One of the most remarkable life stores I have ever heard: Edwin Ramsey was a lieutenant in the US Army stationed in the Philippine Islands when Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor. When Japan attacked the PIs he surprisingly led a cavalry charge that helped hold off the attackers for a critical length of time. He would have been swept up in the Bataan Death March, but he and a few others managed to cross the road being used without being captured.
He went into the underground. The Japanese focused on knocking off the ranking officers in the underground and succeeded, leaving Ramsey one of very few junior officers. He organized more and more people until he was over 40,000 people. The Army sent people ashore to maintain contact and got a radio to Ramsey, so he had contact with General MacArthur. He even traveled to another island - if I recall correctly - by submarine. This went on for over three years - without being captured. He was promoted during the Philippine occupation, by radio!
He continued to coordinate with MacArthur until his return to Luzon in January, 1945. (He arrived at other Leyte Island earlier.) Wikipedia In June, 1945 Gen. MacArthur awarded him - then a Lt. Colonel - the Distinguished Service Cross.
After the war ended Ramsey went to law school then represented Hughes Aircraft in Japan, then formed his own companies in Taiwan and the PI. He retired in Los Angeles. He passed away March 7, 2012 at age 95.
Lieutenant Ramsey's War - the book
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