The War Journal of Major Damon 'Rocky' Gause

De: Major Damon 'Rocky' Gause

Narrado por: Dick Hill

Of all the heroic stories to come out of World War II, few are as extraordinary as that of Major Rocky Gause, who was captured by the Japanese, escaped from the infamous Bataan Death March, and, with a fellow soldier, endured a harrowing voyage across the enemy-held Pacific in a leaky, hand-crafted boat.

In the battered notebook he kept throughout his journey, Gause traced his steps from the besieged city of Manila on New Year's Eve, 1941, to his safe landing on the Australian coast ten months later. In spare and vivid prose, Gause wrote of a voyage on which he encountered a savage two-day typhoon, a treacherous Nazi collaborator, numerous enemy ships, and a final strafing that set his boat on fire just before landfall. His compelling vignettes document the heroism of the men who fought and died beside him, and bring to life an important chapter in World War II history.

Tragically, Gause was killed a year later in a plane crash over London, but his remarkable account, recovered from Gause's footlocker by the son who never knew him, will live on as a testament to the power of the human spirit in a time when heroes are all too hard to find.

©1999 Damon Gause (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

A Great story about grit and resourcefulness

A great story about never quitting, both sides of the human spirit, and a little luck.

true American bad-ass

This is a fantastic book start to finish. Nothing else to add. Truly an inspiration.

Amazing book!

The book holds you attention from beginning to end! A book about a true American hero.

Great story

The reader made me feel it was Rocky telling the story.

Halfbreed41 12/28/2024

I am familiar with some of the locations described in his story. I really enjoyed every minute of this book.

A Spellbinding Tale of Escape

After reading several tales of American servicemen leading harrowing escapes from the Philippines following the surrender to Japan's military forces, this account, drawn directly from (then Lieutenant) Damon 'Rocky' Gause' diary, is every bit as exciting and informative. In his diary, this hero documents in detail his actions fighting the invaders in several leadership capacities right up to the the surrender, at which time he takes his extraordinary journey of escape to reach Australia so that he can fight again. Repeatedly, he's aided by brave Filipinos who, in doing so, risked retribution, brutality, and death by the Japanese. His journey in a leaky old skiff from island to island and across the sea, while dodging Japanese ships, aircraft, and army units, testifies to his perseverance. It stands out as a prime example of truth being stranger than fiction. The narrators clear voice with its' trace of Southern accent was excellent. It was if 'Rocky', who grew up in the South, was telling his story in person.