Five Years to Freedom, James N. Rowe
Five Years to Freedom, James N. Rowe
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Five Years to Freedom
The True Story of a Vietnam POW

Author: James N. Rowe

Narrator: Reathel Bean

Abridged: 1 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/04/2003

Synopsis

When Green Beret Lieutenant James N. Rowe was captured in 1963 in Vietnam, his life became more than a matter of staying alive.

In a Vietcong POW camp, Rowe endured beri-beri, dysentery, and tropical fungus diseases. He suffered grueling psychological and physical torment. He experienced the loneliness and frustration of watching his friends die. And he struggled every day to maintain faith in himself as a soldier and in his country as it appeared to be turning against him.

His survival is testimony to the disciplined human spirit.
His story is gripping.

About The Author

James N. Rowe was an officer in the Green Berets and was part of the small advisory force sent to assist the South Vietnamese in 1962. Captured by the Viet Cong in 1963 and marked for execution, Rowe succeeded in escaping after five years of captivity. After the war, Rowe was assigned to the Philippines to train the army to fight communist guerillas. On April 21, 1989, Rowe was assassinated by communist insurgents in a suburb of Manila. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.Reathel Bean has a busy stage career, including roles in the Broadway productions of Our Town and Inherit the Wind. He has appeared in various films, including Almost Famous and Company Man. His television credits include Law & Order, Ed, and Spin City. He might be best known to audio audiences as the voice of Louis L'Amour's Chick Bowdrie.

Reviews

Goodreads review by J.willy on November 20, 2009

I will start off by highly recommending this book. I bought the book off the shelf in a truck stop. I was hoping it wasn't about John McCain. I had never heard of James N. Rowe. After getting through the first chapter, and learning about the firefight and capture I was completely hooked. I ended up......more

Goodreads review by Mike on September 11, 2007

An incredible story... there are many like this out there, but it was Rowe's account that got the Army to start training people in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. This is virtually a textbook in SERE training........more

Goodreads review by Jeanie on June 02, 2008

AWESOME book! I highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in Vietnam or war stories or just stories of amazing survival. It is very readable and gives a lot of background into the Vietnam culture and the politics of the war. The man kept a diary throughout his captivity and it showed an in......more

Goodreads review by Zach on January 20, 2012

A riveting account of a man who went through hell and survived. This book chronicles the events leading up to and his eventual capture by the Viet Cong. It gives an account of his interactions with his captors, fellow prisoners, and how he was able to survive even when there was no reason to keep on......more

Goodreads review by Bob on May 29, 2011

A classic story of true courage, especially poignant as tomorrow is Memorial Day. I remember when they brought Nick Rowe back on active duty to start up the SERE-- survival, evasion, resistance and escape course at Camp Mackall-- which would be renamed in his honor. If you want to understand true bra......more

Quotes

"The Most Important Book Ever Written About The Vietnam Experience.  The people of the United States can be immensely proud of Nick Rowe and Americans like him who have resisted and survived the worst abuse a brutal enemy could visit upon us."--Robin Moore

"If you can read this story and not weep, you are inhuman."--The Cincinnati Post

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