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.

Extraordinary story

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

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.

Riveting personal story of a drive to survive

I found that I could not stop listening to each trial before this man. His spirit and drive were impressive. The book is well written and the audio was great. Highly recommend it.

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