The Last P.O.W.? The Bobby Garwood Story

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 some of the most wrenching elements of the conflict, particularly the persistent belief that some of the estimated 2,200 troops listed as "missing in action" were still alive, abandoned by their government. Garwood was given a dishonorable discharge and tried to build a new life as an electronics repairman on the West Coast. But 12 years later, Garwood and his strange story won't go away. This film is a version of the story presented by Garwood: that he was a captive and he was traumatized by torture.