00:00I am an American pilot. The man who captured me was a Vietnamese soldier. I'm taller than him,
00:04stronger too, but I don't dare stand up straight. I was shot down, and captured in the jungles of
00:08Vietnam. I know very well that if I want to survive, the only way is to act weak. They drag
00:11me to a small village in Laos. I force a smile and make eye contact with every villager. I try
00:15to look friendly and harmless. They tell me to sit, and I sit immediately. Later, they take me
00:19deeper into the jungle. They tie me to a tree and open fire. The bullets don't hit me. They're
00:27just trying to scare me. I can't help but curse at them. They step closer, and fire another shot.
00:31My head rings for several minutes. When they get bored, they throw me into a rundown prison hidden
00:35in the jungle. There are already several prisoners inside. All of them are downed pilots. Some have
00:38been there for over two years. Skin and bones, barely alive. They pray every day for the war to end,
00:43and for freedom. But there is never any good news. At night, our hands are locked together. We lie
00:47side by side, unable even to turn over. Our feet are chained as well. The food is terrible. One guy
00:51has a bad stomach. He soils himself every night. I want to help him, but I need a nail. There's
00:55a nail
00:55on one of the guard posts. I have my friend create a distraction. Among the guards, there's a dwarf,
00:59who's relatively friendly. I walk up to him, and pretend I need toothpaste. I make him laugh out
01:03loud. While he's distracted, I pull the nail out with my other hand. I go back to the cell. I
01:07sharpen
01:08the nail with a stone. I turn it into a thin metal pick. That night, I pry open the lock
01:12on the handcuffs.
01:12At least now, we can turn over in our sleep. From that moment on, I start seriously thinking about
01:16escape. I watch the guards. They don't look very strong. Breaking out doesn't seem that hard. But the
01:20other prisoners warn me, escaping isn't the hardest part. Surviving in the jungle is. The jungle is
01:25the real prison. Without water, without food. You won't last long. But I refuse to believe that.
01:29The food here is worse than what dogs would eat. It's not just us who are starving. The guards are
01:32starving too. Even the prison dogs are nothing but bones. Most of the time, we only get rice. When
01:37food is extremely scarce, they bring us bowls of worms. Eat, or starve to death. There is no other
01:41choice. Why is it like this? Because our bombers destroyed their farmland. No harvest. Everyone is
01:46starving. Giving us worms is considered special treatment. One day, a Thai prisoner accidentally overhears
01:50the guards talking. The guards are starving out of their minds. They want to go back to their
01:53villages. So they plan to kill us. They'll throw us into the jungle and shoot us. Then claim we
01:57try to escape. That way, no one will hold them accountable. We have no choice. We have to escape
02:01first. Luckily, I've been planning this for months. The next day at noon, the guards are eating. I use
02:05a small mirror to scout outside. Once I'm sure it's clear, I open the gate first. I steal their rifles,
02:10and hand them out to the others. We decide to split up. In the kitchen, seven guards are eating.
02:14Someone is so nervous, he throws up. I grit my teeth and stop hesitating. I rush out and open fire.
02:18I drop several of them instantly. Another man charges at me with a blade. I take him down too.
02:23But when I turn around, not a single person follows me. They betray me. I shout at those
02:27cowards. I spare the friendly dwarf. I take the supplies I need. Then I leave immediately. The
02:30guards will be back with reinforcements soon. I can't stay. I run into the jungle. Not long after,
02:35I run into those guys again. They're already wearing stolen boots. That's when I realize,
02:38they never planned to fight. They were just stealing shoes. I curse them right to their faces. In the end,
02:43we go our separate ways. Before I leave, I trade a magazine for their machete. Men who
02:46were once my comrades, are now just selfish strangers. Luckily, the rainy season arrives.
02:51When the storm comes, we open our mouths to catch the rain. At least the water problem is solved.
02:54The rice we hid in the trash, finally becomes useful. After walking for several days, we find a river.
02:59We cut down.
