Customer Rating: 
Summary: Misleading title
Comment: Only about 5 or 10 pages of the book are about the liberation of the camp. Large portions of the military action are not even touched on. The first part is a general descripiton of the war situation and most of the book is interviews with internees about their time in the camp. No real time-line or story just disjointed personal accounts. Agonizing little about the soldiers, the fighting, the rescue, or the aftermath.
I have read just about every book on this subject as my Father was in the 1st Cav and participated in the liberation of Santo Tomas and in the later fight for Manila and this is my least favorite book. I guess it might be a slightly better book if it was titled, "Short Interviews with former Interns of Santo Tomas"
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Hero
Comment: Bob Holland and the members of the First Cavalry were true heroes. Without their brave efforts thousands of Allied civilians surely would have perished. Bob tells a compelling story of how the rescue was accomplished. This should be required reading for anyone interested in WWII.
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Summary: An untold story our brave soldiers' heroism saved 4000 lives
Comment: This book is unique. It is written by a Marine who was there and took part in the rescue of 4000 American and Filipino civilians held prisoner by the Japanese from 1941-1945 on the island of Luzon. The first half of the book details the operation itself--how the mission, which was extremely dangerous, was accomplished with a few Marines and members of the 1st Cavalry, US Army, under the direction of General Douglas McArthur
The second, perhaps most moving, half of the book contains personal stories and accounts of several of the internees themselves, who were interviewed by the author over a series of four years. The living conditions in the camp were atrocious, there was no food, and the tyranny of the Japanese captors unparalleled. The internees' vivid recollections of their rescue and the gratitude they expressed truly touch the heart
Must read!!!!
