I grew up in Palestine, West Virginia, which is mostly a farming community; there aren't a lot of jobs.

I had the good fortune and opportunity to come home and to tell the truth; many soldiers, like Pat Tillman… did not have that opportunity. The truth of war is not always easy. The truth is always more heroic than the hype.

I could be, you know, the person that shows little kids that giving up isn't something that you should do.

I know that I'm already in the history books and that people are going to remember me as the prisoner of war and the fabricated stories, but you know, to me I was just another soldier over there doing my job.

I don't think any war is worth having our soldiers killed.

Honesty has always been very important to me.

The nurses at the hospital tried to soothe me, and they even tried unsuccessfully at one point to return me to Americans.