Solitary Survivor: The First American Pow in Southeast Asia

by Lawrence R. Bailey Jr., Ron Martz

On March 23, 1961, Bob Bailey became the first American prisoner of war in Southeast Asia. A combat veteran of World War II and Korea, Bailey was assistant Army attache in Laos when communist Pathet Lao guerrillas shot down the unarmed C-47 transport plane in which he and seven companions were flying. The only survivor, and suffering from severe injuries, Bailey was captured. The rebels held him in a small, unlit cell - in solitary confinement - for seventeen months while his wife and young children waited. His release was a national President John F. Kennedy award him the Bronze Star, the first such honor since the Korean War. Overshadowed by events in Vietnam, of the more than six hundred Americans captured or unaccounted for in Laos, only fifteen escaped or were released.

214 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1995

Reviews

[Glenys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the sort of book that I would normally choose but i found this surprisingly easy to read despite the dreadful experiences of Bob Bailey.
He tells the tale simply without over-dramatising experiences which are unimaginable to most of us.
Solitary confinement is slow torture and 17 months is incredibly long.

It was sad that he had set so much store by finding the place where he was held and finding closure by flooding it with daylight. Thirty years later - that cell where he was held prisoner only exists only in his mind and he can never escape from that.

[James Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible true story of surviving under the most terrible conditions in complete isolation. Unable to talk to anyone for 17 months with inadequate food Major Bailey was slowly wasting away. His fortitude and will to survive incredibly kept him sane until he was finally released from his harrowing experience. Caught up in the secret war in Laos, Major Bailey was most fortunate to survive. The book is well written and a good read.