----- FROM THE AUTHOR ----- "Today, in this volatile era of the Internet-- when the United States, North Korea, Syria, China, Russia, Iran, and several other countries are flexing their military muscles in maneuvers that many people the world over read as signs of the arrival of World War III - there's no better time than now to refresh the minds of the busy modern men and women, especially the young people, on the poignant lessons from World War II - on how bravely our veterans fought for freedom. ----- Bolo Warriors is a tale about a small Philippine town and its people attempting, beyond insurmountable odds, to stop the Japanese invaders from occupying their town and turning their loved ones into slaves. Led by an American missionary teacher, a ragtag guerrilla outfit of volunteers, made up mainly of Filipino farmers, students, and town elders, fought bravely, although handicapped by the lack of modern weapons. Armed only with bolos, spears, bows-and-arrows, and a few hunting rifles, the guerrillas - who later became known as members of the "Bolo Battalion" - ambushed, attacked and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy - significant factors in the passionate endeavor that brought on the defeat of the seemingly invincible Japanese Imperial Army, and Liberation Day for the Philippines, and for the whole world. ----- Bolo Warriors, this book, could be classified as "historical fiction." Be that as it may, the part about the war in the Philippines is certainly factual: the places; the beastly brutality inflicted on innocent civilians; the fleeing mass of people pursued by the enemy; the burning of a town; American-run Silliman University and the involvement of its faculty in the guerrilla movement; the "Jungle University;" the submarine shipments of supplies from Australia; the raids carried out by the Japanese against American and Filipino families hiding in the hills; the capture of some of these families; and the existence of the Bolo Battalion itself are all real. (My own father was a member.) ----- Although this story's pristine love affair between two young Americans caught in the web of war - which I have woven into a faithful narrative out of genuine lamplight stories - is a product of my imagination in some parts, it certainly could have happened as told here." -- --- Veronico "Ron" Somera
