Foreword

For over 40 years, I have studied World War II and the Holocaust. One of my major goals in life was to write a story of survival from this period in history. Several years ago, I met and became acquainted with Mr. Alf Larson. Mr. Larson served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was stationed in the pre-war Philippine Islands. After the war began, he fought the Japanese invasion of the Philippine Islands both on land and in the air. He was shot down by Japanese Zero's over Luzon. He survived, continued fighting, and endured numerous hardships, including continuous starvation. After exhausting all military options, his field commander, General Edward P. King, surrendered American and Filipino forces in Bataan on April 9, 1942. Mr. Larson was captured on Bataan shortly after the American surrender and, along with thousands of American soldiers, became a prisoner of the Imperial Japanese Army. He survived an infamous Bataan Death March and two disgraceful and humiliating Japanese concentration camps. As American troops landed at Leyte to reclaim the Philippine Islands, he sailed in captivity to Japan in the notorious "Hell Ships." The remainder of the war was spent at Camp Nomachi, Japan performing forced labor until the Japanese surrender in August 1945. He left Japan in September 1945, was repatriated, and returned home to Duluth, Minnesota in November 1945.

The American surrender on Bataan and its chilling aftermath was a tragic event in America's military history. This narrative is, I believe, one of the most horrific stories of courage and unspeakable cruelty to come out of World War II. The events documented here often defy human imagination. It is an incredible testimony of courage and sacrifice to Alf and his fellow soldiers who survived the ordeal. Furthermore, it is a memorial to those who gave their "last full measure." Many of these "heroes" still lie in the distant jungles of Bataan.

Like so many World War II veterans, Mr. Larson rarely spoke of his experiences to anyone, including his wife and children. A few years after we met, he agreed to tell me his entire story. We initially engaged in a variety of personal and telephone conversations about World War II. In February 1999 we began a series of recorded interviews documenting his experiences. The manuscript is written in interview format. In transcription, care was taken to preserve accuracy of fact, the order in which all events occurred, and the originality Mr. Larson's statements. For readability, all questions and comments made by me are presented in red italics. Statements made by others are acknowledged by their names in parenthesis. Certain sentences and sections are highlighted in bold type. This is to underscore significant events that occurred or highlight the extreme inhumanity of certain situations of this human experience.