As Good As Dead: The True WWII Story of Eleven American POWs Who Escaped from Palawan Island

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In late 1944, the Allies invaded the Japanese-held Philippines, and soon the end of the Pacific War was within reach. But for the last 150 American prisoners of war still held on the island of Palawan, there would be no salvation. As they were herded into air raid shelters, Japanese soldiers set them on fire. By the next morning, only eleven were left alive. As Good As Dead is one of the greatest escape stories of World War II, and one that few people know. Endurance, determination and courage in the face of death make this a gripping and inspiring saga of survival.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR AS GOOD AS DEAD

Equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting, As Good as Dead is an incredible, moving tale told by a master storyteller. Moores research is impressive, but his remarkable ability to relate the human story of everyday Americans in time of war is what really makes this book so hard to put down. I highly recommend it.John C. McManus, author of The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach

Meticulously researched and grippingly told, As Good as Dead is a powerful story of brutality, suffering, and the ultimate triumph of the American spirit.James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and national bestselling author of Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor

As Good as Dead tells an almost unbelievable story of cruelty and despair in which ordinary men survived by defiant determination, simply refusing to submit to their apparent fate. Stephen L. Moore tells the story of the Palawan survivors with great skill, and his book should be required reading to gain an understanding of the often neglected war in the Pacific.Gregory A. Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II

Visceral and heartrending, As Good as Dead details the stirring stories of eleven grimly determined men whoexercising incredible resolve and gritsurvived seemingly impossible circumstances. An outstanding and important work.Jay A. Stout, author of Vanished Hero: The Life, War, and Mysterious Disappearance of Americas WWII Strafing King

Stephen L. Moore shows how the desperate Palawan breakout was just the start of a harrowing escape effort that only eleven men ultimately would survive. . . .As Good as Deadkeeps alive a dark, nearly forgotten chapter of World War II history. It also reaffirms Moore's skills as a writer of excellent military books.The Dallas Morning News

PRAISE FOR THE WORK OF STEPHEN L. MOORE

Moore offers what will soon be ranked a major military classic among the past half century's torrent of books on the Pacific War. . . . A major, first-rate, authoritative contribution to the literature of WWII.Leatherneck

A fabulous, memorable re-creation of how the war was experienced . . . Will definitely appeal to anyone with an interest in the carrier wars of World War II.America in WWII

Deeply researched and well written, Pacific Payback is by far the most detailed account of USS Enterprises dive-bombers and their decisive role at the Battle of Midway.Jonathan Parshall, coauthor of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

Stephen L. Moore has done a service to the courageous fliers of Scouting Squadron Six and Bombing Squadron Six. . . . Their bravery during the wars first six months, when the nation needed heroes, should long occupy a premier spot in our nations history.John F. Wukovits, author of For Crew and Country and One Square Mile of Hell

Author Bio

Stephen L. Moore, a sixth-generation Texan, graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he studied advertising, marketing, and journalism. He is the author of multiple books on World War II and Texas history, including The Battle for Hell's Island- How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal; Pacific Payback- The Carrier Fly Boys Who Avenged Pearl Harbor at the Battle of Midway; Texas Rising- The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846,and Taming Texas, a biography of his great-great-great grandfather William T. Sadler, who was one of the first Texas Ranger captains in the 1830s. Steve lives north of Dallas in Lantana, Texas, with his wife, Cindy, and their three children.