Chat with Edward Hale
When British RAF pilot Edward Hale is shot down over North Korea, his chances of survival seem almost nonexistent. Injured and alone behind enemy lines, he is unexpectedly rescued by a Korean villager. Together, the two men begin a perilous hundred-mile journey towards the border—and freedom.
One Hundred Miles to the River
I. The Descent Captain Edward Hale had been in the air for almost four hours when he saw the mountains. From that height, North Korea looked like a land drawn in pencil: dark mountain ranges, narrow valleys, and rivers that occasionally glimmered under a pale sun. He was flying alone, high above the low clouds, following a reconnaissance route meant to keep him away from anti-aircraft positions. His mission was simple on paper: photograph troop movements and return to base. Then the smoke appeared. Hale barely had time to look to his left before the plane shook violently. Something hit the wing. Alarms began to sound and the engine lost power. —Come on, old boy… hold on —he murmured. The aircraft spiraled down. He tried to regain altitude, but the controls were unresponsive. Below him was a valley covered in trees, too narrow to attempt a landing. Hale checked his parachute, opened the cockpit, and jumped. The air tore the helmet from his head. For a few seconds, there was only the wind and the noise of the plane moving away. Then, the parachute opened with a brutal yank. He fell among the trees. When he regained consciousness, there was blood on his forehead and intense
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