The Pine River Library will host a presentation recounting a thrilling Pacific Theater escape story from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Tim Deal, a retired U.S. Coast Guard commander, will present the story of how Lt. Commander John H. Morrill and 17 members of his crew from the USS Quail escaped from Manila Bay, Philippines on the evening of May 6, 1942, just hours after General Wainwright surrendered all U.S. and Filipino forces to the Japanese.
Using a 36-foot Navy motor launch, the sailors slipped out of the mouth of the bay on a month-long, 2,000-mile odyssey to Darwin, Australia.
The presentation is based on South from Corregidor, Morrill's first-hand account of their escape. It is an amazing adventure where ingenuity, skill, and the generosity of the Filipino people played a significant role in the outcome of events.
Deal and his brother Mike Deal, a Vietnam veteran, spent two years bringing this 74-year-old World War II escape story back from obscurity.
A copy of the book signed by the last living survivor of the escape will be also given away at the program.
For more information on the program, contact the library at 884-2222.
