39 Years, 6 Months, 4 Days (2005) | 60 Minutes Archive

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  • Опубліковано 20 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 402

  • @bonescdxx
    @bonescdxx 6 місяців тому +143

    Sincere redemption in my mind. I'm glad his mother lived long enough to see him again.

  • @lelandunruh7896
    @lelandunruh7896 7 місяців тому +154

    The stupid decisions I made in my twenties resulted in hospital visits and empty bank accounts. I can't imagine living with a mistake for that long!

    • @imalrockme
      @imalrockme 6 місяців тому +3

      😂

    • @spinkid2000
      @spinkid2000 Місяць тому +3

      I thought about myself at 24 and what I'd do after 10 beers and think of a lot of buddies at this age and what kind of dumb stuff they did.

    • @robertpolanco1973
      @robertpolanco1973 3 дні тому +1

      That is understandable. After all, the state of U.S. health care has been a complete JOKE for decades indeed.

    • @lelandunruh7896
      @lelandunruh7896 2 дні тому

      @robertpolanco1973 Fortunately the empty bank accounts were unrelated to the hospital visits.

    • @robertpolanco1973
      @robertpolanco1973 2 дні тому +1

      @@lelandunruh7896 Well, could you at least elaborate on that comment of yours anyway?

  • @ibuprofenPill
    @ibuprofenPill 7 місяців тому +189

    We don’t need to put him in prison, he’s been in one for almost 40 years.

    • @FemiNelson-sb1em
      @FemiNelson-sb1em 7 місяців тому +14

      ​@@michaelolden2682 he suffered for his foolishness n we're no one to judge him. Shell shock is real & sadly many soldiers were afraid & suppressed that fear. Many of them endured horrid PTSD & did not deserve to made feel like they weren't Men. Its called being human. Our Govt has allowed worse in our lifetime & are not held accountable. This Man knows he paid dearly, horribly for his act of having deserted. Peace be with him, with those that realize or find out too late they should not be in combat. Peace be with us all 🙏. "Isa"

    • @Jewish.Redneck.Hybrid
      @Jewish.Redneck.Hybrid 7 місяців тому +6

      ​@@FemiNelson-sb1em that's the dumbest comment in the history of the Internet.

    • @bodbn
      @bodbn 7 місяців тому +5

      @@Jewish.Redneck.Hybrid Not really a very sensible comment to be quite honest. Stop with the drama and theatrics and try to be a human for a few moments. You might find you like it.

    • @michaelolden2682
      @michaelolden2682 7 місяців тому +4

      ​@@FemiNelson-sb1em. No. There is no we here. I served on the DMZ. Did you?

    • @michaelolden2682
      @michaelolden2682 7 місяців тому +6

      ​@@bodbnnothing to do with being a human. He was a SGT leading a patrol in an very dangerous place. He selfishly left him men behind without a patrol leader. Jenkins did not act like a human to the humans for which he was responsible.

  • @dabprod
    @dabprod 7 місяців тому +149

    I was in Korea as an American soldier in 1964, but returned home in March. I don't remember hearing about this. He's very lucky to be alive.

    • @WVgrl59
      @WVgrl59 7 місяців тому +6

      True

    • @thack57
      @thack57 6 місяців тому

      Manchurian Candidate

    • @Livingtheinvisiblelife
      @Livingtheinvisiblelife 6 місяців тому +3

      There were 4 American soldier defectors three of them were facing court martial charges so they skiddadled to North Korea. All 4 of them were considered famous radio hosts and taught English to the NK soldiers. North Korea then kidnapped women from other countries to be their wives, Jenkins wife was Japanese and he only got to leave Korea because they were sending his wife back to Japan in some sort of agreement to return kidnapped Japanese people. He was able to turn himself in get his punishment which was 25 days confinement because he told the American military everything he knew about the goings on in North Korea. He was also able to make it home to North Carolina to visit his mom before she died. He then lived the rest of his life with his wife and children in Japan.

    • @josephanderson7237
      @josephanderson7237 5 місяців тому +3

      Probably was tortured more than he’s willing to say.

    • @TheResilient5689
      @TheResilient5689 4 місяці тому +3

      Just spitballing here, but maybe the military/government kept it under wraps at the time for propaganda or morale reasons? It was a tumultuous year in 1964, I can imagine.

