Henry Clay Conner, Jr. shares his extraordinary WWII experience from joining the 27th Bomb Group as a communications officer to becoming a guerrilla leader in the Japanese-occupied Philippines. His candid account reveals how unprepared American forces were for the reality of war in the Pacific and the cultural misunderstandings that led to tragedy.

• Born in Indianapolis on August 31, 1918 and graduated from Duke University in 1940
• Joined the Army Air Force in January 1941 with minimal training in communications
• Assigned to the 27th Bomb Group, the first complete bomb group sent overseas in US military history
• Stationed in the Philippines when Japanese forces attacked just hours after Pearl Harbor
• Received no cultural orientation about Japanese attitudes toward prisoners of war
• Heard President Roosevelt describe American forces in Bataan as "expendable"
• Chose to escape rather than surrender when Bataan fell on April 9, 1942
• Survived for 34 months behind enemy lines, leading guerrilla forces with Filipino support
• Witnessed firsthand how Japanese occupation forces mistreated Filipino civilians
• Credits Filipino loyalty and support for his survival throughout the occupation