The Sea Was My Last Chance

D.H. (Herb) Wills fought the Japanese on Bataan, was captured and imprisoned for a year at the infamous Cabanatuan camp, then another year at Davao prison, on Mindanao. Embarking for dreaded imprisonment in Japan in 1944, he dove overboard and swam four miles back to Mindanao where he joined the ragtag guerrillas, electing to stay and fight until the island’s liberation rather than leave by submarine. Successful campaigns by the Filipino guerrillas, led by Lt. Wills, at Misamis, Malaband, and Dipolog were instrumental in the liberation of Mindanao.

The late Donald H. Wills (May 23, 1918–December 1, 1997) received the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal for his efforts at Mindanao. He lived in Richardson, Texas.
Reyburn W. Myers, formerly of the American Red Cross, wrote for Stars and Stripes during World War II.

Donald H. Wills with Reyburn W. Myers
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 187
Bibliographic Info: photos, maps, facsimiles, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [1992]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6744-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8765-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword      ix
List of Maps and Illustrations      xiii
The Philippine Islands      xv

1. Escape      1
2. Surrender and Prison      13
3. Cabanatuan Prison Camp      26
4. Davao Prison Camp      36
5. Contact with Guerrillas      54
6. Life with the Guerrillas in the Hills      63
7. A Moro Wedding      70
8. Hunting Moro Bandits      75
9. The Long Hike      79
10. Guerrilla Headquarters      89
11. Camp X      93
12. Attack on Misamis      101
13. Reorganizing Guerrilla Headquarters      122
14. The Malabang Campaign      136
15. The Dipolog Campaign      149
16. Home—and Back to the Philippines      162

Index      167

“has much on daily life of people in that sparsely populated area…one of the few American memoirs to give credit to guerrillas”—The Cellar Book Shop; “a fascinating story of courage, perseverance, spirit and luck under dangerous and trying circumstances…will remind readers of the immense sacrifices made by men and women who defended Bataan and Corregidor in the early dark days of America’s involvement in World War II”—VMI Alumni Review.