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.
