The Expendable

The True Story of Patrol Wing 10, Pt Squadron 3, and a Navy Corpsman who Refused to Surrender when the Philippine Islands Fell to Japan

By: John Lewis Floyd

Narrated by: Phil Thron

As smoke billows skyward from Pearl Harbor, Japan throws its full military might against the outnumbered and under-equipped Filipino forces. Admiral Hart sends his US Asiatic Fleet south, to the safety of Allied waters. When remnants of PBY Patrol Wing 10 depart with the fleet, Charles Beckner, corpsman for Squadron 102, is left behind with no apparent avenue for escape.

Under relentless pressure from Japanese forces, American and Filipino troops retreat down the Bataan Peninsula. Sick with malaria and dysentery and out of food and ammunition, surrender is imminent for those who survive. Charles joins Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 as machine gunner and corpsman on PT-34. After two months of fighting along the Bataan coast, Squadron 3 is tasked with a critical, covert mission that once more leaves Charles stranded, this time on the southern Philippine island of Cebu. As the Japanese noose tightens, Charles makes his way to the island of Mindanao and joins other sailors and soldiers preparing for guerrilla resistance.

His plans are interrupted by new orders that will unexpectedly reunite him with crewmen of his old seaplane squadron. With advancing Japanese troops only minutes away, there is one possibility for escape. It is risky, and failure will be fatal.

"Highly readable narrative of personal courage from PBYs to PT boats John Floyd has done an admirable job of preserving the stories of his father-in-law in a fast-paced and highly readable narrative. Originally assigned as a Navy corpsman to a PBY patrol wing, Charles Beckner was not only on Corregidor with MacArthur, but also in the chaos of the start of the war in the Pacific he ended up in the PT-boat squadron that evacuated the general from the Philippines. Highly recommended as the story of one family’s sacrifices well told in the context of the broader war." (Walter Borneman, author of The Admirals and MacArthur at War)

Winner, Arizona Authors Association 2020 Literary Magazine award.

©2020 John Lewis Floyd (P)2020 John Lewis Floyd

awesome

Great story very descriptive and makes you feel like your actually there. a good read for sure.

I love bio's from people who lived though it

Ok , assuming the Bio is factual . The story was easy to listen to . Information was presented well . of course I want to learn about the different parts of this mans journey and see if others wrote about their experience at that time.

A dedicated US Navy Corpsman WII

Great story of a dedicated Corpsman.
A true story of a Patriotic man
Well narrated
I served as a Navy Corpsman, brought back great memories

OUTSTANDING STORY!

If you served as a Corpsman then you know this is true… Enjoy this book!

Incredible

What an amazing story, you won’t be disappointed! This story absolutely needs to be made into a movie.

Extraordinary story

Wonderfully told and written. This is an easy and enjoyable book that you will want to listen to many times.

Very Good Book, one that is difficult to put down

This one is a keeper. I've archived because I know I'll listen to it again. I only have one complaint....and I won't ruin the story for those who haven't read it yet. At the end of the book, in the epilogue section, the author gives a summary on the main characters and what became of them after the main plot (Fall of the Philippines). That part I enjoyed very much. However, I noticed that a main character was missing from the summary. It was a character sprinkled throughout the story. The reader is left with a "whatever happened to this person." Upon doing my own research, I discovered that this was a fictional character the author created to make the story more interesting. NOT COOL. When I pick up a "non-fiction" book...I want NON-FICTION. I felt like a "bait and switch" occurred. Mind you, it was the only part fictionalized, and the story and environment is rich and vibrant....I still highly recommend the book. However, the fictionalizing of a character left me with a disappointment. In this day in age when "Truth" is hard to come by (vs the abhorrent "My Truth")...in Non-Fiction, just stick with the facts. You really had a great true story, refrain from embellishment and half-truths.

I liked the common navy corpsman account of the action. Narration was clear and embodied the main character.

Seemed to have a quick ending. I was not looking for a macro picture of the fall of the Philippines, but a few more general tactical notes on the big scale would add some flavor

Wonderful book !

I highly recommend reading this book or listening to it like I did! Very interesting !

Great book incredible story

Loved the book. I had read the basic facts in other 📚 but this personal account really brought the human experience of these events.