Whenever any of you couch-potato civilians get to feeling sorry for yourself and how bad your lot in life is, you need to sit down and read a book like "Hero Found" to be reminded what suffering and survival are really like, and how American servicemen and servicewomen put themselves in harm’s way for your freedoms.This is the story of a Vietnam-era Navy pilot who became a hero. Dieter Dengler survived beatings and starvation at the hands of the enemy, but was still able to lead a daring escap [...]

Dieter's story of survival in the jungles of Laos was a gripping tale to say the least. As a former Army Vietnam veteran myself, I was intrigued by all the goings-on of an aircraft carrier and have to admit that while reading Bruce Henderson's story of Dieter Dengler, I found the book to be an enjoyable learning experience for me. I was especially taken back when there was mention about a fellow pilot of Dieter's, Donald Woloczak, from Alpena, Michigan and how he became MIA during the war. You s [...]

I have been wanting to read this movie since seeing the Herzog films Rescue Dawn and Little Dieter Needs to Fly. The comparison to the films, which seems to always bring up differences with the real story, prompts me to defend Herzog; he had the dramatist's inclination to entertain a movie theater audience. for the interested who have more than a couple of hours to spent, here is the researched and detailed tale of Dieter Dengler superhuman and serendipitous escaped from a Pathet Lao prison camp [...]

I started reading this book while attending SERE training. It really brought to life what I was learning in an academic (though truly physically and mentally challenging) setting. Henderson's account of Dengler's life emphasizes the importance of life experience, training, and a never quit attitude to surviving life's most challenging times.

A very exciting book, read by me in its audiobook form (CDs). I expected a book about prisoners of war, escape, and evasion, acts of horror and acts of courage and honor approaching martyrdom, and that's what I got, but I got even more. I got a lot of details about our involvement in Vietnam, of which I already had significant knowledge, since I was in college during the Vietnam War and have served in the armed forces fo 26+ years. I got a lot of background information about what it takes to be [...]

After reading one of the greatest war survival books of all time, Unbroken, it is very hard to not to compare both books and try not to be bias because they were two different wars, different era in our history and two way different endings. Hero Found is well written, but not superb. It is not a must read like Unbroken, but it is also not a waste of time or credit. The book has a high points and its lows, but overall, it is well put together. If you are reading this book and haven't read Unbrok [...]

This was overall really good! The story is super interesting, especially because it's true! Although it's not super interesting all throughout. There's a lot of detailed military talk that can get boring especially for a female, but getting past all that is worth it.This book was basically a cross between "Catch Me If You Can" (Frank Abagnale) and "Unbroken" (Laura Hilenbrand). In fact, if Frank in "Catch Me" somehow became a POW, this is exactly how he would act. "Unbroken" is just similar beca [...]

Dieter Dengler came to the US from Germany following WWII. All he wanted to do was fly. He managed that by joining the military. Unfortunately for him, war had a way of finding its way into his life once again - only this time, he was a combatant, not a civilian.Dieter was shot down in the jungle of Laos and was captured as a POW. Unwilling to be held in captivity, Dieter came up with an escape plan that worked. He was rescued following his escape.Read this story. It speaks to the spirit of a ma [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A departure from traditional POW stories that focus on the gritty details of torture, this focuses on the man primarily. The author clearly conveys the likability of Dieter, his enthusiasm for life. Sometimes funny, sometimes edge of your seat gritty, and sometimes gut wrenching, this is a truly wonderful story of not one but may American heroes.

Great second book about Dengler, the first book Escape From Laos, written by Dengler gives more personal accounts of his captivity, but this book goes into much more detail about his full life, early, and late until his death, both are a must read, but if could only read one, this is it.

Must read, absolutely amazingYou here about POWS and their treatment, but to read what happened, what was endured, and how one mans will to be free was absolutely amazing. I couldn't put the book down!

Outstanding book.!

terrific story of the will to survive. excellent read.

Great story. Writing was good, not great but still overall a really good book.

First, the story of Dieter Dengler is without question a very good one. Dengler, while flying a bombing run over Laos in 1966 in an Navy A-1 Skyraider, was shot down. He was captured by the communist Pathet Lao, spent about 6 months as a POW, escaped, and was miraculously rescued. I don't know the statistics, but I do know there were very few POW escapes during the Vietnam War. Dieter Dengler's story was well captured in the recent film "Rescue Dawn" with Christian Bale as Dengler. Author Bruce [...]

An excellent book I could not put down. Dieter Dengler was a German American who had an appreciation for America that exceeded many natural born Americans since Dengler experienced the hardship of Germany in WW2 as a child and came to understand what America stood for. In my opinion the escape of Dieter Dengler, who was 99% dead when found, is the most physically horrific story I have read - and I've read Unbroken and all the rest. He was within a day of dying of starvation and disease in condit [...]

As my friends know, I am a huge fan of historical books, mostly historical fiction, generally because I like narratives and exciting story telling. Hero Found is a rare book that contains the best of both worlds, giving an entirely factual account of a German-born pilot's traumatic experience in a Vietnamese camp. It is very rare you find a story like this, a story that you wish was made for a book, but the fact that all the events depicted actually happened truly gives this book more of a power [...]

