At a crucial moment, Ed Whitcomb, a B-17 navigator, made a split-second decision and thereby set off a hair-raising, spine-tingling sequence of narrow escapes, captures, unexpected breaks, and bitter betrayals that culminated in his final extrication from enemy territory.
Whitcomb reached Clark Field just before its demolition by the Japanese. He then evaded capture at the fall of Bataan by fleeing in a rowboat to the bastion of Corregidor, where he was caught. Escaping under cover of darkness, he swam for eight hours to get to the mainland.
After weeks of struggle in a snake-infested jungle, he sailed by moonlight down the heavily patrolled coast, only to fall, once again, into the clutches of the enemy. Facing captors, Ed Whitcomb took a desperate chance for freedom. Clenching his fists, he said: My name is Robert Fred Johnson, mining employee.
This is the story of a man who vowed never to give up. He assumed the identity of a civilian and lived another man's life for almost two years. Neither hunger, nor beatings, nor the long gray hopelessness of prison life could shake Ed Whitcomb's determination to escape the enemy and return home to Indiana.
Ed Whitcomb is the epitome of the American fighting man. He has the courage and fortitude needed to defy all odds in order to bring honor and respect to his state and country.
