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

Lewis H. Carlson (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)


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Book Description

0312286848 978-0312286842 April 18, 2002 1st
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.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carlson's We Were Each Other's Prisoners was an oral history of WWII POWs; he returns to that form here, offering a well-researched account of the experience of American POWs and a few Western civilians captured by Communist forces during the Korean War. The many first-hand accounts here meld into a chronological narrative via Carlson's annotations and analysis that place reports of atrocities (such as death marches and mass executions) into a historical context. Typical aspects of prisoner-of-war life such as diet, mail as punishment or reward, "guard-baiting" and reprisal are offset by accounts of starvation, indoctrination, brutal executions and collaboration. The testimony's directness is potent: "When they got through shooting, they came around and stepped on everybody and pounded on them with their rifle butts." Postwar effects of incarceration on the former prisoners and their families are detailed; the wives emerge as heroes, pushing their husbands to treatment, enduring their nightmares and working to resocialize them. Carlson wrote the book, he notes, to counter popular misconceptions about Korean War POWs he feels were perpetuated by The Manchurian Candidate book and film (wherein a POW is brainwashed and sent to kill the U.S. president) and other Cold War cultural fallout. While the book is probably too weighted toward testimony to find general readers, buffs and survivors will take it to heart. (Apr. 2)Forecast: The significant percentage of African-American soldiers on the book's cover could broaden its appeal for browsers, but its description of the difficulties faced by soldiers specifically identified as black is limited. An academic marketing campaign targets what will probably be the book's largest audience.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Of the 7,140 Americans who were taken prisoner during the Korean War, about 40 percent died in captivity. Oddly, Korean War prisoners were not treated as heroes; instead, the popular press seemed to regard them at the time, and for some years afterward, as brainwashed turncoats or weaklings. Carlson (We Were Each Other's Prisoners: An Oral History of World War II) here argues that an America affected by the Red Menace and McCarthyism chose to blame the victims. He attempts to correct the misperception by demonstrating that the main causes of POW mortality were starvation, lack of medical treatment, and execution by their captors, using the voices of surviving prisoners as evidence. The narratives of the prisoners themselves are remarkable for their forthrightness and matter-of-fact tone. In many cases, the men's survival, under conditions of extreme privation, torture, and psychological pressure, is nothing short of amazing. This book will fit well into subject collections and should be buttressed with mainstream narrative histories. Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (April 18, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312286848
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312286842
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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4 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Manchurian Canddate? Not! Good men suffered., November 27, 2002
By 
Thomas A. Diederich (Dayton, OH United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War: An Oral History of Korean War POWs (Hardcover)
The film Manchurian Candidate was held up, because JFK was killed just before it was to be released. As a suspense film, it was very good. As a history , or metaphor for American soldiers caputured in the Korean War, it was and remains false and ugly. New Yorker, a magazine long noted for good reporting, contributed to what amounted to a "black list" of our military men with stories that were, at best gross exaggerations of true stores.

This book, at last, gives the men who were incarcerated for months and years in that cold barren countr -a voice. In the tradition of Studs Turkel, they tell of their experience. Mostly men hastily trained, they faced brutal captors and brutal conditions. If few were "heroic",very very few betrayed either country or colleague. Despite the sensational blather that followed. Worse!. When freed, they were put on ships and rather than receive care & TLC they were subject to interrogation Even back home, the Army , the FBI hounded some. This was the time of our own "red terror" I was drafted to the USMC-- and am proud to read that the Marines did not harass their men after they were freed.

Care & treatment floundered . I know, I worked at the VA Hospital in Dayton Ohio for 20 years. Nearly 30 years later the government made rules that made sense. Former Prisoners of War received a special focus, with the presuption that after such lengthy exposure to brutal contidions, many medical & emotional problems were very likely to show up.

Combat vets do not often talk about the events that lead to PTSD. Former POWs. have an additional memory bank of horror This book is not a "plea for help". It is a bit late anyway. But if you can put aside your need for mere flag waving, this book will give insights about war and it cosequences. I found a new respect for these men. I thought I had some understanding, but my vision was nearly that of a blind man

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars REMEMBERED POW OF A FORGOTTEN WAR, April 16, 2002
By 
Eugene L. Inman (COVINGTON, OHIO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War: An Oral History of Korean War POWs (Hardcover)
THE AUTHOR MANAGED TO PLACE THE PROPER TONE AND ETHOS
GIVING A TRUE EXPERENCIAL VIEW OF THE POW'S EXPERENCE.

IT IS THE FIRST BOOK I READ FROM AN AUTHOR AND NOT A EX-POW
WHO PROVIDED THE TRUTH IN THIS TIME OF OUR MILITARY HISTORY.

AS AN EX-POW OF THAT WAR I FEEL IT SAID AND INDEED GAVE A PROPER
ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY PART OF 1950-1951, AND THE HERRENDOUS
CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED.

IT IS MY HOPE SCHOOLS WILL SECURE THIS BOOK FOR THE LIBRARY AND THE HISTORY TEACHER WILL RECONMEND THE STUDENTS TO REVIEW IT FOR ASSAYS.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Storm, Manchurian Style, July 26, 2004
This review is from: Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War: An Oral History of Korean War POWs (Hardcover)
Any reader who is curious about the Korean War, and about the prisoner-of-war experience in particular, needs to read this book. This is the little-known story of American soldiers caught off-guard and unprepared for the wrong war at the wrong time, in the wrong place. The stories of capture, torture, and incarceration are shocking enough. But the author makes it clear that the POWs' challenges did not end with their release. Added to the survivors' physical and psychological burdens from the war was a humiliating reception at home. This was on two levels: indifference on the part of the public, and the paranoid scruitiny of the McCarthy-era government, which made far too much of supposed brainwashing. It's a breathtaking story to which most Americans remain oblivious today. When reading this book, the reader wonders how he/she might cope in this situation. At least this exercise generates a great deal of respect for the men to somehow survived to share their recollections for this book. I'm withholding a fifth star only beacuse of the almost excusive focus on American G.I.s. There are British, French, Canadian, Turkish, and many other U.N. troops whose POW experience is noteworthy.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Since the narratives of Robert MacLean, Robert Coury, and Akira Chikami encompass so much of what Korean War prisoners suffered in common, they appear in their entirety in this chapter. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
propaganda sessions, ship coming home, till they die, prisoner behavior, forgotten war, indoctrination sessions, permanent camps, burp gun, civilian prisoners
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Korean War, North Korean, Camp Five, World War, Death Valley, Yalu River, Larry Zellers, United Nations, Tiger Death March, United States, Air Force, Camp Twelve, Father Crosbie, Jack Browning, Camp One, Commissioner Lord, South Korean, Glenn Reynolds, Jim Crombie, Robert Fletcher, Freedom Village, Michael Cornwell, Bean Camp, Camp Two, Don Poirot
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This book cites 76 books:
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Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
The Korean War by Donald M. Goldstein
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