Glory Denied by Tom Philpott | Books in Review

Glory Denied: The Saga of Jim Thompson, America’s Longest-Held Prisoner of War, which was published in 2001, is now out in a new paperback edition (Norton, 496 pp., $16.95).

As we noted in our review in the April/May 2001 “Books in Review” column in the The VVA Veteran , the subject of the book is Col. Floyd James Thompson. The former Green Beret was captured by the Viet Cong in March 1964 and held longer than any other prisoner of war in American history. Thompson suffered greatly during his nine years of captivity, physically and emotionally.

While he was held by the Viet Cong, Thompson’s wife moved with their four young children into the home of an Army sergeant. The Thompsons reunited after his release, but their marriage soon dissolved. Thompson later suffered a stroke that diminished his mental capabilities.

In Glory Denied , syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Philpott (left ) tells Jim Thompson’s story mainly through the verbatim testimony of his family, friends, and colleagues. Much of Thompson’s own contributions come from interviews he gave for another book prior to his stroke.

—Marc Leepson




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