Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War
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First-edition cover
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| Author | Bruce Henderson |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
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Publication date
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June 29, 2010 |
| Media type |
Hardcover Trade paperback E-book Audiobook |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | |
| Website | http://brucehendersonbooks.com/ |
Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War is a 2010 non-fiction book by author Bruce Henderson. Hero Found is a biography of Vietnam War hero Dieter Dengler, a German-born United States Navy naval aviator who endured six months of imprisonment and torture before being rescued. Dengler survived 23 days in the jungle after escaping from a Pathet Lao prison camp.
Dieter Dengler's survival skills are established at an early age growing up in the chaos of World War II Germany. After his father is killed in the war, his mother teaches Dieter and his brothers how to survive on their own in the forest. Dieter learns what foods are safe to eat and how to find shelter from the elements. His lifelong love of aviation begins as he observes an Allied fighter fly past at tree-top level with the pilot wearing goggles and a white scarf. At sixteen, Dieter decides to move to America to become a pilot. Surviving on his wits and with little money, Dieter sails to New York City aboard SS America. He joins the U.S. Navy and becomes a naval aviator. After additional flight training, Dengler is assigned to VA-145 flying the Douglas A-1 Skyraider aboard USS Ranger (CV-61). In January 1966, Ranger reaches the coast of Vietnam to conduct combat operations.
On February 1, 1966, Dieter is shot down during a mission into Laos and crash-lands in a jungle clearing. A day later, he is captured by the Pathet Lao. Dieter is beaten by his captors and forced to march through the jungle for over a week. After refusing to sign papers denouncing the United States, he is beaten into unconsciousness. As the forced march continues, Dieter escapes but is recaptured and tortured. Two weeks after his crash-landing, Dieter arrives at a Prisoner of War (POW) camp having marched 85 miles. Here he meets other prisoners including Dwayne Martin, Prasit Thanee, Phisit Intharathat, To Yick Chiu, and Eugene DeBruin, some of whom have been imprisoned for two and a half years. The group endures illness, starvation, and brutal treatment waiting for the monsoon season when there will be enough water to sustain them during an escape. The rains do not come on time and conditions deteriorate at the camp to a point where the guards plan to kill the prisoners and return home. On June 29, 1966, the prisoners decide to attempt their escape. A fight ensues leaving many of the guards dead. The group splits up with Dieter and Dwayne marching into the forest toward Thailand. The monsoon rains start, but the pair are soon lost and gradually weaken as they struggle through the jungle. They surprise a villager who decapitates Dwayne with a machete. Dieter is pursued by the villagers and Pathet Lao but manages to avoid them. He continues to weaken and begins to hallucinate. Near the end of his strength, Dieter rests on a rock and sees a United States Air Force Skyraider flying towards him. Dieter signals the aircraft and is spotted by the pilot, Eugene Deatrick, who persists in calling a rescue despite the possibility that this could be a trap. On July 20, 1966, Dieter is finally rescued from his ordeal after 23 days in the jungle and six months after he was shot down.
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