No Man Left Behind: One Marine's Journey Into the Unknown - Paperback

by Ricki Drummond Morris (Author), Jeffrey Drummond (Author), Stephen Drummond (Author)

On the afternoon of March 23rd, 1953, Marine Pvt. Stephen Drummond's year-long combat tour was in its final days, and his scheduled homecoming was virtually assured. But as he sat in a tunnel later that night, it seemed preposterous to him - utterly ridiculous, actually - that only a few hours ago he was anticipating his return from war; that at sundown he had fully expected to go home, but as the moon rose, he knew he wouldn't. His worst nightmare had become reality. He was now a prisoner of war in communist North Korea. Drummond's experiences were not those typical of other prisoners held in POW camps. Due to the severity of the wounds he received in the battle for Outpost Vegas, he was separated from the other POWs and transported through a series of medical aid stations, hospitals, and stop-off points in between. Most of his time was spent in the Chinese medical system, often being treated alongside their own wounded. Drummond recalls, "At the time I couldn't know that my future as a POW held mostly loneliness and isolation. In the days and weeks ahead, I would yearn for an English-speaking voice, a fellow prisoner to share my dilemma, but as I huddled in the tunnel that night, my incredibly painful leg seeping blood onto North Korean soil, I had no idea what the future would hold." As a captive in North Korea, it was Drummond's memories of home and faith that sustained his hope. Without the nurture these memories provided, he may not have survived. This is a story of faith, hope, and love that accompanied one Marine on his journey into the unknown. Half a century later, Drummond's discovery of others connected to the battle at Outpost Vegas became the impetus for writing this memoir. Some he had known, others he had not. In the second half of this book, the battle is described from the vantage points of four other participants. In the process of uncovering these stories, dramatic personal discoveries were made.