Radiotopia.

From PRX.

From PRX's Radiotopia, this is Radio Diaries.

I'm Joe Richmond.

Today in the podcast, Prisoners of War.

And a heads up, this story contains some strong language.

When I first heard mention of a notorious U.S. military prison during the Vietnam War,

I assumed it was for captured enemy fighters.

But Longbin jail, also known as LBJ, on the outskirts of Saigon, was actually for American soldiers.

These were men who had broken military law, and there were a lot of them.

As the unpopular war dragged on, discipline frayed and soldiers started to rebel.

ABC's Craig Spence reports from Saigon.

The single toughest problem faced by the military police is the apprehension of deserters and soldiers absent without leave.

Most soldiers go AWOL to get away from army routine,

some to avoid combat, some even to protest the war.

By the summer of 1968, over half the men in Long Been Jail

were locked up on AWOL charges,

some for more serious crimes,

others for small stuff like refusing to get a haircut. The code of military justice is broad.

The stockade had also become extremely overcrowded.

Built to house 400 inmates, it was crammed with more than 700 men.

And most of them were black.

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