  • @CafeMich
    @CafeMich 7 місяців тому +62

    Wow, just wow. I'm at a loss of words by this story. To have recklessly sacrificed your freedom and endured suffering in a totalitarian regime is just total insanity. I'm glad he survived and was able to reunite with his wife (extremely bizarre circumstance, too) and his mother in NC. The ending actually made me tear up 😢

    • @RonHelton
      @RonHelton 7 місяців тому

      Not to worry, they are rapidly moving us in the direction of a totalitarian state. Passing unconstitutional laws and overstepping their authority. Direct taxes have been in effect since 1913 to ensure that we can not defund this government without a fight. A law they are currently trying to pass to make it illegal to speak out against Israel. This is an illegitimate government. And they want to have digital currency which they will be able to control remotely without our consent.
      #MafiaGovernment #WakeUpAmerica

    • @Thebullies19
      @Thebullies19 7 місяців тому +3

      People do the strangest things.

  • @dainewatson1
    @dainewatson1 6 місяців тому +9

    God answers prayers. Can you imagine how many nights both he and his mother both prayed to see each other again? Truly an amazing story!!!

  • @adilkanouni5461
    @adilkanouni5461 7 місяців тому +156

    That last part
    Mama...
    Hit hard couldn't stop crying as a men

    • @readmelancholystrumpetmaster
      @readmelancholystrumpetmaster 7 місяців тому +7

      How many are you?

    • @oscarotter790
      @oscarotter790 7 місяців тому +8

      @@readmelancholystrumpetmaster I'm 33 and I cried. I cry because I have Freedom because God created me to Love; I'm lucky to experience a privileged life leveraged with so much Love. God bless this planet and those who fight against Love; God have mercy on them, please.

    • @oscarotter790
      @oscarotter790 7 місяців тому +2

      @@ChristopherGray00 Nah, I worship Love and am thankful for everything new.

    • @user-fr8ve7wf6i
      @user-fr8ve7wf6i 7 місяців тому

      I wanted to see her meet her daughter-in-law and grandchildren!

    • @sirchadiusmaximusiii
      @sirchadiusmaximusiii 5 місяців тому +2

      Bro fr I wasn’t expecting it to hit that hard. Hearing an old man still say mama with so much love is real asf.

  • @bobcharlie2337
    @bobcharlie2337 7 місяців тому +128

    That's some mistake, but he had two daughters from this. And when he came back he did the right things and made amends.

    • @michaelolden2682
      @michaelolden2682 7 місяців тому +2

      How, exactly did he do the right things and make amends? I am a DMZ veteran, and I not see it.

    • @bobcharlie2337
      @bobcharlie2337 7 місяців тому

      @@michaelolden2682 What parts bother you?

    • @Livingtheinvisiblelife
      @Livingtheinvisiblelife 6 місяців тому

      @@michaelolden2682it couldn’t possibly be the fact that he turned himself in to the American base in Japan and did his time. Oh wait that’s exactly it. He turned himself in and did his time.

    • @michaelolden2682
      @michaelolden2682 6 місяців тому

      ​@bobcharlie2337 did you serve?

    • @michaelolden2682
      @michaelolden2682 6 місяців тому

      ​@@LivingtheinvisiblelifeDid you serve?

  • @corenchiereynaldo2417
    @corenchiereynaldo2417 7 місяців тому +15

    14:39 Starting here, this part brought a deepness to my chest and almost cried.

  • @jeffschrade4779
    @jeffschrade4779 5 місяців тому +31

    I'm glad he was able to hold his mother before she passed.

    • @robertpolanco1973
      @robertpolanco1973 Місяць тому +1

      @jeffschrade4779 - Excuse me? "Hold his mother"? What were you trying to say?

  • @mrsjmehta
    @mrsjmehta 7 місяців тому +47

    What a story!! I'm glad he was really loved by his wife & was reunited with his mother.

  • @pacificrules
    @pacificrules 6 місяців тому +9

    OMG, that part of hugging his mom had me teary-eyed 🥲🥲
    I can't believe she lived that long to finally see her son.

  • @moebarcelona3765
    @moebarcelona3765 7 місяців тому +63

    Its a blessing for both mother and son to reunite after them long years. What a beautiful story.

