Skip to content
Home/ Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit
Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit

Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit

by Hampton, Dan
No customer reviews yet ISBN 9781250799456 Griffin

Valor is the magnificent story of a genuine American hero who survived the fall of the Philippines and brutal captivity under the Japanese, from New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton.

Lieutenant William Frederick "Bill" Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun.

Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China. After 29 days of misadventures and violent storms, Harris and his crew limped into a friendly fishing village in the southern Philippines. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.

Valor is a riveting new look at the Pacific War. Through military documents, personal photos, and an unpublished memoir provided by his daughter, Harris' experiences are dramatically revealed through his own words in the expert hands of bestselling author and retired fighter pilot Dan Hampton. This is the stunning and captivating true story of an American hero.

About the author

Product details

BrandGriffin
Pub dateAug 22, 2023
ISBN-101250799457
ISBN-139781250799456
Paperback368.0 pages
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions8.25 × 0.82 × 5.38 in
Weight2 lb
Last updated 2026-03-19 22:39
$17.63 $25.00 29% off
You save $7.37 · list price $25.00
In stock — ships in 24 hours with free tracking
Delivery by Thursday, September 10, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from History | Wars & Conflicts | World War II - Pacific Theater
See all
Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II
Webster, Donovan
$15.82
Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of W
Zuckoff, Mitchell
$14.16
Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of W
Zuckoff, Mitchell
$21.00
Rescue at Los Baños: The Most Daring Prison Camp Raid of World War II
Henderson, Bruce
$11.39
Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II
<p><strong>#1 <em>New York Times </em>bestseller!</strong></p><p><em>Frozen in Time</em> is a gripping true story of survival, bravery, and honor in the vast Arctic wilderness during World War II, from the author of <em>New York Times </em>bestseller <em>Lost in Shangri-La</em>.</p><p>On November 5, 1942, a US cargo plane slammed into the Greenland Ice Cap. Four days later, the B-17 assigned to the search-and-rescue mission became lost in a blinding storm and also crashed. Miraculously, all nine men on board survived, and the US military launched a daring rescue operation. But after picking up one man, the Grumman Duck amphibious plane flew into a severe storm and vanished.</p><p><em>Frozen in Time </em>tells the story of these crashes and the fate of the survivors, bringing vividly to life their battle to endure 148 days of the brutal Arctic winter, until an expedition headed by famed Arctic explorer Bernt Balchen brought them to safety. Mitchell Zuckoff takes the reader deep into the most hostile environment on earth, through hurricane-force winds, vicious blizzards, and subzero temperatures.</p><p>Moving forward to today, he recounts the efforts of the Coast Guard and North South Polar Inc. - led by indefatigable dreamer Lou Sapienza - who worked for years to solve the mystery of the Duck's last flight and recover the remains of its crew.</p><p>A breathtaking blend of mystery and adventure Mitchell Zuckoff's <em>Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II </em>is also a poignant reminder of the sacrifices of our military personnel and a tribute to the everyday heroism of the US Coast Guard.</p>
$13.00
Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught Between Two Worlds
Sakamoto, Pamela Rotner
$14.16