
Valor
The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit
Dan Hampton(Author)
Saint Martin's Griffin,U.S. (Publisher)
Published on 18. September 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-250-79945-6 (ISBN)
Description
Lieutenant William Frederick "Bill" Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay but his harrowing ordeal had just begun.
Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China. After 29 days of misadventures and violent storms, Harris and his crew limped into a friendly fishing village in the southern Philippines. Evading and fighting for months, he was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eaves dropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.
Through military documents, personal photos, and an unpublished memoir provided by his daughter, Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed through his own words in a riveting new look at the Pacific War.
Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China. After 29 days of misadventures and violent storms, Harris and his crew limped into a friendly fishing village in the southern Philippines. Evading and fighting for months, he was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eaves dropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.
Through military documents, personal photos, and an unpublished memoir provided by his daughter, Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed through his own words in a riveting new look at the Pacific War.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
St Martin's Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
Includes one map and one 8-page black-and-white photograph section
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
390 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-250-79945-6 (9781250799456)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
New York Times bestselling author DAN HAMPTON flew 151 combat missions during both Gulf Wars, receiving four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor and a Purple Heart. A graduate of the elite USAF Fighter Weapons School, Dan holds several advanced degrees, including a Master of Arts from Dartmouth. Translated into a dozen languages, excerpts from Dan's books have been published in Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New York Post, USA Today, Parade, and Newsday.
Content
Prologue
CHAPTER ONE: Determination
CHAPTER TWO: A Little Piece of Hell
CHAPTER THREE: Twilight Passing
CHAPTER FOUR: Red Summer
CHAPTER FIVE: Boomerang
CHAPTER SIX: Currents
CHAPTER SEVEN: Lost Souls
CHAPTER EIGHT: Odyssey
CHAPTER NINE: Abyss
CHAPTER TEN: The Long Road Home
Epilogue
Author's Note
Bibliography