This podcast may contain language and content that is not appropriate for all audiences.

Some of the words used by the interviewees may be considered offensive.

Many people are unfamiliar with the story of what happened to American servicemen on the

Batan Peninsula in April of 1942.

The capture, torture, and ultimate repatriation of those prisoners of war is among the most

disturbing realities of World War II.

Many soldiers died, horrifically, and those who survived have testified about the suffering

and impossible odds of the courage and camaraderie that define the tan.

Our podcast is entitled Ben Steele American and is inspired by the book Tears in the Darkness

by Elizabeth and Michael Norman. Ben Steele survived the misery of his captivity and went

on almost unbelievably to live to be 98 years old in his native Montana, pursuing his passion

as an artist.

It is important to note that the brutality of the Japanese army is not our focus here,

although an historical examination of how and why those forces developed as they did

is unavoidable.

Our emphasis is, instead, on the bravery, resilience, and compassion of those Americans who tried

to care for their fallen comrades, who endured unspeakably harsh conditions and returned home,

ultimately victorious over their captors.

We feature the voices of several survivors as well as the contributions of notable scholars,

not least of which is our writer, producer Jan Thompson.

However, it is the remarkable life of one man that is the focus of this podcast.

A man unlike any other you may have met.

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