from whom Lance had escaped. His ultimate death is almost a relief, given the magnitude of his suffering from injuries and torture. The author traces Lance's early life, particularly his molding into a warrior at the Air Force Academy, and he closes the text with insights he gains from friends, family and more contemporary Cadets at the Academy in his attempt to discover what made Lance so brave and resolute. This book will make a wonderful companion on the book shelf beside Rob Risner's "The Passing of the Night" and Bud Day's "Return With Honor."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Remembering, June 29, 2004

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Into The Mouth Of The Cat: The Story Of Lance Sijan, Hero Of Vietnam (Paperback)

The rules say: The President may award, and present in the name of Congress, a medel of honor of appropriate design, with ribbons and appurtenances, to a person who, while a member of the Army, Navy or Air Force, distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyone the call of duty.

They also say that the actions of the person receiving the award cannot be performed while he is acting under orders, he must have originated the action himself, and that if the recipient had not performed this action other people would not have thought less of him.

That's a pretty tall order. Lance Sijan won the medal in Viet Nam. What more can you really say of him that has any meaning?

The book tells his story. On November 9, 1967 he ejected from his crippled fighter bomber over Laos. Badly injured, and virtually without supplies he evaded capture for six weeks. Finally caught he overpowered his guards and escaped, only to be captured again. He resisted his captors to the end. He died two weeks later.