Your tax-deductible gift to the Naval Institute Press underwrites worthy books that might not otherwise be published.
John M. McGrath, a young Navy pilot who was captured in 1967 after being shot down over Vietnam, vividly presents a straightforward and compelling tale of survival, of years of suffering, and of the human will to endure. During the era of the unpopular Vietnam War few issues united the American people as did the emotion-laden problem of POWs and MIAs. When the peace treaties were finally signed and the POWs returned to American soil, the nation was collectively relieved by their safe return. A self-taught artist, the starkness of McGrath's drawings underscores his remarkable and moving chronicle of the lives of these prisoners, who were constantly in peril, attempting to survive a brutal captivity almost unimaginable in civilized times.
Lt. Cdr. John M. McGrath, USN (Ret.) lives in Monument, CO.
Praise for Prisoner of War
“Of all the books I’ve read about the POW experience in Hanoi, this one does the best job of communicating the unspeakable horror of being a captive of the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.”
— “Books in Brief”, The VVA Veteran, January 29, 2012
For those who have not been subjected to POW imprisonment or their families, books are the primary source for acquiring the information required to have any hope of grasping the POW experience. For the years since it was one of the initial post-captivity books by a Vietnam POW, first published in December 1975 (two years after his release), Vietnam Navy (and later commercial airlines) pilot and POW John Michael (Mike) McGrath’s Prisoner of War: Six Years in Hanoi, has been a pivotal guide in that regard. As noted in both of the excellent Paul Galanti reviews of the book in this magazine, McGrath provides some of the most compelling data through his hand drawn sketches of Vietnam captivity. It may be a small book of 115 pages, the shape and size of a 5x7.5” photo, but it is powerful and has been for nearly 4 decades. But more recently the original book has been somewhat difficult to find. Fortunately it has just been reissued in paperback by Naval Institute Press. Those who missed if the first time can read it and learn, and those who know and love it can get a new copy of an old friend to reread and/or share with those who need to do so.
