Guerrilla Priest

"Guerrilla Priest" captures a special moment in the history of the Pacific War: the formation of the first guerrilla resistance against the Japanese in northern Luzon, Philippines. Major Walter Cushing, Chief Puyao of the Tingguian village of Balbalasang, and Al Griffiths, an Episcopal priest, were key figures in this resistance. "Guerrilla Priest" describes the events that led to the ambush at Lamonan--disastrous for the Japanese--and the aftermath of that ambush for those who...
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"Guerrilla Priest" captures a special moment in the history of the Pacific War: the formation of the first guerrilla resistance against the Japanese in northern Luzon, Philippines. Major Walter Cushing, Chief Puyao of the Tingguian village of Balbalasang, and Al Griffiths, an Episcopal priest, were key figures in this resistance. "Guerrilla Priest" describes the events that led to the ambush at Lamonan--disastrous for the Japanese--and the aftermath of that ambush for those who participated."Guerrilla Priest" also provides an intimate glimpse of the American colonial experience in the Philippines, its impact on the Tingguian people, and a portrait of Japanese soldiers and their commanders that defies stereotype. But perhaps most significantly, it tells the story of how a young American family--Al Griffiths, his wife Nessie, and their infant daughter Katy--managed to survive a horrific war.Al and Nessie wrote separate accounts of their wartime experiences. Author Stephen Griffiths based "Guerrilla Priest" on his parents' two unpublished memoirs.