In March 1979, Marine Pfc. Robert Garwood emerged from 14 years of captivity in Vietnam, an unwelcome symbol of a conflict that still haunts many Americans. His appearance caused an uproar: All other known American POWs had been released six years before. Might there be more? But far from hailing him as a returning hero, the Marine Corps court-martialed Garwood for allegedly collaborating with the enemy, desertion, assault on a fellow prisoner and other charges. Nearly two dozen ex-prisoners of war testified that Garwood had "gone native," becoming an officer in the North Vietnamese Army, carrying a rifle, living with his captors, coming and going as he pleased and guarding his fellow Americans from 1966 to 1969. Garwood pleaded insanity. The judge dismissed most charges, but in 1981 Garwood was found guilty of collaboration and assault. He was the only American POW convicted for his conduct in captivity while in Vietman. The case was a painful footnote to the Vietnam War, evoking ...
