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MWSA Review
Pig Fat Soup, the memoir of Steven Woelk, follows a young sailor aboard the USS Pueblo as he experiences capture and endures 11 months as a POW in the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea. How "Pig Fat Soup" became the title is revealed as the story of captivity unfolds. The book was well written as it takes the reader along with the author back to 1968 during the events of the attack on the Pueblo, the injuries sustained in the attack, and the horrid conditions that the crew endures at the hands of the North Koreans. The author recounts the brutal medical procedures, harsh treatment, forced confessions, and the constant propaganda that he and his fellow POWs lived through. The final resolution discusses the negotiation and release of the US POWs and their re-entry back into US society.
The author also reveals insights into the state of the U.S. military as well as the decision-making processes of the upper echelons of military power, some of the shortsighted decisions that led directly to the North Koreans gathering technology and intelligence from the capture of the USS Pueblo and passing it along to the USSR and other nations.
Overall, the book is insightful and allows the reader to get a small picture of the sacrifice that some of our military members experience in service to our country on our behalf.
Review by Randy Beard
Author's Synopsis
First-Hand Account Brings USS Pueblo Story to Life
It was one of the darkest days in United States military history, as the US Navy failed to protect the USS Pueblo in international waters off the coast of North Korea in January 1968. Pueblo was captured by the North Korean Navy shortly following the Blue House Incident and her crew was subjected to 11 months of captivity, torture and medical treatment with no anesthesia.
Steven Woelk was one of the 83 crewmen aboard Pueblo when it was captured. One sailor was killed in the capture, while the other 82 endured hardships that barely can be understood by rational people. Steven was severely injured, and this is his story.
Nearly 60 years later, Woelk has assembled his thoughts and memories into a captivating book: PIG FAT SOUP: Surviving My USS Pueblo Prisoner of War Journey. His story blends history, context and personal experience into a manuscript you won’t be able to put down.
Woelk describes the tranquility Pueblo’s crew felt in the days and weeks prior to the surprise attack by the North Koreans. Even though the US Navy did not equip Pueblo with the necessary weaponry to defend, they believed the safety of international waters would eliminate any antagonistic efforts by the enemy.
Woelk saw his best friend, Duane Hodges, die in the effort to destroy TOP-SECRET documents. Woelk was the most severely wounded of the remaining 82 crewmen. He underwent multiple surgeries in primitive conditions, without anesthesia. He then went through months of separation from the rest of the crew as he recovered. Upon his return to the rest of the captives, his fellow crewmen were suspicious that Woelk had been brainwashed by the North Koreans and placed in their midst to US Navy secrets.
Readers will be privy to the inmost thoughts of isolation, confusion, anxiety and anger that permeate the mind of a prisoner of war, during and after captivity. PTSD is common among most military veterans who have served in combat yet is unique in its manifestation to each one.
Upon its release, Pig Fat Soup earned Amazon best seller status at number 35.
Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 187 / 47,200