Robert R. Garwood Goes to Trial (February 2, 1981)
Voiceover: Robert Garwood, a soldier in Vietnam, is being charged with treason for his actions during the Vietnam War. Footage: Garwood in the court room; court room sketches by Aggie Whelan; footage from Camp Lejeune, NC.
Reporter: Massell, June (ABC News)
Robert Russell Garwood (born April 1, 1946) is a controversial former Vietnam War prisoner of war (POW). Garwood was a United States Marine Corps private first class[1] when he was captured on September 28, 1965, near Da Nang, Quang Nam Province.
Often cited as the last verified American POW from the Vietnam War, Garwood was taken to North Vietnam in 1969, and reportedly was released in 1973 along with the other U.S. POWs as part of the Paris Peace Accords. However, he did not return to the United States until March 22, 1979.[1]
Garwood was judged by the Department of Defense (DoD) to have acted as a collaborator with the enemy.[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 to make him seem a liar to downplay his 1984 claims about POWs left behind.
Military service and capture[edit]
Garwood was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps base at Da Nang in South Vietnam as a motor pool driver. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are in dispute. Garwood claims he was ambushed when he got lost when driving alone in a jeep to pick up an officer. He says his jeep was torched and he was stripped naked.[3] Marine Corps records show on 28 September 1965, Garwood was absent at the 23:00 bed check. No unauthorized absence (UA) was reported, since he was thought to have had a "late run." He was reported UA when he failed to appear at formation the next morning.[1][4]: 223
On 29 September, the Division Provost Marshal was notified of Garwood's absence and an all points bulletin was issued for him and his vehicle. This was repeated for three days with no results. Motor pool personnel searched the areas of Da Nang that Garwood was known to frequent, but nothing was found. On 2 October, the division's Provost Marshal notified the Republic of Vietnam's Military Security Services. Their search efforts also produced no information. Garwood's commanding officer reported to the Commandant, USMC, that in view of Garwood's past record of UA, he believed he had gone UA again and had possibly been taken POW. However, he recommended there be no change in Garwood's status and that he remain UA until evidence proved otherwise.
Two separate South Vietnamese agents eventually reported that the Viet Cong (VC) claimed a U.S. serviceman and his jeep had been picked up in the Cam Hai region, about 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from the Da Nang Marine Corps base, when the serviceman had become lost. The American had been captured and the jeep burned. However, a ground and aerial search for the burned vehicle produced no results, nor did search operations on 1 October by four platoons. Two additional infantry platoons swept the area near Marble Mountain the next morning but also found nothing. On 12 October, the 704th ITC Det (CI) authorized a 100,000 VND reward for information leading to the recovery of the missing serviceman and additional 2,500 VND for the recovery of the vehicle.
On 3 December 1965, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines found a document titled Fellow Soldier's Appeal with Garwood's name on it, on a gate near Da Nang. The document recommended that U.S. troops stop fighting in Vietnam and return home. The signature (B. Garwood) may well have been made by a rubber stamp and the English usage suggests it was not written by a native English speaker. A second version of this document was found on 18 July 1966 in the Da Nang area, but it appeared to be on better quality paper and the signature was at a different angle. Based on these, on 17 December 1965 Garwood's status was changed from "missing" to "presumed captured".[1][5][4]: 224
