Overview

At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand and four days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American. General Gaddis' military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster & ""V"" Device for Valor, Air Medal with Five Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon and Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.

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9780991540938

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"Air Force Brig. General Norman C. Gaddis' F-4 Phantom was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 on his 73rd mission over Vietnam. Then a full colonel, he was captured by the North Vietnamese and imprisoned in Hoa Lo Prison [infamously called the Hanoi Hilton] for almost six years. As a prisoner of war he spent 1000 days in solitary confinement, was beaten, tortured, starved, denied medical attention and subjected to filthy, disease-causing conditions. This is his harrowing story. It is one of faith, endurance and courage. That human beings have proved time and again that when it is called for, some can bear the unbearable, resist the irresistible and endure the unendurable, comes as no surprise. But it is almost always awe- inspiring anyway. It is just that quality which makes ""Dagger Four Is OK"" a great book: its capacity to evoke a sense of awe in the reader. It is true that General Gaddis' story is awe-inspiring by itself but not just any book would have done it justice. Perhaps it was Mr. Norris's clean prose, clarity, pace and tempo which----combined with the story---- made this work so riveting. But there was something more; a quality that transcended the mere narrative. It is hard to define but a couple of examples might make it clearer. Norris extracts from Gaddis his most poignant and revealing emotions by using the captive's own words, such as, ""I believed I would die soon....I realized I was crying and as the tears flooded my face, I felt a peacefulness that I had not felt in a long time. I slipped into unconsciousness."" Elsewhere Gaddis is quoted as saying: ""I had a lot of time for introspection and I did a lot of deep personal examination....I realized that only after I reaffirmed my belief in God and in myself could I dwell on my future as a prisoner of war."" It is these insights and many others which make this book special. In telling an incredible story Norris has managed to plumb the depths of a man's soul and reveal the character of an incredible man."" - Military Writers Society of America"

Air Force Brig. General Norman C. Gaddis' F-4 Phantom was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 on his 73rd mission over Vietnam. Then a full colonel, he was captured by the North Vietnamese and imprisoned in Hoa Lo Prison [infamously called the Hanoi Hilton] for almost six years. As a prisoner of war he spent 1000 days in solitary confinement, was beaten, tortured, starved, denied medical attention and subjected to filthy, disease-causing conditions. This is his harrowing story. It is one of faith, endurance and courage. That human beings have proved time and again that when it is called for, some can bear the unbearable, resist the irresistible and endure the unendurable, comes as no surprise. But it is almost always awe- inspiring anyway. It is just that quality which makes Dagger Four Is OK a great book: its capacity to evoke a sense of awe in the reader. It is true that General Gaddis' story is awe-inspiring by itself but not just any book would have done it justice. Perhaps it was Mr. Norris's clean prose, clarity, pace and tempo which----combined with the story---- made this work so riveting. But there was something more; a quality that transcended the mere narrative. It is hard to define but a couple of examples might make it clearer. Norris extracts from Gaddis his most poignant and revealing emotions by using the captive's own words, such as, I believed I would die soon....I realized I was crying and as the tears flooded my face, I felt a peacefulness that I had not felt in a long time. I slipped into unconsciousness. Elsewhere Gaddis is quoted as saying: I had a lot of time for introspection and I did a lot of deep personal examination....I realized that only after I reaffirmed my belief in God and in myself could I dwell on my future as a prisoner of war. It is these insights and many others which make this book special. In telling an incredible story Norris has managed to plumb the depths of a man's soul and reveal the character of an incredible man. - Military Writers Society of America

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