Ghost Soldiers

I find Ghost Soldiers to be an excellent account of the rescue of Allied POWs, many held since the outset of the U.S. involvement in World War II, from the infamous Cabanatuan Japanese Prisoner of War Camp in central Luzon in the Philippines. Based upon interviews of those involved, it would be used as one of two true-to-life books to create the 2005 movie The Great Raid. This book has a strong place in my heart since Ed Babler was marched to this POW camp soon after surrendering on the offshore island of Corregidor and would spend at least… show more.

I only had to read the headline to know this was the book for me. The Americans handpicked 121 soldiers to slip behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission seemed impossible; another reason I chose this book. It was to march thirty miles in rugged terrain, and at the end, rescue over 500 POWs, amongst them the last survivors of the Bataan Death March.

I recommend this book because it engrossed me from page one to the last. The realistic imagery depicting how the prisoners lived in the camp, how they bonded together, and survived despite starvation, tropical diseases,… show more.

This book reads as a gripping thriller rooted in gruesome fact in the Philippine jungle. I’ve read this book several times for inspiration in crafting my books. A great balance between the necessary detail to establish the context and the laser focus on remarkable devotion to duty.

I was only eight days shy of the Vietnam war draft when it was halted, and it instilled in me profound respect, admiration, and a sense of debt to the brave men and women who answered the call of duty sacrificed in duty to our nation. I'm drawn to historical works, be it historical fiction or nonfiction accounts, of wartime through the ages. My fiance's father was the youngest US Army Ranger during WWII in the story that this book recounts, so reading it brought a special significance to me.

This is a story of heroism on an epic scale, engrossing as well as uplifting, exactly what we need during this prolonged pandemic induced “captivity”…. Hollywood: Are you working on a major feature film to tell this story on the big screen, as we speak?