    • @guiltychild6948
      @guiltychild6948 7 місяців тому +5

      Have to say when they met at the end, that hit me real hard. To see his poor mother waited for so long, for such a senseless act by him. Heartbreaking

    • @giovannidibravato5576
      @giovannidibravato5576 7 місяців тому +2

      @@guiltychild6948 yes i agree I almost cried! - oh no
      I did cry lol

    • @guiltychild6948
      @guiltychild6948 7 місяців тому

      @@giovannidibravato5576 me2😂

  • @user-bo1rj2xu2s
    @user-bo1rj2xu2s 6 місяців тому +10

    Wow. 60 Minutes was must see TV every Sunday night for decades. Why don't I remember this excellent episode? Thanks for posting this!

  • @lil----lil
    @lil----lil 7 місяців тому +116

    Who amongst us was not once young & stupid? He PAID a price that nearly killed him.
    You can see a deep sense of remorse and regret from him. This old man learned his lesson.
    RIP. Mr. Jenkins.

    • @Aristotelezz
      @Aristotelezz 7 місяців тому +8

      There are a few documentaries about American deserters in north-Korea. Clearly they all regretted it deeply, although they could not always expressed it that way.

    • @brucefredrickson9677
      @brucefredrickson9677 7 місяців тому +5

      Age 24 is not young and stupid.

    • @FemiNelson-sb1em
      @FemiNelson-sb1em 7 місяців тому +8

      ​@@brucefredrickson9677 Our Govt People are older n commit worse atrocities than desertion. He paid his debt to Society. He is repented & thats more than many of our American Companies n people that are criminals in our own Nation, communities, Govt. Its life, nothing is perfect, nothing is as it should or could be. Bless his Momma for holding hard to life so as to hold him, hold eachother before they leave this life. Peace be with them 🙏. "Isa"

    • @49metal
      @49metal 7 місяців тому +2

      And all the men who didn't desert and were killed in battle? He ended up with a lot more than they did. What he got from the Koreans was what he bargained for. What he got from Uncle Sam for his crimes was 25 days in the brig.

    • @Aristotelezz
      @Aristotelezz 7 місяців тому +1

      @@49metal Lots of people are willing to die, and died for it, to get out of north Korea!

  • @peterlafayette5595
    @peterlafayette5595 7 місяців тому +26

    I'm a veteran, I hold none, not a spec of ill will or feeling svs towards this man.
    I wish him and his family well.

    • @Hellas8
      @Hellas8 6 місяців тому +1

      You must be from the South

    • @Livingtheinvisiblelife
      @Livingtheinvisiblelife 6 місяців тому +3

      He has passed away sadly. He died in 2017 but died a free man in a free country with his free family. I hope his children are doing fantastic things with their lives.

  • @emjay2045
    @emjay2045 7 місяців тому +50

    And I thought that was a clip of Ross Perot before I read his name. 😶

    • @dabprod
      @dabprod 7 місяців тому +5

      Yeah.....me too. lol

    • @zztv15
      @zztv15 7 місяців тому +4

      😂😂😂😂😂 I was thinking that too

    • @threeminuteshate
      @threeminuteshate 7 місяців тому +4

      Same here. Haha

    • @Whipporwhill
      @Whipporwhill 6 місяців тому +1

      I thought it was Ross Perot, too, & that's why I clicked! 😅

    • @scienz
      @scienz 5 місяців тому +1

      you turned my tears to laughter oh man thanks 😅😅😅

  • @stoicfreediver
    @stoicfreediver 7 місяців тому +61

    After 10 beers people do crazy things. Dang. Glad I don’t drink anymore!

    • @dannyo3317
      @dannyo3317 7 місяців тому +4

      stoicfreediver: Do you drink any less?

    • @YeahSure-gn1yf
      @YeahSure-gn1yf 4 місяці тому +1

      No, he drinks the same amount. lol.

    • @robtrawick1
      @robtrawick1 Місяць тому

      That was a 40 year hangover from hell

  • @andreastruble
    @andreastruble 7 місяців тому +4

    Thank you for the Godly humble manner he has had opened up.

