Robert Russell Garwood | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Bobby |
| Born | April 1, 1946 Greensburg, Indiana, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1964–1981 |
| Rank | Private (demoted from Private first class) |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
Robert Russell Garwood (born April 1, 1946) is a former United States Marine. Often cited as the last verified American prisoner of war (POW) from the Vietnam War, Garwood was captured on September 28, 1965 by Việt Cộng forces near Da Nang, Quang Nam Province. He was taken to North Vietnam in 1969, and although he was reportedly released in 1973 along with the other U.S. POWs as part of the Paris Peace Accords, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979.[1]
Upon his return, the Department of Defense (DoD) judged him to have acted as a collaborator with the enemy, for which he was subject to a court-martial, stripped of his rank as Private first class and dishonorably discharged.[1] In 1998, the DoD changed Garwood's status from RETURNEE to AWOL/Deserter/Collaborator.[2]
Garwood has repeatedly denied all charges of collaboration. He also accuses the DoD of trying to rewrite history by framing him as a liar to discredit his 1984 claims about American POWs left behind in Vietnam, with activist and fellow Vietnam War veteran Ted Sampley commenting at Garwood's congress hearing that "before he even spoke, he was victim of character assassination".[3]
- ^ a b Defense Intelligence Agency (June 1993). "The Case of Pvt. Robert R. Garwood, USMC" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "Bio, Garwood, Robert R". pownetwork.org.
- ^ "Court-martialed Marine Pfc. Robert Garwood appeared before Congress today,... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2023-03-28.