Colonel Henry Mucci

Colonel Henry Mucci is a West Point graduate who is selected to plan and lead the rescue mission of Cabanatuan Camp. Mucci's parents were Italian immigrants and he was born 1909 in Connecticut. In 1943, Mucci took command of the US Sixth Army's 98th Field Artillery Battalion; the battalion was then scaled back to 500 men and converted into the army's first Ranger battalion. Mucci is thus the commander of the US Army's first Ranger Battalion, an organization based on the concept of elite or special forces. The battalion trains for over a year on New Guinea; although somewhat slight of stature, Mucci is physically fit and possesses a remarkable constitution. Throughout the difficult training, Mucci leads his men from the front, usually outperforming picked men a decade younger. Mucci finds, however, that his unit's unique capabilities are generally not understood, and the men spend time performing guard duties...