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MWSA Review
The Spirit to Soar is a fiercely patriotic story highlighting Major Barry B. Bridger’s survival after his F-4 Phantom was struck by a missile over North Vietnam. How Barry negotiated a safe landing after ejecting almost defies reason, but the real gem is learning about his life as a POW for almost seven years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Barry’s narration, beginning with memories of his first six years in an orphanage and adoption by the affluent hardworking Bridger family, provides deep insight into how this little boy became the tower of strength he is today.
There are layers to this book. Jim Petersen, the author, sets up each chapter for an episode of Barry’s life. You can almost hear Jim nudging Barry along. Researched excerpts provide precise documentation of places and events. Weaving life lessons into his story, Barry describes how he and his fellow POWs used “what’s between our ears” to stay alive. Calculating how to weigh themselves with the help of a cistern paints an image of sheer genius. Finding ways to communicate using codes and other innovations allowed the men to stay connected when isolated from family, friends, and fellow prisoners.
Barry’s story is also a tribute to the United States military and the values that define this elite membership’s commitment to the nation, to the service, and to each other. Barry calls on wisdom from ancient Greek philosophers to modern-day sages in support of his premise that a precise understanding of what liberty means is the guiding light. Whether you agree with his political and religious beliefs or not, Barry’s words will leave you contemplating your own values.
Review by Janette Stone (January 2023)
Author's Synopsis
On January 23rd, 1967, Lt. Colonel Barry Bridger and his copilot, Dave Grey, launched a mission over Vietnam in their Phantom F-4 fighter jet in treacherous weather. It was Colonel Bridger’s 75th mission and the only one he had attempted in the daylight hours.
Suddenly, his plane was split in half by a ground-to-air missile. He and Grey ejected while the plane was going 600 miles per hour and began their descent into the unknown below. When Bridger finally landed on terra firma, he found the North Vietnamese army waiting for him. They arrested him and Grey and checked them into The Hanoi Hilton—a place designed to break the spirit of all who entered.
Barry Bridger survived that hellish experience and even thrived. He will tell you without any hesitation that it was his deeply held values that made it possible to withstand the torture he and his fellow prisoners of war were subjected to.
The Spirit to Soar (Morgan James Books, February 2022) was conceived by Bridger’s good friend and colleague, Jim Petersen. When they met some thirty years ago, Petersen knew right away that Barry was special. The following quote from Bridger gives you a glimpse into Barry’s remarkably optimistic mindset:
“In Vietnam, I solved more problems with nothing than I did with something because I had control of my mind, similar to what I had experienced as an orphan. We got to the point of doing so much with so little, we figured we could do everything with nothing. That’s where the happiness factor comes in. That’s why POWs were happy. I was never, ever sad. I wasn’t sitting around crying because of my circumstances.”
Bridger’s harrowing experiences in Vietnam prepared him to be successful in every phase of his life. Instead of tearing him down, his worst enemies actually built him up! All because he refused to have even one bad day, no matter how much they tried to make it so. In fact, Bridger and his comrades had great fun befuddling their North Vietnamese captors; you will probably find yourself laughing at the antics they engaged in to infuriate their captors.
“Here is the legacy I want to leave to my family: I would remind them to live by this model: first and foremost, to obtain virtue, which means you sacrifice your own private approach to life for the greater good.”
It has been more than fifty years since The Hanoi Hilton, and Barry still hasn’t had a single bad day. His is a successful marriage to the love of his life, Sheila. He raised two successful children who adore him. He had a successful career in the financial services industry and is constantly reinventing himself. He is blessed with a great reputation and a host of friends who love and admire him. He has no regrets.
Barry Bridger has soared. Jim Petersen shares life lessons learned from Barry’s life in this book which will inspire you, too, to rise above your darkest hours and be your best. Not with some ivory-tower, theoretical mumbo jumbo. But with real life lessons drawn from the life of a real, live American hero.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 247
Word Count: 69,357