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Dagger Four Is OK: Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis POW Memoir
At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton.
This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.
This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 1, 2023
Not as good as a number of other POW books I have read. I didn't to read so much about his life history and wanted more about his experiences as a POW. It was very light on his experiences as a POW.
September 26, 2015
This is a review that my husband wrote who is also a Viet Nam vet.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading another one of Bill Norris’s books. This is the second book that he has written on what happened to the good stand-up people that served our country when many chose to look the other way. These soldiers of Vietnam were shunned during the conflict, spat upon when they returned and forgotten after. Their concerns and issues placed in the lowest echelon of social awareness and government assistance. The stories of these brave men have to be told.
The author writes well in taking the reader through the interesting life of an Air Force career pilot. He provides just enough technical and institutional information to provide authenticity but not too much to render it unpalatable for a reader not experienced in military affairs.
The brutal uncivilized treatment of the POW’s is well documented and most Americans are aware that this happened. What is not common knowledge is the inexcusable actions of fellow Americans that provided assistance to this strategy that was promulgated from the highest levels of the Hanoi government. The book mentions western media that were sent to enemy officials but does not go into the magnitude of this operation nor does it talk of the devastating effect it had on the prisoners. Organized clipping services manned by Americans were set up in most of the home bases of both Navy, Marine and Air Forces that gleaned through all available media to get information to the enemy. Regrettably, Hanoi Jane was just the tip of this shameful iceberg. Other POW’s say that this information was more effective in breaking down the resistance of the POW’s then the ropes, shackles and starvation that was routinely meted out.
In summary this book is a very good read and I most strongly recommend it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading another one of Bill Norris’s books. This is the second book that he has written on what happened to the good stand-up people that served our country when many chose to look the other way. These soldiers of Vietnam were shunned during the conflict, spat upon when they returned and forgotten after. Their concerns and issues placed in the lowest echelon of social awareness and government assistance. The stories of these brave men have to be told.
The author writes well in taking the reader through the interesting life of an Air Force career pilot. He provides just enough technical and institutional information to provide authenticity but not too much to render it unpalatable for a reader not experienced in military affairs.
The brutal uncivilized treatment of the POW’s is well documented and most Americans are aware that this happened. What is not common knowledge is the inexcusable actions of fellow Americans that provided assistance to this strategy that was promulgated from the highest levels of the Hanoi government. The book mentions western media that were sent to enemy officials but does not go into the magnitude of this operation nor does it talk of the devastating effect it had on the prisoners. Organized clipping services manned by Americans were set up in most of the home bases of both Navy, Marine and Air Forces that gleaned through all available media to get information to the enemy. Regrettably, Hanoi Jane was just the tip of this shameful iceberg. Other POW’s say that this information was more effective in breaking down the resistance of the POW’s then the ropes, shackles and starvation that was routinely meted out.
In summary this book is a very good read and I most strongly recommend it.
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March 25, 2018MWSA Review
At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.
Reviewed by: Donald J. Farinacci (Nov 2015)
At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.
Reviewed by: Donald J. Farinacci (Nov 2015)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews