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Return to Freedom: The War Memoirs of Colonel Samuel C. Grashio U.S.A.F.
Book by Grashio, Samuel C., Norling, Bernard
166 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 18, 2020
I stumbled across this book. I was doing research for work about members of the Knights of Columbus in WWII, and I found that Samuel Grashio was mentioned as a Knight in an old edition of “Columbia” magazine. He was speaking at a council breakfast about surviving the Bataan Death March. I thought that alone is fascinating, and hoped he had logged his journey on the Death March somehow.
And I found he wrote a whole book. But it was more than the Death March. He was also involved in one of the only successful escapes from a Japanese prison camp.
Grashio talks about his faith and luck in surviving the war. His account is detailed and horrific, but the driving force behind his actions is his grasp on a sliver of hope.
This story is a testament to the human will, belief in God, as well as a fascinating account of an often-glossed-over event during the Second World War.
And I found he wrote a whole book. But it was more than the Death March. He was also involved in one of the only successful escapes from a Japanese prison camp.
Grashio talks about his faith and luck in surviving the war. His account is detailed and horrific, but the driving force behind his actions is his grasp on a sliver of hope.
This story is a testament to the human will, belief in God, as well as a fascinating account of an often-glossed-over event during the Second World War.
April 12, 2016
The true story of one America's forgotten World War II heroes.
On November 20, 1941 1LT Samuel Grashio is sent to the Philippine Islands as an American fighter pilot. Three weeks later the islands are successfully invaded by the army and navy of Imperial Japan and Grashio is forced to endure the horrific "Bataan Death March". What happens next is a personal story of one man's amazing will to survive against all odds and the only mass POW escape from a Japanese prison during the Second World War.
There is not enough good I can say about Samuel Grashio's story. Why his book is not required reading in American schools is a mystery to me. I learned a lot: history, culture, politics but above all I read about the highest levels of man humanity and inhumanity. For once I read a first-hand account of good versus evil in real life and in a war that is mostly idealized today. Samuel Grashio's story really humbled me to be grateful for the free life I am living today and not many books are capable of doing that. If we are to learn from history we must learn about people like Samuel Grashio.
Rest in peace sir, it has been an honor learning from you.
Pros:
Easy to read first-person format
Thought provoking insight into the culture and politics of the time
Does not shy away from the horrifying details of Imperial Japanese brutality
Cons:
The epilogue section of the book becomes a little irrelevant (but not by much)
On November 20, 1941 1LT Samuel Grashio is sent to the Philippine Islands as an American fighter pilot. Three weeks later the islands are successfully invaded by the army and navy of Imperial Japan and Grashio is forced to endure the horrific "Bataan Death March". What happens next is a personal story of one man's amazing will to survive against all odds and the only mass POW escape from a Japanese prison during the Second World War.
There is not enough good I can say about Samuel Grashio's story. Why his book is not required reading in American schools is a mystery to me. I learned a lot: history, culture, politics but above all I read about the highest levels of man humanity and inhumanity. For once I read a first-hand account of good versus evil in real life and in a war that is mostly idealized today. Samuel Grashio's story really humbled me to be grateful for the free life I am living today and not many books are capable of doing that. If we are to learn from history we must learn about people like Samuel Grashio.
Rest in peace sir, it has been an honor learning from you.
Pros:
Easy to read first-person format
Thought provoking insight into the culture and politics of the time
Does not shy away from the horrifying details of Imperial Japanese brutality
Cons:
The epilogue section of the book becomes a little irrelevant (but not by much)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews