Beyond Courage: Daring Escapes of Captured Airmen in the Korean War Contributor(s): Chadde, Steve W. (Introduction by), Blair Jr, Clay (Author) |
|||
ISBN: 1496086074 ISBN-13: 9781496086075 Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Binding Type: Paperback Published: February 2014 * Out of Print * |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Military - Korean War |
Physical Information: 0.43" H x 5.51" W x 8.5" L (0.53 lbs) 204 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Beyond Courage recounts several inspiring feats of escape and evasion by downed airmen during the Korean conflict. The airmen endured in-credible hardships, first at the hands of their captors, then as they managed, by one means or another, to make their way back to the safety of U.N. lines. As preparation for the book, author Clay Blair researched the military's incident records, then interviewed the survivors themselves to fill in any gaps in the accounts told to Air Force officers shortly after their rescue, and to recapture their personal reactions to their arduous adventures. The stories include members of the U.N. forces in Korea-not solely Americans-but also Turks and Greeks and 'ROKs' (Republic of Korea soldiers), and friendly North Korean Christians, who risked their lives to help downed airmen. In addition to enemy soldiers, the terrain and climate posed terrible challenges to men without adequate food, clothing, or shelter. In the story Cold, for example, one can feel the sub-zero temperatures as the escapee struggles to walk for miles with frozen feet (doctors would later be forced to amputate both feet to save the airman's life). Challenges were also psychological, as portrayed in the first story, Robinson Crusoe of MiG Alley. There, a downed airman recounts his shattering loneliness of a month spent on a deserted island-with friendly planes flying over almost daily but ignorant of the plight of the stranded airman below them. Despite the passage of 60 years since the cessation of this 'forgotten war, ' the stories in Beyond Courage remain a testament to the power of human endurance and will in the face of extreme, life-threatening challenges. |
Customer ReviewsSubmit your own review |
To tell a friend about this book, you must Sign In First! |