Reflections on Captivity: A Tapestry of Stories by a Vietnam War POW

by Porter Alexander Halyburton

On October 17, 1965, Navy LTJG Porter Halyburton was shot down over North Vietnam on his 76th mission and listed as killed in action. One-and-a-half years later he was found to be alive and a prisoner of war. Halyburton was held captive for more than seven years.  Reflections on Captivit y, is a collection of fifty short stories about this young naval officer's experiences as a POW in North Vietnam. 

​This book recounts difficult times but focuses more on the positive aspects  I—the humor, creativity, friendships, courage, and leadership of an amazing group of Americans and how they helped each other survive and even thrive. These vignettes demonstrate how the human mind, body, and spirit can adapt and find meaning in life in the most challenging circumstances. There are powerful lessons learned from this complex experience that continue to guide the author's life to this day. Despite hardship, suffering, and long separation, Halyburton strongly believes one's quality of life is determined more by choices made than by circumstances, and the most liberating choice we can make is to forgive. 

Reflections on Captivity furthers the reader's understanding about the nature of captivity, race relations, human relations, aspects of the air war against North Vietnam, and highlights the importance of leadership, ethics, and devotion to duty in difficult times.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2022

Reviews

[Joshua Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this to review!

As a fan of history and specifically the history of warfare, I thought that this was a very enjoyable read. It was incredible to hear the tale of courage, survival and committment from Porter Alexander Halyburton. Spanning the time of his capture and eventual release, it is incredible to hear from someone who was a POW at the Heartbreak facility. There are scores of Hollywood recreations of this particular period of time, but none come close to shinning a light compared to Cmdr. Halyburton. If you are a history buff, this has to be a must read.

The only place this loses are star from me (and admittedly, this may be because this was an ARC) is that there were a few grammatical choices that seemed odd and the formatting of having photos where they did made it difficult to read. Specifically, photos were added mid-text and occassionally it was a headache to try and decipher the caption from the sentene I was previously reading. Personally, I am more of a fan of photos coming in a one lump-sum appendix either in the middle of the book or at its conclusion.

Great book! It was also a pretty quick read when you have time to sit down and go at it!

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The memoir by Commander Porter Alexander Halyburton USN (Ret) describes his 7 years in captivity, as a Vietnam War POW at the “Hanoi Hilton Hotel”. Survival skill exercises maintained his strong mind, body and patriotism. His humor shines through using tap code communication where he hitches another inmate on a dream date with Dominique Francon. The long awaited reunion with his wife and daughter is a special moment for all.

I look forward to meeting the author in a couple of weeks when he is our civic club luncheon guest speaker.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When porter Alexander Halliburton‘s plane went down in the Viet Cong territory his only thoughts were for survival. He knew what he was trying to do and he was going to do that irregardless of whatever negative consequences that would come his way. This book is not only a book up imprisonment in the most horrible circumstances but friendship hope and the things that become important when all else is lost. I thoroughly enjoyed this book I think my favorite part was when he an airman Cherry lived together and the friendship that grew out of that but every story was told with dignity and some with polarity but all Lawrence attaining. Are usually do not like memoirs because people love the path her self on the back but that isn’t the case with Mr. Halliburton he tells an honest and funny and humble tale of torture and depravity that he lived through. they have some very heartbreaking moments in the book in and out of the prison but it’s all so worth reading. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars! Every now and then a book comes along that is truly special; this is one of those books. As a Navy Veteran myself, I may be biased, but this book was powerful and moving. Prisoners of War have experienced things no one else could ever fully understand, and yet, Commander Halyburton found a way to address it with dignity, humor, and forgiveness. Breaking the story into three time periods of adjustment in captivity: concentrating on the past, concentrating on the future, and finally accepting the present, speaks volumes to resilience and growth. Told in short stories, it was a captivating read, and extremely easy to relive these moments through Commander Halyburton's eyes. A must-read for any servicemember or Veteran and anyone interested in better understanding the hard moments that have defined our country.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an eye opening account of Navy LTJG Porter Halyburton's time and experiences as a POW in North Vietnam. The author, along with all of the POWs, endured hardships, pain, terrifying living conditions, and much more, and lived to tell about all of it. Porter's memory alone is absolutely incredible. His attention to detail in recounting prison life, along with many details about the lives of the people he was imprisoned with, is amazing. I feel motivated by his ability to take a horrendous life experience and turn it into a positive life learning experience for himself, shaping what his civilian life looked like after his return home.

Thank you NetGalley and Naval Institute Press for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[HM · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Such* a great book! My dad flew F-4s in Vietnam, and my stepfather flew Hueys. Both are gone now, before I was wise enough to ask them about their experiences and thank them for serving an ungrateful nation. This book really helped me to understand what they were up against, as far as the enemy goes, and how foreign American culture was by the time they got home. He was imprisoned almost 7 years! He’d not seen his baby girl in that long, either. The book is tastefully written with the focus being how they got out with their humanity and lives intact. Honestly, these men are some of the greats of history, whether we recognize their names or not. This should be required reading!

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how this book got on my reading list, but I'm glad it did. I have read about the POW experience during the war in Vietnam, but I am a sucker for oral history. Knowing the date and numbers is important, but history comes alive when a person explains their day to day experience. The number of day a POW was held is interesting, but reading what they ate, drank, and did for entertainment is fascinating.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stanley Olmstead was my cousin. Reading this incredibly compelling book written by the last person to have seen him alive and who was in the plane with Stanley is incredibly poignant. Reading this book was not just “reading about events” - it was tracing the steps of someone my cousin trusted and shared a portion of his life with. What Porter and other POWs endured is incredible and heartbreaking. I’m so thankful that he came home and has shared his experiences with us.

[Felipe Castellanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful and inspiring true story of a pretty relatable, normal human being that overcame great hardships. The story is easy to digest, but was told in a weird order with very odd grammar and syntax. Nevertheless, it was told from a very personal and intimate perspective that anyone and everyone can greatly appreciate.

[Andrea L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable - how he endured everything is beyond me. Loved his decision to have “long term, nonspecific optimism” & the second great lesson of his experience- you have to read it to find out. The author is truly someone to admire.

[Rebecca Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after finishing The Women by Kristen Hannah. During our book club discussion, my mom showed us a bracelet she kept with Porter Halyburton’s name on it. I looked him up and when I found out he wrote a book, I knew I had to read it. What a story!

[Samantha Loeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk this book was kinda random

[Madeline]

This book was about & written by a resident where I work. I’m not rating it since I don’t think I should be rating someone else’s story. But this book was sooooo good & incredible. Highly recommend!

[Jeri Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review TK

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the style of Man's Search for Meaning this book really made me appreciate the small things i have in life and reframe my thinking. Maybe it's time to revisit Frankl again!