A P.O.W.'s Story: 2801 Days in

by Larry Guarino

Book Overview

Shot down on his fiftieth mission over North Vietnam, Major Larry Guarino was the eleventh American to be captured during the Vietnam War. Through eight years of humiliation and imprisonment which included physical and mental torture, and through the bleakest periods of suffering and despair, Guarino never lost his courage, his patriotism, or his will to live. His riveting tale of survival is truly a triumph of the human spirit.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804106916
• ISBN13: 9780804106917
• Release Date: August 1990
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 341 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A Book That Made Me Ill

This book takes a harsh look at the truth of life of an American POW in Vietnam. Reading the horrid things done to our POW's would make me ill at times but it also gave me an even greater respect for the people who served in the Vietnam War. Our POW's went through a lot and if you'd like to experience that first hand, read this book!

A more personal perspective

As the young son of an Air Force officer, I was close to the family during the period of captivity. I only wish there was more in the book of the incredible courage of the entire family. The oldest son went to Vietnam and flew as a Forward Air Controller. The wife was deeply involved in the grass-roots effort to free the POWs and I was deeply touched by her courage, devotion and faith. I once saw the middle son save a young boy after the boy was attacked by a shark. It is often difficult to identify true courage, but here is an entire family. This is a great book of courage from the courageous father of a courageous family.

painfully heartbreaking...wonderful

I have read several accounts of the Vietnam POW's and this one was the most emotional for me. I am glad that he had the courage to point out the traitorous and despicable behavior of people like Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden. What these men had to go through is in the face of such cowardice by these traitors is incomprehensible to me. God bless you Col. Guarino... your efforts are profoundly appreciated!

Easy reading and good study aid for military on psychology

At first I was intrigued with the facts and what extreme conditions of torture our American hero's had to go through. The worst evil that exists in the world. As I read through to the end I realized that Col. Guarino had a certain personality about his conduct which allowed him to not only survive but to minimize the ability of the V to use the POW's for their propaganda and information source. Therefore it can be used as a good study aid for military training on the psychological techniques of surviving as a POW. God Bless you Ga-ree-no those Hail Mary's must have worked. And I picked up on some humor and the military comradery that was inspiring that you found in the thick of Hell.

Story of a man's courage in the face of 2801 days of torture

Col. Guarino, a USAF F105 pilot in Vietnam, describes his treatment and recollections as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. Singled out for intense torture because he was a senior ranking officer, Col. Guarino provides an inspirational account of his confinement. Definitely a good read for anyone interested in this genre.