  • @luisvaldez-f6c
    @luisvaldez-f6c 6 місяців тому +13

    This a perfect example of stupidity

  • @gentleeyes
    @gentleeyes 6 місяців тому +10

    I'm so glad mama got to see her baby come home!

  • @mrpeel3239
    @mrpeel3239 7 місяців тому +13

    Great interview.

  • @lenovovo
    @lenovovo 7 місяців тому +12

    Lord have mercy, such a good story 60 minutes! Scott Pelley, you're looking good in this segment.

  • @Camel_Jockey
    @Camel_Jockey 7 місяців тому +12

    14:31 - 15:10 ; tears came to my eyes. I don't tear up for much.

  • @JT-qe4pm
    @JT-qe4pm 7 місяців тому +20

    POWERFUL ENDING

  • @tammardacosta7094
    @tammardacosta7094 7 місяців тому +9

    I've watched this twice and still can't find the words..I'm proud,astounded, disappointed and most of all thankful to witness love, determination and resilience..thank God you're home soldier🫡

  • @Craig-c6f
    @Craig-c6f 7 місяців тому +18

    Find the troops he left behind. Tell their story.

    • @imalrockme
      @imalrockme 6 місяців тому +3

      Yes, and he got to escape Vietnam, while those poor fellows had to go. I don't feel an inch of sympathy, trust me. He had a wife, family, if he had returned sooner to the US, he would be in prison for many years with no wife.

    • @jmw4455
      @jmw4455 6 місяців тому +1

      Well said

    • @jujubees5855
      @jujubees5855 4 місяці тому +1

      They ended up not being deployed to Vietnam ​@@imalrockme

  • @ModernDayRenaissanceMan
    @ModernDayRenaissanceMan 7 місяців тому +17

    Everyone deserves redemption. Glad he found it

  • @noahfick6124
    @noahfick6124 7 місяців тому +15

    He wrote an amazing book

  • @mr.iforgot3062
    @mr.iforgot3062 7 місяців тому +26

    He got to see his mother.

  • @joernone
    @joernone 6 місяців тому +7

    What was jenkins thinking? He wasn't thinking.

  • @JayBee-cr8jm
    @JayBee-cr8jm 7 місяців тому +29

    How can a place like North Korea still exist in the year 2024? It's obscene.

    • @WZD10016
      @WZD10016 7 місяців тому

      From Space South Korea is all lit up at night while North Korea is dark. They’re a third world communist nation living in the Stone Age.

    • @rickjensen2833
      @rickjensen2833 7 місяців тому +1

      Not for long.

    • @maplebear6527
      @maplebear6527 7 місяців тому +2

      Make it a parking lot

    • @hoonhwang4778
      @hoonhwang4778 6 місяців тому +2

      There are group of Americans aspiring authoritarian by strong leadership right at this moment.

    • @JayBee-cr8jm
      @JayBee-cr8jm 6 місяців тому

      @@hoonhwang4778 Joe Biden is the leader of these criminals. He sued to control the news and lost. He's appealing it though.

  • @verocimil
    @verocimil 6 місяців тому +6

    I made some big mistakes in my 20ies and there are still distinct consequences of it until now. Nothing criminal if someone may think about that. It just changed the direction of my life in some way. I so much empathize with Charles Robert Jenkins. For me, he is (was, since he isn't alive anymore) a good character. And so is his Japanese wife! In our younger years there are sometimes no other ways to learn but through experiences and thus some bad decisions too we cannot figure out at the moment.

  • @tompenfold5367
    @tompenfold5367 4 місяці тому +2

    One of the most moving, baffling and incredible stories of our time. What a life. Would love to watch a movie on this too bad he wouldn't be around to see it. RIP Jenkins

  • @dekotahrunninghorse9372
    @dekotahrunninghorse9372 7 місяців тому +19

    Wow! What an incredible story!!!! Speechless!! What this man and women went through! What so many went through! Thank you for sharing this!!

  • @valeriesmith5780
    @valeriesmith5780 7 місяців тому +3

    What an incredible story. What a miracle he got out of North Korea.

  • @lysettesoures2994
    @lysettesoures2994 7 місяців тому +2

    For me only one Message, we paid Hard for the Mistakes we do when we’re Young.So good to see him with his Mother.

