Customer Reviews

Last Man Out: Glenn McDole, USMC, Survivor of the Palawan Massacre in World War II

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book should be required reading for every high school student in America - most people have no idea what many ordinary young men endured as prisoners during World War II, how they behaved under the unbelievable burden of watching their friends die and how they overcame the horror of being POWs of the Japanese in the Philippines - this book is extremely well-written, simple and concise without self promotion concerning one of the worst atrocities in modern warfare - it's an easy although uncomfortable read - it'll make you proud to call McDole and other POWs fellow Americans

This is a great story of a survivor who makes it and also the story of others who perish. All of whom are heroes under conditions we hope will never again be faced by POW's. This book tells the story of their sacrifice which should never be forgotten.

I could not put it down. I really liked the book. I meet Mr. McDole and his wife this last June. What an amazing family and how he over came tragidy.

One of the good stories to come out of World War II was the rescue of over 500 American prisoners at the CABANATUAN MILITARY PRISON CAMP. If you are not familiar with the story, 123 members of the 6th Rangers sneaked through enemy lines to the prison camp, killed all the guards and got the men out.

It was not common for such break outs to be attempted. And the reason for the rescue at Cabanatuan was the massacre at Palawan.

Palawan was an offshoot of Cabanatuan, some 150 prisoners from Cabanatuan had been sent to Palawan as slave workers. They spent two and a half years working on the air strip. Then on December 15, 1944 the Americans landed on Mindoro. So the Japanese decided to execute the 150 prisoners. They missed eleven who managed to escape.

This is the story of one young marine. From all the people in the USMC he bacame one of the 7,000 Americans captured at Corregidor, and one of the eleven to survive Palawan.

As I read this book, my first thought was to damn the Japanese. Their culture of Bushido created an environment where such events happened. Then I thought of the Islamic terrorists, or cult or whatever you'd call it in Iraq who yesterday beheaded someone just to get it in the news. And that lead me to the events in the prison in Iraq where we Americans didn't exactly act with honor.

This is a book, not only excellently written, but tells of a side of the war not often reported. And forces you to think of other places, other incidents. Highly recommended.

This book was very good even though it tells a terrible story. There is a lot of detail about massacre of 139 American prisoners of war and the survival of just 11 as they hid in garbage and swam 5 miles in the ocean to safety. This is a great source for a national history day project. This book would be 6 stars if that rating existed.

This is by far the best book ever. Finished in in 3 or 4 nights, just kept thinking "then what, then what."

Must read for any military or war buff.

This should be a must read book!!! Although written by someone else, the actual Veteran, Glenn McDole was there right by his side and threw in plenty of quotes and first hand accounts.

Read the book and get a good example of what happened in some of these Japanese P.O.W. camps. I can assure you that your jaw will drop to the ground!!!

A very well done story of the experiences of Glenn McDole as a US Marine soldier in WWII who survived as a POW fron early '42 until December'44 when he escaped from a POW camp on Palawan PI. He was a Marine guard for Gen. D. MacArthur on Corregador when the war began. He escaped being massacurred in the POW camp at Puerto Princesa, Palawan when 139 fellow prisoners were murdered by beatings, gunfire and fuel flames. He served his country honorably and helped save the lives of many other POWs!

Excelent book and many lessons that need to be remembered today.
My Thanks to Mr. Mcdole for his may years of service to his country.

A very interesting story of McDole's time in WWII. You can't believe what happens and how the POW survive. Uplifting story of survival and depressing story of what humans will do to each other.