Dagger Four Is OK: Brig. Gen. Norman C. Gaddis POW Memoir, by Bill Norris
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Dagger Four Is OK: Brig. Gen. Norman C. Gaddis POW Memoir, by Bill Norris
Free Ebook Dagger Four Is OK: Brig. Gen. Norman C. Gaddis POW Memoir, by Bill Norris
At the age of eighteen, armed with a dream of flying and the desire to serve his country, Norman Gaddis enlists in the Army Air Corps in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After twenty-four years of service and seventy-two combat missions, he is shot down while in flight in an F-4 Phantom over Hanoi. He spends the next 2,124 days as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the Hanoi Hilton. This true story follows Retired Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis through his journey as he endures a thousand days of solitary confinement, physical and mental torture and nearly six years held captive as a POW. Relying on skills gained through his years of training and his love of and faith in both family and country he not only survives, but maintains his sanity and his honor. This is a story of strength, integrity and patriotism; a tale of a truly great American.
Dagger Four Is OK: Brig. Gen. Norman C. Gaddis POW Memoir, by Bill Norris- Amazon Sales Rank: #670728 in Books
- Published on: 2015-05-15
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x .55" w x 5.25" l, .55 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 242 pages
Review Air Force Brig. General Norman C. Gaddis' F-4 Phantom was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 on his 73rd mission over Vietnam. Then a full colonel, he was captured by the North Vietnamese and imprisoned in Hoa Lo Prison [infamously called the Hanoi Hilton] for almost six years. As a prisoner of war he spent 1000 days in solitary confinement, was beaten, tortured, starved, denied medical attention and subjected to filthy, disease-causing conditions. This is his harrowing story. It is one of faith, endurance and courage. That human beings have proved time and again that when it is called for, some can bear the unbearable, resist the irresistible and endure the unendurable, comes as no surprise. But it is almost always awe- inspiring anyway. It is just that quality which makes "Dagger Four Is OK" a great book: its capacity to evoke a sense of awe in the reader. It is true that General Gaddis' story is awe-inspiring by itself but not just any book would have done it justice. Perhaps it was Mr. Norris's clean prose, clarity, pace and tempo which----combined with the story---- made this work so riveting. But there was something more; a quality that transcended the mere narrative. It is hard to define but a couple of examples might make it clearer. Norris extracts from Gaddis his most poignant and revealing emotions by using the captive's own words, such as, "I believed I would die soon....I realized I was crying and as the tears flooded my face, I felt a peacefulness that I had not felt in a long time. I slipped into unconsciousness." Elsewhere Gaddis is quoted as saying: "I had a lot of time for introspection and I did a lot of deep personal examination....I realized that only after I reaffirmed my belief in God and in myself could I dwell on my future as a prisoner of war." It is these insights and many others which make this book special. In telling an incredible story Norris has managed to plumb the depths of a man's soul and reveal the character of an incredible man." - Military Writers Society of America
About the Author Bill Norris lives in Florida with his wife, Sheila, and four cats. He is an entrepreneur who has created businesses with operations in most states in the U.S., across Canada, and in Mexico. Bill is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Dagger Four Is OK, The Brig. Gen. Norman Gaddis POW Memoir, is Bill’s recently completed second book. His first book, Flying Into The Storm, released in 2014, tells the true story of his experiences as an air mobile infantry soldier in 1968 flying numerous helicopter combat assault missions and living the life of a grunt soldier, boots on the ground. It has been called Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage for Vietnam. Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Lenoir Rhyne College (now University) in his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina. In 1978, he used his experience from his Postal management fast track position he earned after college and left the Postal Service to create the first Mail Presorting Service Bureau as a service company he expanded into seventeen cities coast to coast. He sold that business to Daimler Benz in 1996. In 2002, Bill and Sheila created Go Mini’s (gominis.com) and, through a system of dealerships, expanded that portable storage business into 160 cities. The business converted to a franchise by majority sale to its dealers in 2012. Although not a pilot in the war, he developed a love for flight from dozens of helicopter combat assault missions. He later earned his wings as a private pilot owning airplanes he flew primarily to expand his business interests. Bill is a member of the Student Affairs Community Council at the University of North Florida and is a member of the World Affairs Council in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very good book and an excellent reminder of the sacrifices our ... By lpe Very good book and an excellent reminder of the sacrifices our soldier make to preserve our values and our way of life. Bill Norris has done an excellent job of describing the horrors faced by General Gaddis and other American soldiers imprisoned in the Hanoi Hilton. I can not imagine what it would be like to endure six years of mental and physical torture. General Gaddis is a true American hero and hero does not begin to adequately describe his conduct as a prisoner and as an American soldier.