John Robertson

John Hartley Robertson (born October 25, 1936) is a Vietnam veteran who was shot down over Laos in May 1968 and has reportedly been living in North Vietnam ever since.

Robertson, a Master Sergeant in the U. S. Army's Green Berets, was assigned to a classified mission. His helicopter was shot down over Laos and he was reported missing in action. His name appears on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.

Robertson was captured by the North Vietnamese and held prisoner in a bamboo cage. He was tortured and accused of spying. After his release, he married a Vietnamese nurse who had cared for him and took the name of her dead husband, eventually raising a family with her. Due to his injuries and isolation, Robertson lost the ability to speak English and forgot most of his earlier life.

Veteran Tom Faunce learned about Robertson during a humanitarian mission in 2008. He worked with Canadian filmmaker Michael Jorgensen to record Robertson's story, including a 2012 reunion with his surviving sister, Jean. The documentary, Unclaimed, premiered in Toronto on April 30, 2013.

References

• Barnard, Linda (April 25, 2013) "Hot Docs premiere Unclaimed finds a Vietnam veteran left behind for 44 years." Toronto Star