Lost in Shangri-la
Page 38
At the end of World War II, Gene Hoops was an army corporal sent to the base in Hollandia as part of a cleanup patrol. His job was to destroy all military files, but when he opened a metal drawer and found photos from the crash site, he knew they were worth saving. For the next six decades he did just that, and I’m thankful that he did.
In his excellent film, An Untold Triumph, documentary filmmaker Noel “Sonny” Izon brought to light the contributions of Filipino-American soldiers during World War II. He generously shared information about the Filipino paratroopers who bravely jumped into the valley.
The late Colonel Edward T. Imparato, who played an important role in the supply and rescue effort, published verbatim documents, transcripts, Walter’s journal, news stories, and his own reflections in his book, Rescue From Shangri-La (Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing, 1997). Colonel Imparato died before I had a chance to meet him, but I salute him for his work in the valley and on his book.
Justin Taylan, director of PacificWrecks.org, was an enormous help throughout. Thanks to professors Alex Fabros and Dan Gonzales for teaching me about Filipino-American soldiers; Jette Flipse for her helpful suggestions; Robert Knox for sharing his great-uncle’s stirring account of a C-47 crash; James W. Zobel at the MacArthur Memorial Archives; Ed Christine and Tom Wilbur at the Binghamton Press & Sun; Norm Landis at the Rome Daily Sentinel; Sissy Burge at The Watchman of Clinton, Louisiana; Lynn Gamma at the Air Force Historical Research Agency; David Freece at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum; Heidi Reutter of the University of Central Arkansas; Mary Jane Vinella of the Bellevue, Washington, Regional Library; Lisa Rickey of the Dayton, Ohio, Metro Library; telegraphy historian Thomas C. Jepsen; transcriptionist Steve Wylie; intrepid traveler Jan Versluis; and my graduate assistant, Roxanne Palmer.
My colleagues and students at Boston University indulged and encouraged me throughout this project. Special thanks to Dean Tom Fiedler and Professor Lou Ureneck for their support and for the sabbatical that enabled me to complete this book, and to Bob Zelnick and Isabel Wilkerson for setting such inspiring examples.
At a crucial moment, Helene Atwan of Beacon Press convinced me to trust my instincts. She made me an author a decade ago, and I’m forever grateful. Richard Abate is the best friend and agent any author could ask for. He stuck with me as I searched for the right idea, and then he found the ideal home for this book.
My editor Claire Wachtel embraced me and this story from start to finish. She improved this book with her ideas, her insights, and her confidence. Thanks also to Jonathan Burnham, for everything. I’m grateful to Melissa Kahn of 3Arts, who believed, and to the entire team at HarperCollins, including Elizabeth Perrella, Diane Aronson, and Miranda Ottewell.
Deep thanks to my own tribe: Brian McGrory; Ruth, Emily, and Bill (Air William) Weinstein, whose generosity sent me to New Guinea in comfort; Colleen Granahan, Dan Field, and Isabelle and Eliza Granahan-Field; Jeff Feigelson, who should have been an editor; Kathryn Altman; Dick Lehr; Chris Callahan; Nancy and Jim Bildner; Naftali Bendavid; the late Wilbur Doctor; Allan Zuckoff; and the extended Kreiter and Zuckoff clans.
Special thanks to my parents, first teachers, and first readers: Sid and Gerry Zuckoff.
I was struggling with a much different writing project when my beloved daughters informed me that I was lost in the wrong jungle. “That’s not the kind of story you like,” Isabel said. Eve agreed. “Write about Margaret and Shangri-La,” she said. Smart girls.
My wife, Suzanne (aka Rose, aka Trixie) Kreiter, makes life the closest thing I’ll find to Shangri-La.
Credits
Credits for the illustrations in the text appear with their respective images.
COVER DESIGN BY RICHARD LJOENES
AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZANNE KREITER
About the Author
MITCHELL ZUCKOFF is a professor of journalism at Boston University. His previous books include Robert Altman: The Oral Biography and Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend. He has written for The New Yorker, Fortune, and other national and regional publications. Zuckoff is a former special projects reporter for the Boston Globe, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting and the winner of the Distinguished Writing Award from the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He lives outside Boston.
Visit www.mitchellzuckoff.com to view original footage from the 1945 film of the survivors, the tribespeople, and the rescue effort.
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ALSO BY MITCHELL ZUCKOFF
Robert Altman: The Oral Biography
Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend
Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders (with Dick Lehr)
Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey
Copyright
LOST IN SHANGRI-LA. Copyright © 2011 by Mitchell Zuckoff. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN: 978-0-06-198834-9 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0-06-209358-5 (International Edition)
EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780062087140
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