Hero Found

<p><strong>From the <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Sons and Soldiers </em>comes the incredible but true story of Dieter Dengler the only pilot to escape captivity from a POW camp in the Laotian jungle during the Vietnam War. </strong></p><p>In February 1966 Dieter Dengler was shot down over neutral Laos in jungle territory controlled by Pathet Lao guerrillas and North Vietnamese regulars who captured and held him in a fortified prisoner-of-war camp. Already a legend in the navy for his unique escape skills the German-born Dengler proved to be no ordinary prisoner. Caught in a desperate situation imprisoned by the enemy and by the jungle itself Dengler set out to free not only himself but also other POWs--American Thai and Chinese--some of whom had been held for years.</p><p>This amazing story of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds has been filmed by Werner Herzog as both a documentary (<em>Little Dieter Needs to Fly</em>) and a motion picture (<em>Rescue Dawn </em> starring Christian Bale). Now Bruce Henderson who served with Dengler aboard USS <em>Ranger</em> tells the complete story of Dengler's captivity and remarkable escape--based on in-depth personal interviews as well as military archival materials some never before made public--in this riveting account of unending optimism courage loyalty and survival against overwhelming odds.</p>