Glory Denied: The Saga of Jim Thompson, America's Longest-Held Prisoner of War

by Tom Philpott

Book Overview

Glory Denied is the harrowing and heroic story of Floyd "Jim" Thompson, captured in March 1964, who became the longest-held prisoner of war in American history. Tom Philpott juxtaposes Thompson's capture, torture, and multiple escape attempts with the trials of his young wife, Alyce, who, feeling trapped, made choices that forever tied her fate to the war she despised. "One of the most honest books ever written about Vietnam" (Oliver Stone), Glory...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393020126
• ISBN13: 9780393020120
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Incredibly and emotionally revealing......

Special Forces Captain Jim Thompson was shot down (while an observer on a reconnaissance flight) over South Vietnam on March 24, 1964. Held first in jungle camps in South Vietnam and later moved to North Vietnam, Thompson would not see another American for 4 years and would spend a total of 5 years in solitary confinement and isolation.Suffering brutal torture, disease, and starvation, he would endure some of the worst treatment ever imagined for almost 9 unbelievable years. Eventually, he would be recognized as the longest held prisoner of war in American history. During his confinement, Thompson never wavered in his defiance of his captors and continually upheld his convictions in America, his patriotism, his pride, and his beliefs.Upon returning to the United States, hoping to re-establish a stable home life, Jim Thompson is quickly immersed in tragic events that would continue several years after his return. Starting with the revelation of his wife's infidelity during his captivity, major turmoil would befall his family soon thereafter. He is unprepared for 9 years of change that has influenced his family and this sadly leads to, among other things, alienation of his children, addiction to alcohol, estrangement from his wife, and eventual divorce.In a constant uphill struggle, Thompson painfully suffered through many subsequent events in his life that literally brought him to the edge of despair and his attempting suicide.Glory Denied is quite possibly the saddest, most tragic, and totally heart-wrenching accounts of POW captivity ever written. It is also a story of love, understanding, forgiveness, hope, faith, and survival.Sixteen years in the making, this book is exceedingly well written and prepared and evokes much emotion in its content. Deserving of 10 stars, this book is very highly recommended to everyone.

AN AMERICAN EPIC: ONE OF THE FINEST WAR BOOKS I'VE EVER READ

Colonel Jim Thompson's story is one of the most harrowing and powerful books I have read in recent years, and its themes are is so tragic and complex that it reminds me of a non-fiction rendition of Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy." The appearance of this remarkable work comes at a time when we have been inundated by McWar books and sentimentalized combat movies that trivialize the sheer horror and devastation of war. "Glory Denied" has the opposite effect in that it re-creates the agony of the Vietnam War in absorbing and faithful detail, and enables a generation that was not alive in the decades of the 1960's and 1970's to understand how the war was played out, not only on the battlefield but in the living rooms, classrooms, and bedrooms of millions of homes across the nation. While the book succeeds as both a biography and as a uniquely original work of history, it is first and foremost a tribute to Colonel Jim Thompson, who, despite his many frailties and very human flaws, comes across as one of our bravest and most exemplary American war heroes. It is hard to imagine many other American soldiers who could have endured the same tortures experienced by Thompson over nine years of captivity. Despite treatment that rivalled the worst barbarity of the Nazi concentration camps, Thompson survived, his spirit unbroken and his patriotic love of America intact. Not only did Thompson survive, but he attempted to escape from his North Vietnamese guards and torturers no less than five times. I find it surprising that given such unprecedented valor, that Colonel Thompson has not been already awarded the Medal of Honor, and one can only hope that one of the positive results of the publication of "Glory Denied" will be that the military will reconsider its criteria and award Thompson this medal. The book is not without its controversies, the first being its unusual structure. This is not a third-person biography, and the oral history style may take some readers time (for some, up to 50 pages) to get used to. Some critics will no doubt suggest that Philpott should have resorted to a more conventional third-person style, which was used in the excerpt in "The New Yorker," but anyone who sticks with the story for a few chapters will become easily accustomed to the style and find it, as if watching a soap opera, quite dramatic throughout. Perhaps more controversial than the style is the depiction of Thompson's first wife, Alyce, who, in contrast to Odysseus's heroically faithful Penelope, chose to live with another man while Thompson was in captivity. Many readers and reviewers have already attacked Alyce for her behavior and the fact that she did not "stick by her man." Her behavior, particularly her decision not to tell her children that they had a father who had been imprisoned in Vietnam, is deplorable, but to cast her as the villain of the story is far too easy and simplistic. The book would never soar to the power it does

THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ

Glory Denied captivated me in a way I never thought possible. I am not an avid reader but I read this book in one weekend. Quite simply, I could not put it down. Glory Denied is beautifully written -- articulate and thorough. It is totally understandable why this story took 16 years to write. This was a story that needed to be told. Tom Philpott does an outstanding job not only capturing the veterans perspective but the thought process of their respective families. The harsh reality of the Vietnam War is truly compelling and devastating. Glory Denied is an emotional roller coaster. If you read one book this year (or in your lifetime), read Glory Denied. I promise you, you will not denied a story of lifetime. Unbelievable!

Col. Jim Thompson is not alone...

Col. Thompson was without a doubt the most unique American prisoner of war in Viet Nam. Jim's recalcitrant adherence to military demeanor almost cost him his life, his sanity and, even after nearly nine years of torture and mistreatment, his freedom when he initiated a hunger strike -one day before his release. Ironically, all the recognition accorded this national hero did little to turn back the sands of time and recoup the life and loves he had left behind. Tragically, he continues to be a prisoner of his own memories -from which there is no escape. Kudos to author Tom Philpott for his unconventional portrayal of Col. Thompson's memoirs. I would respectfully take this opportunity to submit that although Col. Thompson was indeed the longest held American POW in Viet Nam, there were numerous others on American (special ops) who were captured, tortured and consequently served from ten to twenty years -and even more, in hellish Cuban prisons. I was among them and could almost feel the despair and suffering as I read each page. In no way do I claim to have undergone such horrendous atrocities as Jim but many of my colleagues did and, ironically, their profiles closely parallel his own. Especially after their return...

A SAD ACCOUNT...BUT VERY REAL!

The tragedy of Army Officer, Jim Thompson, is similar to many others who were held prisoner of war, with the exception of the time period - he was held captive for nine years. This story is not by any means an easy book to read. The accounts of his torture and the conditions under which he lived during those nine years will tear at the heartstrings of the staunchest individual. During Thompson's captivity, his wife, who is struggling to survive and raise four children on her own meets an Army man who becomes the only father her children have ever known. After Thompson's release and return home, his life will never again be the same. Thompson is not, nor could he ever be, the same man he was when he left home years ago. The couple reconcile but the marriage is short lived. As in many similar cases when the marriage disintegrates, the children become estranged and soon realize they do not know this man who is not a father to them, but a stranger. They have little recollection of the man he once was, nor do they have have use for the man he has become. Alcohol becomes a factor in Thompson's life and his escape from reality, an anaesthetic for "the real world" - a world that has left him shunned by society, rejected by his family and haunted by the memories that he must live with each and every day for the remainder of his life. All this was bestowed upon a man whose only fateful action was to fight for his country. Many men returned from Vietnam and found productive lives. Many did not return; others might have found more spiritual peace if they had not survived the horrors. In a sense, Thompson also gave his life for his country, for the man he became upon his return was a man devoid and robbed of a QUALITY life. While he physically returned, the happy, peaceful, successful life he could have had was eternally lost and a part of him will forever dwell in the horrors of Vietnam. Jim Thompson's life is a tragedy, like many other tragedies of war. While the book is emotionally difficult to read, it is an excellent book and cannot help but make the reader feel that no matter what obstacles and challenges we are faced with in our life, we are blessed with having "the freedom to choose" how we live our lives.