Reviews for Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam

The average rating for Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-08-08 00:00:00 Curtis Golladay This is the memoir of a Marine aviator. A vet of the Korean war with significant combat experience (shot down once but rescued by the Navy). He was court-martialed and given a dishonorable discharge after he left the scene of an aircraft accident during peacetime as a captain. He began flying contract jobs for several corporations and ended up flying for one sending aid and supplies into Laos as the Vietnam war was heating up. He was captured by the Vietnamese after they captured an airfield he landed at. This book centers on his experience as a prisoner and how he eventually was sent to the Hanoi Hilton with military POWs. He was faithful to the military code of conduct he learned as a Marine. He refused to cooperate with the enemy and helped facilitate communications between POWs. Initially when the POW transfer was set up to send military members home to the US prisoners from Laos were not going to be included in the deal as Vietnam did not want to admit they operated in Laos at all. Nixon threatened to call off the whole treaty and prisoner exchange if they were not all going to come home, the Vietnamese gave in. On their way home as the POWs were being checked out they found out about the status of their families. Mr. Brace found out his father died and his wife had married another man (they had been married 12 years and had three sons. She knew he was alive.). Brace went to the top of the hotel he was at and found one other POW there who had gotten the same news about his wife, they both cried together looking at into the night stars. Brace commented that while they had cried involuntary tears of pain from torture during their years of imprisonment this was the first time either man had broken down and just cried. Some hurts you just can't take on the chin. President Ford issued a full pardon to Ernie Brace, he redeemed his name and reputation. He'll always be a Marine.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-06-15 00:00:00 Simon Grech Fascinating and enlightening revelations of Vietnam POW imprisonment, punishment, torture, and survival. Intriguing and sometimes emotional.