  • @m.b.88
    @m.b.88 7 місяців тому +25

    This illustrates how systems and policies effect human beings more than they effect countries, politics and the privileged. You can say whatever you like about him, but he was a human being who deserved and deserves compassion just like everyone else does.

    • @Itzlegs
      @Itzlegs 6 місяців тому

      Very true. Not just him but every person

  • @jaxcrax9644
    @jaxcrax9644 6 місяців тому +4

    I remember when I actually believed “60 Minutes” was a reputable news source.

  • @sisterrose6830
    @sisterrose6830 2 місяці тому +1

    He didn’t agree with nor want to go to war in Viet Nam . He didn’t agree with the orders to be more aggressive while in the demilitarized zone… then spent a lifetime in North Korea .
    Wow what an emotional story.

  • @stephenturner6075
    @stephenturner6075 5 місяців тому +3

    The end really got to me there.

  • @isaacshaver6218
    @isaacshaver6218 6 місяців тому +1

    This shows what the love of a good woman or man can do for each other.

  • @fionabryant7923
    @fionabryant7923 6 місяців тому +3

    Im interested in how he was honest enough to say he was scared and wanted to escape...im so touched by that...who wouldnt be in a stupid vicious war situation..another
    one . To me he was young, and tender. Wouldnt it be great if we all just walked away from war.

  • @earlgreco8636
    @earlgreco8636 6 місяців тому +4

    An amazing story. The nice part is his wife still wanted him.

  • @raphaelgerarddelacruz6774
    @raphaelgerarddelacruz6774 7 місяців тому +5

    I hope that he catched-up with the things he missed for decades.

  • @AhmadShah-oz5wu
    @AhmadShah-oz5wu Місяць тому +1

    Respect for this man from Pakistan.
    He has suffered alot .
    He was young .
    He didn't had experience then

  • @kimidawn9
    @kimidawn9 6 місяців тому +1

    Seeing his mom at the end... That got me.

  • @centredoorplugsthornton4112
    @centredoorplugsthornton4112 7 місяців тому +13

    Jenkins passed away several years ago. He'd been living in Japan.
    Look for 60 Minutes story about the last US deserter defector in North Korea, James Joseph Dresnok. Material from a documentary about him, Crossing the Line.

    • @prieten49
      @prieten49 7 місяців тому +5

      Jenkins said that Dresnok behaved lke an enforcer for the North Koreans. He often bullied and beat Jenkins at the North Korean's request

    • @centredoorplugsthornton4112
      @centredoorplugsthornton4112 7 місяців тому

      @@prieten49 and Dresnok called Jenkins a g d liar when told that.

    • @prieten49
      @prieten49 7 місяців тому +4

      @@centredoorplugsthornton4112 This is an interesting exercise for you. Yes, this might sound like a case of "he said, she said," but we have more information to go on. Jenkins left North Korea and could therefore suffer no consequences for telling the truth. Dresnok was loyal to his North Korean benefactors and stayed to the to the very end in North Korea. Now, who has the incentive and ability to tell the truth? Who has the incentive to lie?

    • @centredoorplugsthornton4112
      @centredoorplugsthornton4112 7 місяців тому +1

      @@prieten49 who had the bigger family and obligations to North Korea?

    • @prieten49
      @prieten49 7 місяців тому +1

      @@centredoorplugsthornton4112 Does that shed any light on which of the two is telling the truth?

  • @waynebooker498
    @waynebooker498 5 місяців тому +2

    Such an incredible story. The best ending, he finally made it back to his mom.

  • @NZKaupoi
    @NZKaupoi 7 місяців тому +18

    A truly remarkable story ...

  • @kepeliwa
    @kepeliwa 7 місяців тому +25

    He is forgiven, bless his heart.

  • @stopcrueltyagainstanimals2578
    @stopcrueltyagainstanimals2578 6 місяців тому +5

    ''Didn't know what a Big Mac was '' Lucky guy!!

    • @surpenc
      @surpenc 6 місяців тому +3

      Its why he's lived so long

  • @bobjones27
    @bobjones27 7 місяців тому +15

    We all make mistakes in life but this gentleman made such a catastrophic one. It looks like the US Army was very understanding and gracious in giving him a ceremonial courtesy.

