World War II saga, In the Claw of the Tiger, is a
creative-nonfiction written by G. Thomson Fraser, based on the true
story of Massachusetts resident, Franklin "Porky" LaCoste, a
survivor of the Bataan Death March and POW camps in the Philippines
and Japan. Porky joined the Army Air Corps in October 1940 with six
high school buddies out for a good time, adventure, and an escape
from their Depression-era hometowns. Determined to go to Hawaii and
the Philippines, they live a life straight out of their fantasies -
until December 7, 1941 changed their lives forever when Japan
attacked Hawaii and soon afterwards U.S. outposts in the
Philippines. Like a grown-up Tom Sawyer thrust into the brutal
machinations of a world at war, Porky survives adventure after
adventure often with a trusted companion by his side. Porky
perseveres through the Battle of Bataan and the Death March - where
thousands die - as well as in the malaria and dysentery infested
POW Camps O'Donnell and Cabanatuan. He is pitched into a Hell Ship
bound for Japan and lives the danger plagued existence of a miner
living in rat infested, near starvation conditions. His spunk and
determination often land him in trouble. (At one point he is
court-martialed at Imperial Army Headquarters in Tokyo.) He
survives through native optimism, gut instinct, an ability to
accept life as he finds it, but most of all, because of an
unquenchable desire to help those around him. Along with suffering
at the hands of enemy forces, to his surprise Porky is helped on
occasion by an unlikely source - the enemy. Later, in a dramatic
twist of fate, while working at the copper mines in Ashio, Japan,
Porky saves the life of the 4-year old son and only child of one of
the village guards which earns him the respect of friend and foe
alike.In the Claw of the Tiger contains 150 photos, many of which
had been stored away for six decades. The three part narrative
reads like a novel and feels like a docudrama, complete with
historical references and candid shots of the friends together,
National Archive, Department of Defense, Library of Congress and
other photos and illustrations. Remarkably, out of the seven
friends who joined the service and plotted and planned to stick
together, five survived the ordeal. G. Thomson Fraser holds degrees
in theater/playwriting and communications. She is a former editor
of a weekly news magazine, an investigative journalist, exhibits
developer, environmental writer and former aide to a state senator.
She has served both as college staff and faculty. During the five
years Fraser spent interviewing Franklin "Porky" LaCoste, parts of
the narrative were developed through improvisational theater
techniques designed to evoke intimate details as well as the
dramatic elements of the story. Many more years were spent in
extensive research of historical events and details of time and
place. The end result is an intimate portrayal of coming-of-age in
the midst of the Pacific Theater, during one of the greatest
struggles of the 20th century. Trapped in a war for which he and
the country were ill-prepared, In the Claw of the Tiger is a
remarkable tale of courage, hope, and reconciliation in the midst
of horror.
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