Never Say Die (memoir)

First edition (publ. Dorrance)

Never Say Die is a memoir by Jack Hawkins, a lieutenant with the United States Army's 4th Marines in World War II. It was first published in 1961.

The book relates Hawkins' experiences as a prisoner of war in Japanese prison camps after the American surrender in the Philippines.

Long, careful and very secret planning was involved for this hazardous venture. Here is a list of some articles which had to be procured, taken out the gate, and stashed away in a safe place in the jungle, to be available at the appointed time: compass, sextant, chronometer, navigation tables, protractor, dividers, chart of the Southwest Pacific, pencils. Some of these items had to be hand-made. Each man had to have a change of clothing, blanket, shelter tent, mosquito net, canteen, mess kit, and food for five days. Medical supplies had to include quinine, sulfa drugs, first-aid kit, water purifier, and any other medicines they could get their hands on. Other equipment included bolo knives, field glasses, file, hammer, pliers, matches, cooking-can with handle. This indicates the kind of meticulous planning required for prisoners to effect an escape that had a chance to result in survival. ... Among other things, each man was chosen for certain basic qualities, such as character, physical fitness, desire and courage. Also, they were chosen for certain knowledge and/or technical skills required to do the job, and each man was assigned specific responsibilities. They were able to enlist a couple of Filipino ex-convicts still living in the area as advisors and guides, who were invaluable. ^[1]

When he and others finally escape from a camp, they join the American-Filipino guerrillas under the command of Lt. Col Wendell Fertig. Hawkins serves with Fertig for several months and is involved in numerous actions. For these actions he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross

Eventually evacuated to Australia by an American submarine, Hawkins later was involved in planning for the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He stayed in the USMC after World War II and eventually retired as a full colonel.

References

• Hawkins, J. 1961. Never say Die. Dorrance & Company, Inc. Philadelphia.
• How marine POWs hung tough, History Net.
• Mead, Eileen (Nov 12, 1988). "Writer's genre not escapist fiction". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 7 March 2012.