  • @lifewater989
    @lifewater989 4 місяці тому

    I had never heard this tale. What an absolutely crazy experience to have gone through in life. He found love in one of the worst places on Earth with someone he had nothing in common with in a forced arraignment. It's so good to see them meet on that runway after he got out. What an amazing story.

  • @jackmeyhoffer5107
    @jackmeyhoffer5107 7 місяців тому +10

    Hard to have sympathy for this guy. He deserted his fellow soldiers and he surrendered to N. Korea. You KNOW that he gave them information about the US military.

    • @dh5516
      @dh5516 7 місяців тому +5

      As a buck Sergeant, he couldn't give up anything they were interested in, or didn't already know. North Korea was just happy to have him for propaganda.

  • @elleniasiello6271
    @elleniasiello6271 7 місяців тому +6

    Wow, what a story ! Should make a movie about his life .

  • @ladyofthelake223
    @ladyofthelake223 7 місяців тому +4

    I’m so glad he got to see his mom again. That was really sad thinking of all the time he missed.

  • @fgarrison2910
    @fgarrison2910 7 місяців тому +3

    Why dont we just let him talk because he has been there we havent. He just said "study".

    • @LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts
      @LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts 6 місяців тому +1

      Seems to be the style of the programme,to interpret the person's story for you rather than letting you hear the person's words and make your own judgement.

  • @wally2786
    @wally2786 5 місяців тому +2

    Is this a movie? Or this should be a movie. What a Story.

    • @jiachengwu4185
      @jiachengwu4185 28 днів тому

      I think it would be too traumatizing for the general public

  • @bethelshiloh
    @bethelshiloh 7 місяців тому +7

    Well at least he realizes he was a fool.

  • @Bigrod8673
    @Bigrod8673 7 місяців тому +15

    What is more crazy then this is some people want a dictator here in the US!

    • @joyceanthony-huff2914
      @joyceanthony-huff2914 7 місяців тому

      No they don't. They want a leader who will put Americans first

    • @Golgi-Gyges
      @Golgi-Gyges 7 місяців тому

      Huh?

    • @LarsonPetty
      @LarsonPetty 7 місяців тому +2

      ​@@Golgi-GygesYeah, Santos here⬆️ is correct. Lately I've seen more interviews than I am comfortable with regarding this subject. There is a certain US Presidential candidate whose followers posit that a dictatorship doesn't sound too bad, as long as it's their guy in charge.
      Just a few short years ago, such thoughts were an absurdity, and voicing this sentiment was nothing more than an unthinkable fantasy.

    • @dh5516
      @dh5516 7 місяців тому +2

      ​@@LarsonPetty You're lying, of course. Produce one credible reference. Clueless.

    • @LarsonPetty
      @LarsonPetty 7 місяців тому +1

      @@dh5516 Wow. Bit sensitive regarding Dear Leader, aren't we?

  • @RobertLaPorte-f8w
    @RobertLaPorte-f8w 7 місяців тому +2

    Never ever ever give up hope.❤

  • @scruffy7443
    @scruffy7443 4 місяці тому +2

    His Mother...I'm sad...😿

  • @omazz1965
    @omazz1965 Місяць тому

    His mother has quite a sense of humor. Great to see she saw her son.

  • @auggiecontreras8068
    @auggiecontreras8068 7 місяців тому +3

    Impossible to know his state of mind. But wow...had he done things the "right" way, he probably would have done three months in jail. Bizarre story for sure 🙏

  • @thomasmcdaniel765
    @thomasmcdaniel765 6 місяців тому +2

    Wow God bless that man

  • @KC-ke7kq
    @KC-ke7kq 6 місяців тому +3

    OK, I cried

  • @maxbuetler4064
    @maxbuetler4064 7 місяців тому +5

    "There are black policemen" Wow there were no black policemen in North Carolina in 1964??

    • @abschu713
      @abschu713 5 місяців тому +3

      North Carolina is in the South, and the Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until 1964 so….probably not 😅
      Lovely state nowadays though

    • @infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295
      @infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295 4 місяці тому

      I bet he was expecting cops to still be carrying revolvers too

  • @ruthiemay423
    @ruthiemay423 7 місяців тому +11

    Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes.

