Reflections on Captivity: A Tapestry of Stories by a Vietnam War POW

by Porter A. Halyburton

Overview

On October 17, 1965, Navy LTJG Porter Halyburton was shot down over North Vietnam on his 76th mission and listed as killed in action. One-and-a-half years later he was found to be alive and a prisoner of war. Halyburton was held captive for more than seven years. Reflections on Captivity, is a collection of fifty short stories about this young naval officer's experiences as a POW in North Vietnam. This book recounts difficult times but focuses more on the positive aspects I—the humor, creativity, friendships, courage, and leadership of an amazing group of Americans and how they helped each other survive and even thrive. These vignettes demonstrate how the human mind, body, and spirit can adapt and find meaning in life in the most challenging circumstances. There are powerful lessons learned from this complex experience that continue to guide the author's life to this day. Despite hardship, suffering, and long separation, Halyburton strongly believes one's quality of life is determined more by choices made than by circumstances, and the most liberating choice we can make is to forgive. Reflections on Captivity furthers the reader's understanding about the nature of captivity, race relations, human relations, aspects of the air war against North Vietnam, and highlights the importance of leadership, ethics, and devotion to duty in difficult times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682478257
Publisher:	Naval Institute Press
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	396,070
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Porter Halyburton survived captivity as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 1965 until 1973. Those seven and half years were not wasted. Halyburton shares the valuable lessons he learned in the Hanoi Hilton and 8 other POW camps, along with many unknown stories in Reflections on Captivity. These include:  the significance of choices made under difficult circumstances, the importance of communication in forming a unified and well-functioning community, and the freedom of forgiveness. His many awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, and seven Air Medals.

Porter Halyburton is from Davidson, NC, a graduate of Davidson College (BA), University of Georgia (MA), and the Naval War College. He was awarded Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Rhode Island and Greensboro College.  Retired as Commander, U.S. Navy in 1984 and as Professor of Strategy Emeritus from the Naval War College in Newport, RI, in 2006, he currently resides with his wife Marty in Greensboro, NC.  They have three grown children.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Rolling with the Punches 13

No Such Thing as a Rotten Banana

Worse Place, Better Place

The First Christmas

Fred Cherry's Ordeal

The Briarpatch

Locked Out at the Briarpatch

Chop on the Log

Butts in the Back

I Know Why Caged Tigers Pace

Stockdale

Hanoi Chess

Teaching the Tap Code

Killed in Action

Pat Lamb

Percy in the Attic

Part 2 Surviving 85

The Onagers

The Escape

The Elf

First Package

Memory Bridge

Telling Movies

Dental Care in the DRV

Bamboo Slide Rule

More Onagers

Deep Knee Bends

Christmas in Hanoi

Part 3 Beating the System 123

A Change for the Better

Sang, Tang, Si, Con, Nat

The Son Tay Raid

Sleeping Bag

Quack, Quack!

The Chamber Pot Dance

The Juke Box

Learning German

Artificial Inspiration Generator

Survival Kit

Boils, Bedbugs, and Pinkeye

The Russian Novel

Seventy-Seven Categories

Truck to the Dogpatch

The Green Sweater

Ghost Story

Hanoi Journal

One Step Closer to Home

Another Step Closer

Home at Last

Epilogue. Looking Back 175

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Boors in Hanoi

Hoa Lo Prison Museum

Appendix. List of American POWs Mentioned in This Book 195

Notes 199

Editorial Reviews

"No one who has not been a POW can truly imagine the fear, pain, misery, and despair suffered by POWs held by the North Vietnamese. Halyburton's graphic, honest, and inspirational memoir comes closest to visualizing what it might have been like. More importantly, he vividly explains his experience: 'I had survived for a longer time than I thought I could and had endured much more than I thought possible.'" —Military Officer

"Porter Halyburton's extraordinary memoir of his POW experience is a testament to the power of choice and human liberty." —Providence Magazine

“Reflections on Captivity by Porter Halyburton is an extraordinary work that combines brutal honesty, strong resilience, and above all humanity.  The moment when newly freed POW Halyburton literally turns and forgives his captors—knowing that holding onto all the natural hate would pollute the rest of his life—is remarkable and utterly genuine.  A brilliant book!” —Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret), 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and author of The Leaders Bookshelf and The Sailors Bookshelf

“Reflections on Captivity is Porter Halyburton’s truly inspirational account of his and his fellow prisoners’ triumph over adversity in the infamous Hoa Lo 'Hanoi Hilton' and other prisons of North Vietnam. The F-4 Phantom crewman relates how the Americans employed considerable courage, determination, creativity, and humor to survive and indeed counter the brutal treatment of their captors.” —Edward J. Marolda, author of Admirals Under Fire: The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War

“In lyrical poetry and vivid prose, Porter Halyburton has shared his remarkable experience as a prisoner of war. It is a story of friendship, faith, and forgiveness – and a meditation on the human spirit, written by an American hero whose own life has been a model of courage, patriotism, and grace.” —James S. Hirsch, author of Two Souls Indivisible: The Friendship That Saved Two POWs in Vietnam

“Originally classified as killed in action over North Vietnam, Porter Halyburton survived to endure almost eight years of brutal treatment in captivity. This is the inspiring story of triumph over unimaginably brutal conditions of captivity. Porter and his wife Marty not only survived, but ultimately prevailed. This book belongs in every American’s library!” —Roger Shields, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Prisoner of War and Missing In Action Affairs; chairman, Department of Defense Prisoner of war and Missing in Action Task Group (1971-1976 )

“It is without doubt one of the most powerful, thoughtful, and—for me— emotional, books I have ever read. A jewel . . . . It seems to me the most significant contribution anybody can make to a coherent future civilization is setting standards for constructive and compassionate behavior. Porter Halyburton and his wife Marty have surely done that in every respect.” —Walter F. Ulmer, Jr. LTG, US Army, Retired

“The book is well worth reading not only as military history, but as a philosophy on how to live.”—Journal of America’s Past

"The bottom line on his seven-plus years as a POW was that it shaped and guided his life in a very positive way—he seemingly had few “down days” and weathered the storm that brought down and humbled so many others. Poignantly, his final words as he left prison will echo in your mind—Halyburton turned around to the POW camp and said out loud: “I forgive you…I forgive you.” He walked away with a clear conscience and a knowledge that his entire life was still ahead of him. Fifty years later, in this highly recommended book, he openly shares how his years as a POW positively affected his life." —Hampton Roads Naval Museum

 

 

From the Publisher