Warren Martin has writtenm a great story here that with thee way world events go around us could have really happened. Captain Jacob Walden, 24, is shot down in 1970. He ejects safely and is captured by the enemy. Jacob is marched 400-mile through the jungles toward Hanoi where he is turned over to the proper authorities. Jakes life goesupside down when his captors inform him he is judged a criminal and sentenced to prison.

Every day he is tortured, starved, shown inhumane treatment and isolation from fellow prisoners. His life gets worse, when a Russian Major takes over the interrogation and torture.

The author puts in real events in his story such as the historic U.S. raid on the Son Tay prison camp, Jane Fonda's trip to Hanoi in North Vietnam.

Capt Jacob Walden is officially pronounced dead by the United States government 36 years later only to be spotted by his former brother-in-law in a photo. A reporter and Jacob's brother set out on their own to find proof and the story of a lifetime.I recommended this boop very much and think you'll love the ending as I did. ( )

Although this is a work of fiction, the story could very well have happened and none of us would have been the wiser.

Captain Jacob Walden, 24, had only been in Vietnam for a month when his plane is shot down in 1970. He ejects safely, only to be captured by farmers loyal to the enemy. The author chronicles Jacob's 400-mile trek on foot through the jungles - northward toward Hanoi where he can be turned over to the proper authorities. Jakes entire world takes a flip upside down when his captors inform him that Vietnam is not at war with the United States, therefore, the Geneva Convention does not apply. Jake is not a POW, instead, he is judged a criminal and sentenced to prison.

Thus began his daily ritual of torture, starvation, inhumane treatment and isolation. Thinking his life could not get any worse, Jake soon discovers how wrong he is when a masochistic Russian Major takes over the interrogation and torture.

The author uses real events in his story such as the historic U.S. raid on the Son Tay prison camp to rescue seventy American prisoners - a location only 23 miles west of Hanoi, Jane Fonda's infamous trip to the Hanoi Hilton Prison in North Vietnam, and the fall of the Russian empire.

Thirty-six years later, Capt Jacob Walden is officially pronounced dead by the United States government. A reporter and Jacob's brother do not believe this to be true and set out on their own to find proof to the contrary. What they find instead is shocking! To tell anymore would be a spoiler - you'll have to read this fine story on your own to see how it ends. Warning: you'll stay up late into the night reading because you won't be able to stop. Highly recommended! Great job Warren!

John Podlaski, Author
Cherries : A Vietnam War Novel ( )

Captain Jacob Walden and his plane get shot down in Vietnam in 1970, ejects to safety, only to be captured by farmers, is marched through jungles and is later turned over to the North Vietnamese. And therein begins a horrific tale of his captivity under the torturous hands of the Vietnamese and later the Russians as, not a POW but a criminal for well over 30 years. His years of isolation, torture, starvation and the effect they have on him physically, mentally an emotionally makes for hard reading sometimes, but the character studies of some of his fellow prisoners, the prison guards and his torturers make this a compelling read.

References are made throughout the book to historical events during the time of his captivity, including the storming of the Son Tay prison camp, Jane Fonda's infamous visit to the Hanoi Hilton prison, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the USSR.

It's not a perfectly written book but if you can close your eyes to some misspellings, grammatical errors and a one or two errors in the details, resulting from, I think a lapse in the author's concentration and oversight by the editorial staff, this is a gripping read.

What I wondered reading this was, how much of this is pure fiction and how much of it is based on what actually happened to some of the soldiers whose bodies remain missing since WWII or have been declared dead as a result of errors or cover-ups. ( )