Love and Duty

By Ben Purcell and Anne Purcell

Book Overview

A former POW in North Vietnam describes his experiences in the camp, enduring hunger, torture, and the reality of death; his escape from the camp; and his wife's campaign back home to locate him and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312070209
• ISBN13: 9780312070205
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: St Martins Pr
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Inspiring story!

This is a remarkable story of a very brave soldier who was a prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton for 5 years. He returned to our country and has lived an inspiring life since.

BEST BOOK ABOUT VIETNAM POW EXPERIENCE!

When we were making the documentary film, "In The Shadow of the Blade," we got to meet a most amazing couple -- Ben and Anne Purcell. We had landed in a wooded LZ up in the Georgia hills next to a river. We were there to interview several veterans and for me to perform a wedding ceremony in our Huey helicopter. It was exciting to around some of the nicest people in the world and to be part of that journey across America. But the single most memory of that trip that stands out for me was sitting around at night next to our Huey listening to Ben and Anne talk about their experiences while he was held captive as a POW in North Vietnam for over 5 and half years. He was the oldest POW of that war (Having just turned 40 the week he was taken prisoner) and he was listed as MIA for almost the entire time he was held captive. His story and that of his wife who waited at home with all their children are what "Love & Duty" is all about. It is a most remarkable and inspiration story as you could read. They both showed lots of courage and class. The book explores the treatment Ben endured and the emotional account of how Anne coped not knowing even if Ben was alive for all that time. There is neither bitterness nor hate or even angry in the book or in them personally. They truly are people of great faith and more importantly great love for each other, their country and God! This couple represents the very best of America and of what it means to be a human being. This is one tale of being a POW that will inspire the readers. You will come away from this book with the greatest affection and love for these two people. This book deals with both of their experiences. Ben wrote alternate chapters that follow that same time frame with what she was going through at home trying to make her life and family work and what he was enduring as a POW. The thread of love and faith is fully visible in the fabric of the story they jointly present. If you were going to read just one book about the POW experience then this is the book to buy! MWSA's 2004 Gold Medal Award for War Memoirs

Amazing look at the American POW experience in Viet Nam

Ben Purcell was turning forty when he was captured during the Viet Nam War. He mentions how one of his captors called him "an old man" when he found out Purcell was forty, and then actually showed him an odd sort of respect as a result. What Purcell faced in the prison system was a lot different from that show of respect, and Purcell gives a good account of that experience. The book is well written, and gives you a firsthand look at the POW experience. He writes about his deep Christian faith, and how it played an important part in his survival while imprisoned. The book goes into detail about Purcell's two(!) escapes from the prison system, and his subsequent punishements. It is a quick read and would be interesting for anyone looking to read about the American POW experience--or the experience of the wife of a POW--during the war. It would also be interesting for someone looking to read about that experience from a Christian's viewpoint.