Pete Banning

Pete Banning is one of the central figures in this novel. He is the father of Joel and Stella, and the husband of Liza. Pete was a West Point graduate who intended to make a career in the military. When his parents died during the Great Depression, Pete was forced to move to his family’s farm in order to keep it from being lost. By the time Pete was called to fight in World War II his dreams of being a military hero were over but he still served his country valiantly. He was among the Americans who surrendered to the Japanese in the Philippines and was forced to take part in the Bataan Death March to a prison camp. After escaping captivity, Pete joined guerrilla forces and fought against the Japanese. During the war, Pete had been listed as captured and presumed dead. His family...