He was Born in New Jersey in 1933 and only dreamed of being a military man. Marrying shortly after high school, he joined the army in 1956 and was dispatched to Vietnam in 1963 when America still seemed innocent. Jim Thompson would have led a perfectly ordinary, undistinguished life had he not been captured four months later, becoming the first American prisoner in Vietnam and, ultimately, the longest-held prisoner of war in American history. Forgotten Soldier is Thompson's epic story, a remarkable reconstruction of one man's life and a searing account that questions who is a real American hero. Examining the lives of Thompson's family on the home front, as well as his brutal treatment and five escape attempts in Vietnam, military journalist Tom Philpott weaves an extraordinary tale, showing how the American government intentionally suppressed Thompson's story.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 05/17/2001
ISBN: 9780393020120
Pages: 457
Weight: 1.88lbs
Size: 9.52h x 6.45w x 1.49d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 01/01/2001 pg. 79
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2001 pg. 485
Publishers Weekly 04/09/2001 pg. 58
Booklist 05/15/2001 pg. 1728
Library Journal 06/01/2001 pg. 176
New York Times 09/02/2001 pg. 16
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2001 pg. 43