Power Line reader John Flenniken worked as a crew member on the 2000 film Prisoners of Hope, capturing the testimony of former American prisoners of war in North Vietnam. Among them are Leo Thorsness, author of Surviving Hell, published and kept in print by Encounter Books, and Porter Halyburton, author of Reflections on Captivity, published and kept in print by the U.S. Naval Institute.
Among other former POWs featured in the film are Robinson Risner, author of The Passing of the Night, Jeremiah Denton, author of When Hell Was In Session, and Eugene “Red” McDaniel, author of Scars and Stripes. Their memoirs have become collectors’ items.
Mr. Flenniken has alerted us to the availability of Prisoners of Hope on YouTube. Produced by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, the film highlights the role that their Christian faith played in helping the former prisoners survive their ordeal.
Those who are gone, such as Jeremiah Denton and Leo Thorsness, were heroes among us. Those who are still with us, such as Red McDaniel and Porter Halyburton, continue to set an example. Hard as it is to listen to them recall the diabolical torture they endured, it is good to hear their voices and have their testimony available for all to take in. As for the torture, it is good to be reminded of Jeremiah Denton’s remarkable contribution to the record.
