Chapters 1-3 Summary

On an April day in 1942 at Luzon on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippine Islands, reservist and engineer Lieutenant Wendell Fertig arrives at headquarters for an appointment with Maj. Gen Edward King, commander of Luzon Forces. The general asks Fertig whether the unit is prepared for and capable of destroying all weaponry as the Japanese are overrunning the island, getting closer each day. Fertig reassures the general that all is prepared, and the general hands Fertig the silver leaf signifying his promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In Corregidor, Maj. Stephen Paulson sends First Lt. James Weston on a mission to purchase replacement parts for the failing electrical generator, and gives him a huge stash of cash.

Sgt. Percy Lewis Everly, a native West Virginian whose career in the Marines has been punctuated by drinking and fighting bouts, seriously contemplates...