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Sign up todayFive Years to Freedom - Abridged
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Learn moreWhen Green Beret Lieutenant James N. Rowe was captured in 1963 in Vietnam, his life became more than a matter of staying alive.
In a Vietcong POW camp, Rowe endured beri-beri, dysentery, and tropical fungus diseases. He suffered grueling psychological and physical torment. He experienced the loneliness and frustration of watching his friends die. And he struggled every day to maintain faith in himself as a soldier and in his country as it appeared to be turning against him.
His survival is testimony to the disciplined human spirit.
His story is gripping.
James N. Rowe was an officer in the Green Berets and was part of the small advisory force sent to assist the South Vietnamese in 1962. Captured by the Viet Cong in 1963 and marked for execution, Rowe succeeded in escaping after five years of captivity. After the war, Rowe was assigned to the Philippines to train the army to fight communist guerillas. On April 21, 1989, Rowe was assassinated by communist insurgents in a suburb of Manila. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Reathel Bean has a busy stage career, including roles in the Broadway productions ofย Our Townย andย Inherit the Wind. He has appeared in various films, includingย Almost Famousย andย Company Man. His television credits includeย Law & Order, Ed,ย andย Spin City. He might be best known to audio audiences as the voice of Louis L'Amour's Chick Bowdrie.
James N. Rowe was an officer in the Green Berets and was part of the small advisory force sent to assist the South Vietnamese in 1962. Captured by the Viet Cong in 1963 and marked for execution, Rowe succeeded in escaping after five years of captivity. After the war, Rowe was assigned to the Philippines to train the army to fight communist guerillas. On April 21, 1989, Rowe was assassinated by communist insurgents in a suburb of Manila. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Reathel Bean has a busy stage career, including roles in the Broadway productions ofย Our Townย andย Inherit the Wind. He has appeared in various films, includingย Almost Famousย andย Company Man. His television credits includeย Law & Order, Ed,ย andย Spin City. He might be best known to audio audiences as the voice of Louis L'Amour's Chick Bowdrie.
Reviews
"The Most Important Book Ever Written About The Vietnam Experience. The people of the United States can be immensely proud of Nick Rowe and Americans like him who have resisted and survived the worst abuse a brutal enemy could visit upon us."--Robin Moore"If you can read this story and not weep, you are inhuman."--The Cincinnati Post Expand reviews