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Plumbs the depths of a man’s soul and reveals the character of an incredible man By Maria Edwards MWSA review of DAGGER FOUR IS OK:Air Force Brig. General Norman C. Gaddis’s F-4 Phantom was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 on his 73rd mission over Vietnam. Then a full colonel, he was captured by the North Vietnamese and imprisoned in Hoa Lo Prison [infamously called the Hanoi Hilton] for almost six years. As a prisoner of war he spent 1000 days in solitary confinement, was beaten, tortured, starved, denied medical attention and subjected to filthy, disease-causing conditions. This is his harrowing story. It is one of faith, endurance and courage. That human beings have proved time and again that when it is called for, some can bear the unbearable, resist the irresistible and endure the unendurable, comes as no surprise. But it is almost always awe- inspiring anyway.It is just that quality which makes “Dagger Four Is OK” a great book: its capacity to evoke a sense of awe in the reader. It is true that General Gaddis’s story is awe-inspiring by itself but not just any book would have done it justice. Perhaps it was Mr. Norris’s clean prose, clarity, pace and tempo which----combined with the story---- made this work so riveting. But there was something more; a quality that transcended the mere narrative. It is hard to define but a couple of examples might make it clearer. Norris extracts from Gaddis his most poignant and revealing emotions by using the captive’s own words, such as, “I believed I would die soon….I realized I was crying and as the tears flooded my face, I felt a peacefulness that I had not felt in a long time. I slipped into unconsciousness.” Elsewhere Gaddis is quoted as saying: “ I had a lot of time for introspection and I did a lot of deep personal examination….I realized that only after I reaffirmed my belief in God and in myself could I dwell on my future as a prisoner of war.”It is these insights and many others which make this book special. In telling an incredible story Norris has managed to plumb the depths of a man’s soul and reveal the character of an incredible man.Reviewed by MWSA member Donald Farinacci author of A House Divided: The Story of Ike and McCarthy
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Powerful enough to confine the reader to a solitary confinement with a hero who refused to be tortured in heart, mind or soul. By Ron Camarda Dagger Four is OK has only one picture on the cover. The picture sets the tone effectively and brilliantly. It was taken by the North Vietnamese immediately upon the capture of Colonel Norman C. Gaddis, F-4 Pilot, on May 12, 1967. Bill Norris, the author of this captivating story, then not only gets out of the way, he forces us listeners to yearn to hear the voice of just one other American P.O.W. By the time that moment arrives, we have a faint taste and smell of the putrid conditions of a POW.Bill Norris is also a Vietnam Veteran. He is able to add a mood and ambiance to this story in a troubling and unique way. In many ways, Vietnam Veterans walk among us still in solitary confinement like our POW’s. They still walk among us here in the U.S. They don’t look mistreated, but they are. The delayed and often contaminated crumbs of “thanks for your service” simply fail to recognize our own blindness and part in the military industrial complex, profits of war, and indifference.Dagger Four Is OK is powerful enough to confine the reader to a solitary confinement with a hero who refused to be isolated or tortured beyond the physical, but it was neither easy nor perfect. The prisoner of war wrestles with forgiveness for those who bended to the torture and excruciating interrogations for relief or minor privileges. Gaddis does acknowledge his own weaknesses in prison that are not noticed in his career and life throughout the book. Norman notes that he was embarrassed by his body odor and subhuman conditions, but in truth he is seen only as superhuman especially because of his acknowledgement of his flaws and surprising vanity, or more accurately dignity.Just shy of six years as a prisoner of war, Colonel Gaddis was about to be released, but maintained incredible poise and leadership. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was at the Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi and the North Vietnamese were going to release 18 of the more than 300 prisoners out of order as determined by the senior American POW officers. “Those (18) men were not collaborators but they had not caused the Vietnamese any trouble and they were being rewarded for it.” Only after an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel came into the camp to talk to Colonel Gaddis did he authorize the release of the men.The tension in this part of the memoir was brilliant. After all of these years, one would think it didn’t matter. Bill Norris and Norman Gaddis enlarge and enflame the uneasiness of even the apparently small dents to a service member’s integrity. One of the men who did not want to be stigmatized by the early release rushed back to ask if he could wait for me at Clark AFB in the Philippines. I told him absolutely not and instructed him to “get his butt on that airplane.”As a combat veteran myself, I recognize that this may sound harsh, uncompassionate and ambivalent on the part of leadership, especially because of the hardships these POWs suffered when the Geneva Convention rules were ignored, if not laughed at. However, this is key to serving in the United States Armed Forces. Norman and Bill are very clear about this throughout the book. And yet there are still gray areas."I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."When a military member is taken prisoner, the Code of Conduct reminds them that the chain of command is still in effect (the highest ranking service member eligible for command, regardless of service branch, is in command), and requires them to support their leadership. The Code of Conduct also requires service members to resist giving information to the enemy (beyond identifying themselves, that is, "name, rank, serial number"), receiving special favors or parole, or otherwise providing their enemy captors aid and comfort.'It is important to note that officers swear another oath, but with the added “that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion”. The book challenges and raises several important questions. What about those who were involuntarily drafted? Are the young enlisted (some who can’t legally drink) mature enough to make such oaths? What happens when the torture blinds and numbs one’s ability to make moral decisions? How does verbally bashing the president erode the integrity of the Armed Forces?What we see in this book is that a fighter pilot, especially in our days of nuclear threats, has much more information and secrets that can compromise the security of our nation and the world. Forgiveness of such offenses could not justify one’s life at the expense and compromise of thousands or millions. It truly would be better to die unjustly rather than to live with the knowledge that one’s immediate perks or life was at the expense of many more lives devastated. “Complacency Kills” was posted thoughout Camp Fallujah, Iraq; a place where I felt like a prisoner while serving a country that had many leaders that would not survive with the integrity that is demanded and avowed. 'Tear in the DesertThe book is tragic, heroic, therapeutic, awe inspiring and hopeful.Although the book only has one picture, the book implants millions of pictures in my heart and soul.
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