  • @BibleSamurai
    @BibleSamurai 7 місяців тому +6

    he got a good wife and two good kids out that nightmare

  • @gesundheit602
    @gesundheit602 7 місяців тому +3

    From the smiling picture with the other deserters, the fact he had a wife and kids, and his talk of arguing with his captor, it seems like he was actually more of a political prisoner for propaganda purposes. He'd have been shot or under a cell if not.

  • @nancypatterson2215
    @nancypatterson2215 6 місяців тому +9

    I'm a soft hearted woman, but I honestly struggle to find any sympathy or empathy for this man, who didn't deserve to wear the same uniform as our brave men & women of The US Military!!

    • @Livingtheinvisiblelife
      @Livingtheinvisiblelife 6 місяців тому +5

      So glad you’ve never made a single bad decision in your life. You must be lonely living up there are your high horse. This man turned himself in once free and did his punishment. You’re not a soft hearted woman at all with this comment.

    • @jmw4455
      @jmw4455 6 місяців тому

      I agree

    • @jmw4455
      @jmw4455 6 місяців тому +1

      I mean, I agree with Nancy. And I am a veteran. And I did serve in Korea.

    • @nancypatterson2215
      @nancypatterson2215 6 місяців тому +1

      @jmw4455 I'm actually a veteran too, so many people do not understand that we are trained & it's just drilled into us to never betray our country, fellow soldiers, & ourselves.

  • @dude4742
    @dude4742 6 місяців тому

    he lived a full life over there man. crazy.

  • @beckykent6674
    @beckykent6674 7 місяців тому +4

    I feel bad for him. He was scared and was young. You can see it in his eyes how bad he feels.

  • @ladyofthelake223
    @ladyofthelake223 7 місяців тому +3

    I’m surprised they didn’t keep them as pampered pets to roll out on tv as propaganda.

    • @anthonylagunas6737
      @anthonylagunas6737 7 місяців тому

      The North Koreans would send propaganda leaflets to the south with the pictures of the US soldiers on them. I still have leaflets, with their pictures.

  • @airgunningyup
    @airgunningyup 7 місяців тому +3

    one foolish mistake by a 24 yr old .. crazy

  • @juliesroadtrip
    @juliesroadtrip 6 місяців тому +2

    What happened to the other three American soldiers?

    • @RoyJNg
      @RoyJNg 6 місяців тому

      The other three I believe passed away. What they did, you should read Jenkin's book "The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea" which details the faith of the three especially one of their children are in the North Korean arm forces.

    • @TJ-vd7eq
      @TJ-vd7eq 4 місяці тому

      ​@@RoyJNg One was murdered the Joseph man I believe.

    • @RoyJNg
      @RoyJNg 4 місяці тому

      @@TJ-vd7eq Maybe, but according most sources especially from Joseph's son, he died of a stroke in 2017.

    • @TJ-vd7eq
      @TJ-vd7eq 4 місяці тому

      @@RoyJNg Joseph white did not have a son. He defective in 1983. Joseph white it was.

    • @TJ-vd7eq
      @TJ-vd7eq 3 місяці тому

      @@RoyJNg Joseph didnt have a son

  • @mzmel1
    @mzmel1 6 місяців тому +2

    A sweet ending bore out of a horrible mistake. He seems like a good guy. It’s good he got a chance to reunite with his mother. And have his wife and daughters be introduced to his family.

  • @greyjay9202
    @greyjay9202 6 місяців тому +3

    I'm glad the Army saw fit to give him only 25 days in the brig. That man went through decades of hell, for his one bad decision. How lucky he was, to find a loyal, loving woman, in such awful circumstances. And, to have children to love and care for.

  • @SolMorales-lw5cp
    @SolMorales-lw5cp 7 місяців тому +2

    😮 nice to know this

  • @drifter503
    @drifter503 7 місяців тому +3

    What a story

  • @outdoorlife5396
    @outdoorlife5396 7 місяців тому +8

    He came from a poor rural area of eastern NC. I heard stories of the Army recruiters paying 20 dollars for an enlistment back then. That was almost a week's pay in most places. I looked at some of my parents paycheck and it was 45 a week back then. Crazy. It is funny what fear will do to you.

    • @dabprod
      @dabprod 7 місяців тому +1

      I enlisted in 1962 as a private E-1, pay was $68 a month.

