The Expendable: The True Story of Patrol Wing 10, Pt Squadron 3, and a Navy Corpsman who Refused to Surrender when the Philippine Islands Fell to Japan (Unabridged‪)‬

As smoke billows skyward from Pearl Harbor, Japan throws its full military might against the outnumbered and under-equipped Filipino forces. Admiral Hart sends his US Asiatic Fleet south, to the safety of Allied waters. When remnants of PBY Patrol Wing 10 depart with the fleet, Charles Beckner, corpsman for Squadron 102, is left behind with no apparent avenue for escape. 

Under relentless pressure from Japanese forces, American and Filipino troops retreat down the Bataan Peninsula. Sick with malaria and dysentery and out of food and ammunition, surrender is imminent for those who survive. Charles joins Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 as machine gunner and corpsman on PT-34. After two months of fighting along the Bataan coast, Squadron 3 is tasked with a critical, covert mission that once more leaves Charles stranded, this time on the southern Philippine island of Cebu. As the Japanese noose tightens, Charles makes his way to the island of Mindanao and joins other sailors and soldiers preparing for guerrilla resistance. 

His plans are interrupted by new orders that will unexpectedly reunite him with crewmen of his old seaplane squadron. With advancing Japanese troops only minutes away, there is one possibility for escape. It is risky, and failure will be fatal. 

"Highly readable narrative of personal courage from PBYs to PT boats John Floyd has done an admirable job of preserving the stories of his father-in-law in a fast-paced and highly readable narrative. Originally assigned as a Navy corpsman to a PBY patrol wing, Charles Beckner was not only on Corregidor with MacArthur, but also in the chaos of the start of the war in the Pacific he ended up in the PT-boat squadron that evacuated the general from the Philippines. Highly recommended as the story of one family’s sacrifices well told in the context of the broader war." (Walter Borneman, author of The Admirals and MacArthur at War)

Winner, Arizona Authors Association 2020 Literary Magazine award.