This book was truly amazing on all levels. From the way it was written to the story itself. Dieter is probably the most courageous person I have ever read about. He escaped from almost certain death in Laos. He was an officer pilot and shot down over Laos which was supposedly no active in the war, but in reality it was very active and held many of the POWs from other countries trying to hide them from rescuers. Dieter escapes from the prison camp he was brought to with a friend who as also held [...]

A remarkable story of survival by a German-American pilot shot down over Laos during the Vietnam war. Also fascinating to me was the early parts of the book describing life in the immediate aftermath of WWII in Germany, a period fraught with hunger and in some cases sexual abuse. The real excitement, and most vivid writing, comes during Dieter Dengler's capture and extraordinary escape through the malaria-infested jungle of Laos amid a hostile population and nearly impassable terrain. Of less in [...]

Wonderful book. A riveting and spellbinding biography of a very interesting man filled with personality. As a child in Germany, Dieter Dengler experienced hardships during WWII which helped him later in his life when taken as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War by the Pathet Lao and held at a remote POW camp. An aspiring man, Dengler is the only pilot to escape captivity from a POW camp in the Laotian jungle. The author knew Dengler during the war so is able to write in a way that pulls you [...]

Dieter Dengler, a german-born immigrant who survived the hardships of post-WWII Germany. His village was bombed, his father killed in war, and his mother tried to teach him and his younger brother how to survive on their own -- in nature or society. Dieter learned to take risks and live boldly. From childhood, he wanted to fly airplanes, so he saved money to migrate to America, where he enrolled in the army, but was denied a chance to fly. Scrappy personality, he scavenged and scrounged, earned [...]

Remove the POW aspect--and then the survive and escape part on top of that--and Dengler's life story is still fascinating and heroic. That he had such a childhood in Germany, found his way to America and went through both Army and Navy (piloting) training to eventually fly in combat during the Vietnam war--leading to his being a POW & subsequent escape--is nothing short of remarkable. It borders on unbelievable. As is said: truth is stranger than fiction.The book and prose is serviceable. It [...]

If you have a teen or young adult who has always "colored outside the lines" this story may give some some comfort. The hero described here clearly has feet that, at least in their beginnings, were of clay - including behaviors such as theft and deception. Those are also traits that probably contribute in no small measure to his successful escape. This is a pretty moving story of a man facing great odds and prevailing, and describes a slice of his life that made it all come together. The range o [...]

This was an amazing story of determination. Deiter Dengler grew up in post WWII Germany and learned how to survive from his mother when food was in short supply. These lessons served him well as a POW in Laos during the Vietnam War. Parts are extremely graphic when he describes his torture by various guards but this treatment ultimately convinced him to escape along with the 5 others he was being held with. His escape is still harrowing but his will to live wins out. When he was finally rescued, [...]

How can one person be faced with such difficult circumstances in their life? Dieter overcame anything placed in his path with skill, strength, determination on an Olympic scale, and a no excuses approach to life. With all these strengths he possesses some unadmirable qualities and vices. He was loved by most of the men he served with and showed great loyalty to those around him. He was a rogue and yet prayed humbly for help in his most trying moments. The middle of the book gets a bit thick with [...]

pretty good re-telling of this incredible story. From childhood to the tragic end of his life. Not the typical POW story full of disease, starvation and torture(it's there, just not so much the focus). I knew 3 chapters in, that this was going to be good. The only negative to me were a few little side stories. They were not completely relevant, yet not so bad as to be a distraction. I encourage those interested in military history, navy, flying, Vietnam, POW, and great military biographical stor [...]

What a powerful story of survival and endurance. Dieter Dengler was taught survival techniques by his mother as a young boy in WWII in Germany. He also became intrigued with airplanes and wanted to learn to fly. He came to America to learn to fly and became a US citizen. He had a positive attitude and tried to prepare for any situation. I learned quite a bit about early Viet Nam and our involvement in Laos. I was a teenager during this time and I don't remember hearing anything about this story, [...]

Dieter Dengler grew up in World War II Germany, living a hardscrabble hand-to-mouth existence. Watching American pilots overhead (guns blazing), he dreamed of one day taking flight. He emigrated to the U.S. and became a Naval aviator, just in time to be sent to Vietnam. Shot down over Laos he escaped and was eventually rescued after struggling through the jungle for 23 days. It's a pretty compelling story, all the better for being true - though there isn't a lot of reflection about the irony of [...]

Lexile: 1270Historical Event/Time Period: Vietnam War-POW escape/1966-1982Liked: I liked it because it was very detailed and I liked the story behind it.Disliked: I did not like it because some parts were confusing.Summary: The main character, Dieter Dengler, was born in Wildberg Germany. By the time he was 18 years old, he moved to America with the dream of being a navy pilot. He moves to Los Angeles California, where he joins the navy. Later during war, Dieter gets held hostage but later escap [...]

Great story about a navy aviator POW in Laos.Superb book about an American navy pilot, who escaped from a POW camp in Laos. This story is about a man born in Europe, during the second world war, and spent his who life preparing for his historical escape from his brutal captors. Sadly many other Pow's did not survive and many are listed as mia's to this day. This is an unbelievable story and begs to be read. As an American, you have to be proud, I highly recommend.