  • @cabininthewoods7326
    @cabininthewoods7326 6 місяців тому +1

    No one paid a higher price forca horrible mistake.

  • @prun8893
    @prun8893 6 місяців тому +2

    The USA is the best country on Earth...and this poor fellow didn't realize it until it was too late.

  • @fhende4845
    @fhende4845 7 місяців тому +3

    Amazing

  • @UAL320
    @UAL320 7 місяців тому +1

    5:09
    How is his Korean?

    • @petersmith7577
      @petersmith7577 5 місяців тому

      A South Korean friend of mine says he can hardly understand it due to Jenkins' poor pronunciation. Something to do with "Juche" - Kim Il Sung's political philosophy, apparently.

  • @thack57
    @thack57 7 місяців тому +4

    He, facially, reminds me of Ross Perot.

  • @joymcguire
    @joymcguire 7 місяців тому +4

    very sad.

  • @ForelliBoy
    @ForelliBoy 6 днів тому

    Truly a modern example of the "Prodigal Son"

  • @Dingo-wc7my
    @Dingo-wc7my 7 місяців тому +1

    I recall this tale

  • @maplebear6527
    @maplebear6527 7 місяців тому +11

    I feel sorry for everyone in his circle, except him. I feel for his family, his daughters and his wife.

    • @MatthewW713
      @MatthewW713 7 місяців тому +3

      I agree. He said he wasn’t a traitor because he came back. But the real reason he came back is because he didn’t like his treatment in NK. He deserted his family and his country.

    • @maplebear6527
      @maplebear6527 7 місяців тому

      @@MatthewW713 God only knows what secrets he gave the North. Even 10 beers deep, WTF was he thinking?!

    • @unknown20s92
      @unknown20s92 3 місяці тому

      I’ve heard he wanted to go to Russia through North Korea but they didn’t let him leave

  • @PutItAway101
    @PutItAway101 4 місяці тому

    Hard to sympathize with someone who did something that was so obviously a disastrously terrible idea.

  • @taiwoabolurin6463
    @taiwoabolurin6463 3 місяці тому +1

    After see this, I'm convinced that Dresnock's story was all a lie.

  • @evilborg
    @evilborg 4 місяці тому +1

    Robert was the only American I truly felt bad for... he knew he messed up and went back unlike the other 3 and as for Dresnok I hope he is burning in hell, he a true traitor to the uniform and country.

  • @nigellee9824
    @nigellee9824 7 місяців тому +5

    Am I the only one who has absolutely no sympathy for this guy….he went there purely of his own making..but he wasn’t the brightest pebble on the beach..

  • @gaymichaelis7581
    @gaymichaelis7581 7 місяців тому +3

    Very good story, though it is not a happy thing!!! I didn’t know at all about this man/brother/soldier in the US Army!!! Happy that he got away from the North Koreans and ended up marrying and having two daughters and getting freedom and getting to go home to visit and see his mother before she died, etc.!! And getting to become a farmer. It seems in Japan!!! Very good story!! Thank you again!!! ❤🙏😇👍🌎🇯🇵

  • @iqbalkurniawan9853
    @iqbalkurniawan9853 4 місяці тому

    The last made me cryinh😢

  • @pbryant1360
    @pbryant1360 7 місяців тому +3

    What’s sad is this that I grew up seeing his Mom in the local shopping mall. Whenever we would stop and talk, she’d look over you to see if she could see if her son was near. As I grew taller she looked over me on tiptoe.

  • @selah4719
    @selah4719 7 місяців тому +16

    My husband is a disabled Vietnam vet, I have no sympathy for this guy. He was and is a coward .

    • @maplebear6527
      @maplebear6527 7 місяців тому +2

      Yes and your husband is a hero

    • @Brap-pl2me
      @Brap-pl2me 6 місяців тому +6

      Typical. The most judgmental are the ones with secondhand experience lol

    • @infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295
      @infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295 4 місяці тому

      Thank your husband for his service. I am named after a Marine who never made it back from Vietnam he was like an older brother to my father who was too young for Nam.

  • @ursulareeg1171
    @ursulareeg1171 7 місяців тому +3

    ❤hard story. All the way around.