''In the Presence of Mine Enemies: 1965–1973 – A Prisoner of War'' is a memoir by American pilot Howard E. Rutledge, co-written with his wife and

Mel Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

and Lyla White, of his time in a Vietnamese POW camp during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. When it was published it was the first book-length firsthand treatment of the experiences of

American prisoners of war in Vietnam Members of the United States armed forces were held as prisoners of war (POWs) in significant numbers during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1973. Unlike U.S. service members captured in World War II and the Korean War, who were mostly enlisted troops ...

. It was made into a documentary in the same year. After the war, Rutledge was head of the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

's department of naval science and twice ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Oklahoma's 4th congressional district Oklahoma's 4th congressional district is located in south-central Oklahoma and covers (in whole or in part) a total of 15 counties. Its principal cities include Midwest City, Norman, Moore, Ada, Duncan, Lawton/Ft. Sill, and Ardmore. The dist ...

. He died of cancer in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

in 1984.

References

1973 non-fiction books Vietnam War memoirs Memoirs of imprisonment {{US-bio-book-stub