Survivors

by Zalin Grant

A classic of war reportage: The true story of five dreadful years in a Viet Cong prison.

In plainspoken first-person reports from nine American POWs, Survivors recounts five grueling years in a Viet Cong jungle prison. This is war as only prisoners could experience it, recounted with gripping immediacy and a courage that triumphed over despair.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction, History, Historical

Mass Market Paperback

First published March 21, 1975

About the author

Zalin Grant is a journalist, author, editor and publisher. Although he is an American, he has lived for many years in France, in the ancestral village of his wife, Claude. Mr. Grant joined the U.S. Army after college, and after training as both an infantry & intelligence officer, was sent to South Viet Nam. After his military service, he worked as a war correspondent for Time magazine, and later for The New Republic. He spent a total of five years in Indo-China during the war, and has written four non-fiction books and one novel about that conflict. One of those books, 'Facing The Phoenix: The CIA and the Political Defeat of the United States in Vietnam', is widely considered to be one of the best works ever written on the wars in Indo-China. Zalin Grant is a co-founder, and serves as Editorial Director, of Pythia Press.

Reviews

[Benjamin McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Survivors was a meaningful read. The stories of 9 Vietnam POWS is told through a series of interviews conducted by the author Zalin Grant. Frank Anton, David Harker, Jim Strictland, Willie Watkins, James Daly, Ike McMillian, Tom Davis, John Young, and Ted Guy all experienced and lived through the tragic events of the Vietnam jungles.

Starting with an air raid by the United States, American soldiers in Happy Valley are overrun and captured by Viet Cong troops in 1968. After a series of interrogations, the soldiers and pilots are brought to a war prison where their lives would soon change. At the camp the new POWS are locked into a cell with the old and are introduced to a demanding routine. In the day time they must hike to a field to harvest manioc, a local potato like plant, and hike back. Growing weaker and weaker, the prisoners were also required to take pro-communism classes and write anti-war letters to the United Sates. Starved and angry some prisoners tried to escape, but never succeeded, and in some cases ended up dead. Years and years went by as prisoners watched each other rot away. In 1971, the 12 remaining POWS walked the Ho Chi Minh trail to Hanoi, were a much deadlier camp awaited. There they were met with the decision of joining the Peace Committee. The Peace Committee was a group of POWS who protested the war. Most members joined due to the favorable and easier conditions rather than the ideology behind it. The prisoners fought both mentally and physically to stay alive. Each day they lived in fear of air strikes, and many were beaten or tortured.

Despite the fact that my dog chewed the up the first twenty pages of the book, I found myself glued to every word that I read. The author Zalin Grant did an amazing job winding together each interview in a sequential order. While the stories explained the POWS experiences, they also commented on a greater idea of war and its alleged meaninglessness. Reading this book made me truly understand the risks involved with war . The stories demanded attention and invited deep thinking. I believe everyone and anyone should read this book once in their life time. It is humbling, powerful, and eye opening.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was horrific. In a nice world, if there were prisoners of war taken, they would be kept in a clean facility with access to medical care and food. The world, however, is not nice. Starvation, beatings, cruel torture, and forced labor are among the things that a lot of prisoners of war have faced over the years. I would say that is still the case in a lot of places. I cannot imagine being in a country that was not my own, not speaking or understanding the language in a lot of cases, and being subjected to the things that they went through. Being able to make it home and communicate their experiences is so invaluable to the historical record. People treated returning veterans and pows in an abhorrent manner after Vietnam, and this book might adjust some of those attitudes and perspectives. So unfortunate.

[Sarah Olson]

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[Michelle Hamlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Intense. And true.

[Andrius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised this book has less than 50 ratings.
If you're interested in POWs during Viet Nam war - this is the book to get. Fascinating read.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first books I read when I was assigned to the Defense Prisoner of War Missing In Action Office. It is a must read for all of my generation that just missed the war (I came into the service in 1979) and while a part of that era, were really not paying attention. The aftermath of the Vietnam War and the ramifications of what took place are rippling through our society even now. This book is a fantastic primer to the complex politics of the POW/MIA issues.

If you like American history, War history, psychology, human drama and want to have a better understanding of the events around you, this is a great book.

[Lee Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I ever read about POWs.
Feautirng multiple point of views, the books tells the story of many POWs from their own words.
These guys went through starving, sickness, tortures... And you'll can read a first hand accound of the 'real' Robert Garwood, while he was in Vietnam.
This book is a masterpiece of his genre... If you are in interested in the subject, READ IT

[Dana Mcmanus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best book concerning the plight of the American POW's in Vietnam that I have ever read, and I have read them ALL... a great book, even after the ninth time.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

True story about the horrors of the Vietnam war. Even though he's politically dead, this book gives you some insight into John McCain.