Preble Hall

In this episode, Marc Leepson discusses his book The Unlikely War Hero, A Vietnam War POW's Story of Courage and Resilience in the Hanoi Hilton. This book is a biography of Doug Hegdahl, a Sailor that fell off of USS Canberra (CA 2) into the Gulf of Tonkin. Hegdahl was captured by the North Vietnamese and landed in the Hanoi Hilton with other American prisoners of war (POW). While in captivity, he memorized 254 names of his fellow prisoners. Hegdahl was ordered to accept early release. Once back in the United States, he provided the list of names to his debriefers. As a result, 65 American servicemen who were listed as missing in action (MIA), had their status changed to POW.