The Vietnam war was a scarring experience for many American soldiers. As a soldier they faced the jungle and its wilds. Many fell to victim to guerilla tactics implemented by the vietcong. These soldiers were both poorly equipped and trained for a fight in the jungles of Vietnam. During the documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly Dieter Dengler had many encounters with these wilds throughout his service in Vietnam. His first encounter had been when he had been shot down. He had escaped from his plane and ran through the thickets of the wild jungle when he was caught by the vietcong. There he spent time as a prisoner of war. His life as a prisoner started out badly. He was starved and shackled. Prisoner meals consisted of a small pile of rice, snakes, and bugs. The film recounts many instances where he was tortured inhumanely. For example, Dengler had once passed out after having a hill of ants on his face. His treatment was inhumane and unjust. Along with his constant torture by the Vietnamese people, Dengler faced the weather and elements. He was constantly cold and longed for some protection for his bare feet. Throughout Dengler’s life as a prisoner, he …show more content…
There he officially joined a prisoner camp. Dengler believed that his life could not get much worse and was happy to be able to find some fellow comrades. However, he soon realized that the camp life was much worse than the life he had previously lived as a prisoner. His comrades, a sickly looking bunch, tried to console each other from their loneliness but to no avail. The North Vietnamese were strict and unforgiving. Their punishments were harsher and more frequent than the Vietcong. Dengler believed he only survived each day by the thought that he would be able to see his family again. With each moment he and his fellow comrades plotted their escape. All they could think about was their escape and being