About book Two Souls Indivisible: The Friendship That Saved Two POWs In Vietnam (2004)
This is the true story of a friendship that became legendary between two fighter pilots in a Northern Vietnamese POW camp which the inmates called the Zoo. One prisoner, Fred Cherry, is one of the first black air force fighter pilot officers and the first black officer captured by the Vietnamese. The other, Porter Halyburton, is a Navy pilot from the south, who at first couldn't believe that the black man could be a fighter pilot. The Vietnamese put them in the same cell, believing that the racial barrier would torture the two. When Halyburton first saw Cherry, he was badly injured. One arm, which was damaged in the plane crash, hung limp from his shoulder socket, he needed badly to bathe, and he could hardly walk. Cherry was sure he would soon die. Halyburton was also in bad emotional shape due to the daily interrogations and torture sessions, as well as being isolated from anyone for months. He was taken to Cherry's cell, and told to "take care of him". Both men had their doubts about each other. One believing that other was a typical southern racist and the other not believing that his cell mate could possibly be a superior officer. Halyburton began taking care of Cherry and helped him to bath, walked him around the cell to try and bring him "back to life", demanded that the guards give him medical attention, and often sacrificed his own meek rations so Cherry might gain weight. Meanwhile, on the home front, Cherry's wife had moved on with another man, had a new baby, and told Cherry's children that he was dead even though she knew he was alive. Also, she squandered away almost all of his pay from the air force. $122,098.13 of the $147,184.00 that he had earned. Halyburton's wife and child remained faithful although he was thought dead and even had a memorial service in his absence. After six years, she found out that he was alive and we share her mixed emotions, happiness and fear for husband. She also plays a huge role in the American battle to bring the POWs home. In the end the two men tearfully admit that they had saved each other's lives.I believe this is a really awesome, well researched book. Hats off to James S. Hirsch for this story. He has shown us how racial diversity can be overcome by sheer human kindness. The book was published in 2004 by the Houghton Mifflin Company.
I read Two Souls Indivisible by James Hirsch for a book club meeting at my local library. When I was reading the book, I thought the discussion would be interesting since many of the members lived through the Vietnam war. I thought the book was an interesting story of friendship and connection between two men. It reminded me that something wonderful can bloom in the worst circumstances.In anticipation of our discussion, I was curious if comparisons would be made between the Vietnam war and the current wars. I also wanted to talk about the struggle to integrate the military as compared with the current demographics. After a few minutes of discussion, I was horrified and frustrated with the ignorant, racist comments people made to the point where I am not sure if I want to return! The meeting was good practice for me to speak up when I find comments objectionable. I feel thankful that I had the chance to be courageous, but I do not know if I want to get so upset when I go to a book club meeting.Instead of a vigorous discussion of the book which brings up many interesting points and topics, I listened to a lot of ignorant bullshit. The quote which has stuck with me and continues to make my blood boil is: "Well not all Muslims are terrorists, but all the terrorist we have found are Muslims." I was also surprised that there was so much debate about whether or not you could be against the war and still support troops. My response to that is EMPHATICALLY yes! While I expect and appreciate that there was going to be a range of viewpoints on the war, I did not expect the classification to be as follows: You are a patriot if you believe in the war and a stupid hippie if you do not. It is hard for me to write an objective review of the book because I keep thinking about the meeting and all the strong reactions I have to people's comments. I did speak up, but I wish that I had said more. I also have unresolved frustration with the meeting. What do you do if I you have a crappy experience at a book club meeting?
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the values of a generationAre reflected in the conduct of the men in this book, not just the two main characters but all those who resisted and survived and whose honor was of the highest value to them. Perhaps the first cracks in the moral fiber of our country came from the people who did not understand their sacrifice and were blind to the concepts of freedom that gave them the right to criticize. Today this degree of patriotism seems to have all but disappeared except among older citizens and there will be a price paid in the future.
—Diane Cox
Well done military human interest story.I just missed out going to Viet Nam, but I was pretty current on many of the details about our POWs there and their gross maltreatment. But I learned a whole lot reading this book.I strongly recommend this book to those of you who have interest in military history, the Viet Nam war, POW issues - BUT PARTICULARLY IF YOU WERE BORN AFTER ABOUT 1955. If you are younger than this then you most likely have no idea or concept about what these poor souls went through. The North Vietnamese treated them worse than animals and denied them virtually all of the rights and human decency of POWs as recognized by most of the rest of the world.You read this book and you will find out realy quickly what a joke it is when current do-gooders whine about Al Quaeda prisoners undergoing sleep deprivation and noise saturation. What a walk on the beach.
—Tdempsey
