Five Years to Freedom: The True Story of a Vietnam POW

Incredible story essentially centering from capture 1963 by Vietcong until his opportunistic escape in the midst of an ongoing ight -1965. Had he not fortuitously been involved in this gunship/helicopter attack involving his captors, it is likely that he would have survived as he was being transferred to the “Zone” where his fate would have been decided. He was known as being recalcitrant to the efforts of the Front to re-educate him and make declarations as to the error of his ways. The so-called leniency of the Front would no longer be expected. Having watched the slow death of three of his fellow POWs, he had run out of time. Almost day by day events are described, including his tender care of animals and birds who were variously tortures and tormented by his captors. A great read; resolute determination and endurance.

Special Forces Lieutenant James N. Rowe was sent to Vietnam in 1963 as an advisor with the Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) to help train the South Vietnamese army. Early on in his tour, Rowe was captured by the Vietcong during a harrowing fire fight and became a prisoner of war for 5 horrible years.Held deep in Southern Vietnam, Lieutenant Rowe would be confined in bamboo cages with no protection from the elements and suffered continuous bouts of dysentery, beri-beri, and fungus infections throughout his confinement. Medical care was practically non-existent and only became available when it suited his captors needs and whims.During the initial years of captivity, Rowe would be confined with other Americans at his camp. He and other POW's would be witness to 3 fellow soldiers starving to death while the Vietcong offered no useful assistance to help save lives.Subjected to years of political indoctrination from camp cadre and propaganda from Hanoi radio broadcasts, Rowe was psychologically tormented and abused. Adding to his further misery was that remaining American captives being held with him were released after 4 years leaving him completely alone and isolated for the remainder of his incarceration.After several unsuccesful escape attempts, Rowe finally succeded in evading his captors in late 1968 and was rescued after signalling an American helicopter.Five Years to Freedom is a very graphic account of jungle captivity and all the horrors associated with it. This book is also a story of incredible courage, strength, endurance, and bravery. Very well written and inspirational, this book is perhaps one of the finest accounts of POW captivity ever written.

This is the word that comes to mind in regards to Five Years to Freedom by Nick Rowe. The man had unlimited will power.This is an amazing book about a man who could endure almost any hardship as long as his faith in God, his fellow soldiers, and his oath to the country could not be broken. And from what is to be read inside of this book, the Vietnamese made every effort to break this man. They just could not do it.Ultimately, that’s what makes this book so great. It shows the power of perseverance at all costs and an unwillingness to give up or give in. It takes a special man to endure five years of torment. And I would love to know what his captures said in private about him. He did it all and kept his honor intact. It makes you wonder what you are willing to endure for what you believe most.I particularly enjoyed the end of this book. I won’t give it away. But Rowe stands up brilliantly under fire and leaves his captures in awe. It was spectacular series of events described by the man who was there to endure it. He stands as a man of inspiration and strength.If you liked this book I would strongly recommend reading To D-Day and Back: Adventures with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment and Life as a World War II Power: A Memoir by Rob Bearden and Look out Bellow: Confessions of a Parachuting Padre by Father Francis Simpson. This last one is interest as it covers three wars. But the author was a POW captured by the Germans in Normandy during World War Two. All three books are different but have common themes.

If you ever want to know the true strategy on the Viet Cong, this the book to read. We actually helped them win the war. Even though the war was unjust, how unjust is it to abandon our brothers, sons, friends. Major Rowe's surviving this time is incredible, a true American hero. The VC had convinced Tom Hadden & Jane Fonda, that they were not allowed to physically torture prisoners, but isn't starvation, lack of medical treatment, Is another way of torture? Render the prisoners helpless, by starvation, so they are not a physical presence. The same way the Japanees did during the war. A couple of things that I trouble with. When he & the others were setting out to ambush the VC, once they came to the area, and only 5 VC ran from the houses, they were expecting a lot more, they should've know then it was a trap. The other, when he was rescued, he didn't think about calling his Mom & Dad immediately. All he talked about was how much he missed them throughout the story.

