Heroes I've Known

This is two books in one. George MacDonald and James Obenauf have heroic life stories to tell. In World War II MacDonald was only 11 years old when he was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. He and his family spent three years in captivity with over 2,000 other prisoners of war at the Los Baños prison camp. This brave young lad and his family managed to survive when they were being starved to death and scheduled for execution. It is also a story of how the U.S. military and Filipino guerrillas joined forces to rescue these prisoners in a sweeping and bold surprise attack against 300 Japanese guards. It was the very day before the entire camp was to be massacred. It was a brilliantly planned attack which incurred almost no casualties. All POWs were rescued alive. For the airborne portion of the mission, General Colin Powell, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "I doubt that any airborne unit in the world will ever be able to rival the Los Baños prison raid. It is the textbook airborne operation for all ages and all armies." The second story is about James "Obie" Obenauf, and how he, as a young co-pilot in a B-47 bomber, saved a man's life. The pilot and navigator had bailed out due to an explosion on the right wing. Obie's ejection seat failed to operate. The instructor navigator on board had been knocked unconscious. Obie had the choice of leaving the instructor navigator to die while he bailed out through the navigator's hatch or try to fly this crippled airplane back to home base. Flying from the back seat with the canopy blown off and 200mph winds blowing in his face, partially blinding him, he was determined to save the life of the instructor navigator by making an almost impossible night landing. Great men and great heroes are tested by adversity. MacDonald and Obenauf were tested. They passed admirably.