Writing a book is not an easy thing to do, and this book was possible only with the help of a lot of different people. I am especially grateful to all who provided personal histories, memoirs, and other materials about these POWs. These include my cousins Dorothy Furniss, Ivan Brown Zundel, and Robin Brown for materials about Bobby Brown and my cousins Charles Baclawski, Paul Baclawski and Robert Baclawski, for information about Arthur Baclawski.

Marilyn Springgay not only provided a wealth of information about her father, Robert G. Davey, but she is also a talented writer and provided many helpful comments, suggestions, and corrections on draft manuscripts. Similarly, I appreciate the following for the personal history materials and information that were key to this book and for their comments and suggestions: Richard Patterson (James Patterson); Thomas M. Fairbanks (Nels Hansen); Kurt Bray and Heidi Campbell (Rex Bray); Kindall Ingleby and Marianne Loose (Orland Hamblin); Vauna Marie Kelley and Bonnie Goodliffe (Charles Goodliffe); Cristy Crawford, Crystal Grover, and Suzanne Julian (Ernest Reynolds Parry); Jacob Stewart (Franklin East); Cody Christensen (A. C. Christensen); and Dennis Autry (Carl D. Rohlfing).

I am also grateful for the efforts of Lieutenant Colonel Gregory D. Hammond and Alisa Hyer Hammond (his wife and my daughter) for their diligent efforts in securing the military records of Bobby Brown and for their review and comments on the book.

David L. Clark was a personal friend of my grandmother Ruby Spilsbury Brown and coauthored the BYU Studies article. His work in researching and recording the history of the Latter-day Saint POWs in Davao was both the springboard and foundation research for this book. In addition, he graciously reviewed the manuscript and provided important comments and suggestions, which were greatly appreciated.

I also have had the good fortune to receive superb substantive and editorial critiques from each of the following who carefully reviewed earlier versions of the manuscript: Lee Benson, Sydnee Hyer, James Wallmann, Gary Shumway, Ruby Lewis, Chelsea Jackson and Heidi Brockbank. I am grateful to Scott C. Esplin, Joany O. Pinegar, Cara L. P. Nickels, Brent Nordgren, and Carmen Cole of the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University for their encouragement and work in the publication of this book and, in particular, to the lead editor, Devan Jensen, for his skillful and meticulous editing.

Moreover, I am indebted to all the veterans, historians, families, and friends who through books, articles, and websites have recorded the experiences of the Pacific POWs and who have dedicated many hours in analyzing, organizing, and cataloging military records pertaining to these POWs. They have provided a great service to our country and to the friends and families of these POWs, and they have done much to assure that the service and sacrifice of each POW are not forgotten.

Lastly and most importantly, I thank my wife, Evie, for her help and support. She is an avid reader and first introduced to me two nonfiction books about POWs in the Philippines; together with the BYU Studies article, those books triggered my interest in the subject. As a careful reader, she also has a good eye for good and bad writing and carefully read draft manuscripts, pointing out much of the latter. It is not always easy being married to someone working on a book. I am grateful for her patience.

Michael H. Hyer