An extraordinary account of the triumph of the human spirit, Five Years to Freedom relates the story of Captain Nick Rowe's incredible experience as a prisoner of the Vietcong in South Viet Nam from 1963 to 1968. Adapted from Captain Rowe's own diaries, the book recounts in often graphic detail the author's five years in captivity deep in the steamy, unforgiving jungles of South Viet Nam.Rowe's dogged resistance in the face of extreme hardship and unrelenting physical and psychological torture endures as an example to U.S. military members serving today. Much of the modern day Code of Conduct guiding the actions of U.S. POWs reflects Rowe's experience and that of other Viet Nam POWs. Rowe remains one of the most prominent of the many U.S. Army Special Forces professionals to serve in Viet Nam.Captain Rowe details his captivity in a clear, determined style that allows the reader to experience on a visceral level all that the author endured. The savagery with which Captain Rowe is treated by his Viet Cong captors is almost beyond comprehension. Often confined to a bamboo cage, placed in irons, and fed a steady diet of undercooked rice and barely edible fermented fish sauce (nuoc mam), Rowe suffers alternating bouts of dysentery, beri beri, and outbreaks of severe fungal disease. Though repeatedly incapacitated by chronic diarrhea and other debilitating conditions, he resists every effort by his captors to break his will.Refusing to accede to the demands of his captors for intelligence on U.S. forces operating in South Viet Nam, Rowe continually stonewalls or provides misleading information. Even when offered many "privileges" culminating with his freedom, he refuses to give in. His perseverance in the face of such brutality is a testament to the indomitable spirit of one remarkable soldier and warrior.Most "heart-wrenching" is Rowe's gradual awareness - resulting in part from his Vietcong tormentors' clumsy attempts at disinformation - that the American public is beginning to withhold support for the war. His deep devotion to his country, however, prevents Rowe from accepting this as reality, and he continues to resist. We are witness to a man struggling mightily with his emotions as he attempts to process this seeming dichotomy.Rowe's Vietcong guards reward his defiance by withholding food, medicine, and other basic necessities of survival. Perhaps most poignant, the Vietcong ruthlessly chip away at his resolve through a sinister, carefully calculated combination of reward and punishment. His fellow POWs released, Rowe eventually seeks companionship through a pair of forest eagles. His painstaking devotion to these two birds, the only witnesses to the miserable conditions of his captivity and constant abuse, is an inspiration to animal lovers everywhere.The most astonishing element of Captain Rowe's story is how he repeatedly risks certain death by attempting to escape. Remarkably, he succeeds on his fifth try and is eventually rescued by an American helicopter crew. Finally, he is free of the physical bonds of his imprisonment and, perhaps even more of a relief, the constant emotional highs and lows to which he was so cruelly submitted.Interestingly, Rowe was only one of 34 Americans who escaped captivity during the Vietnam War.Through Five Years to Freedom, we are witness to the barbarity that characterized treatment of many U.S. POWs by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong during America's sustained involvement in Viet Nam. More than a mere POW story, Rowe's book reminds us of freedom's great cost. Were it not for the sacrifices of men like Nick Rowe, our country and all that we value as a society would be perpetually at risk.As a footnote to the story and perhaps the final irony in his extraordinary life, (Colonel) Nick Rowe was murdered in 1989 in the Philippines by communist insurgents.To read Five Years to Freedom is to know the heart of a man deeply committed to the ideals of duty, honor, country. This book remains one of the greatest stories of one man's heroism ever told and a tribute to the many great men and women who serve our nation in uniform.

I rarely give books five star ratings. Many of my reads have gotten 4 stars because they were well written and about subjects that I am interested in.This book goes beyond being interesting. It is superbly written, much of it in first person. The author takes us back to 1962, he a young Army Officer, Special Forces. It is Vietnam. But this is not an action packed military thriller, nor an analysis of of how, why or should we have been there, though those issues are covered in some respects.The author was captured deep in South Vietnam's Delta region and kept as a POW for five years. He skillfully takes you along with him on what can only be described as a horrible journey into the innermost region of his being. You will feel the sting of the mosquitoes bite, the itch and burn of skin fungus, the despair of being among people who look upon you as disposable but have to tolerate your presence for their own special agenda.This is neither an easy nor short read, yet I read it almost straight thru in a couple of days. Even though you know he lived because you are reading his book, you keep expecting him to report his own demise, and he almost does.Compelling, astounding and probably written to help dispel demons of survival and struggle in impossible circumstances that would drive lesser beings to suicide or madness.Don't pass this one up!

This is the best and most enlightening book I have read about a POW. Rowe tells the facts and details as they really were. His ability to withstand all the political bs was simply incredible.

Recommended reading for those who unwittingly, or otherwise, contribute to our nation's current malaise of spirit resulting from a lack of historical understanding.

Fantastic book. Nick's detailed recollection of 5 years as a POW made you feel like you were there with him. Cheering him on as he struggled through and experiencing an emotional roller coaster with him. A must read!

This book provides a very diverse account of the Vietnam war through the eyes of an American POW who survived 5 years as a captive. Written with amazing detail and emotion that makes it hard to put the book down. Well worth the read for anyone who likes military history.

In dem vorliegenden Buch schildert James N. Rowe seine Erfahrungen während seiner fünfjährigen Kriegsgefangenschaft während des Vietnamkrieges. Der Autor, Angehöriger der Green Berets, wurde während eines schweren Feuergefechts im Jahr 1963 vom Vietcong gefangengenommen und konnte nach mehreren erfolglosen Versuchen im Jahr 1968 schließlich fliehen. Die Schilderungen seiner Leidenszeit sind wahrlich erschütternd und bewegend und erzeugten mehrere Male während des Lesens einen klos im Hals und feuchte Augen! Beeindruckend sind aber genau deshalb die Willenskraft und Entschlossenheit des Autors, trotz Erniedrigung, Hunger, schwerer Krankheiten, "Psycho-Spielchen" der Verhörspezialisten durchzuhalten und diese Tortur zu überleben. Kurzum, das Buch ist extrem harte Kost, die mich aber dennoch schwer fasziniert und beeindruckt hat, weil die Willenskraft des Autors absolut inspirierend ist! Kann das Buch ungeingeschränkt empfehlen!!!!

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An outstanding read of a man's struggle whilst held captive for 5 years in Vietnam. The mental and physical pain is so thoughtfully and powerfully written. Remarkable.