Lost In Shangri-La Part 16

Visitors to McCollom's home couldn't miss a wall of photos of John and Robert, young, nearly indistinguishable, and completely inseparable, at least in memory.

In August 2001, near the end of his life, McCollom's legs were too weak to carry him upstairs to an office over his garage. One day, his wife, Betty, came home from the grocery store to an empty house. Worried, she called to him. He replied: "I'm upstairs."

She went to the office and asked: "How'd you get up here?"

"One step at a time, on my back end. I was looking for something," he said.

John McCollom died several days later. He was eighty-two. When Betty McCollom went to the office, she discovered that he'd a.s.sembled all his insurance, deeds, t.i.tles, and other important doc.u.ments. Among his papers was the certificate from Colonel Elsmore inducting him into the "Shangri-La Society." McCollom also auth.o.r.ed his own obituary, at one point writing simply: "In May of 1945, his airplane crashed in New Guinea. He was rescued in June 1945 but his twin brother was killed in the accident."

After her husband's death, Betty McCollom created a scholars.h.i.+p for aeros.p.a.ce engineering students at the University of Minnesota. She knew he wouldn't have wanted the tribute alone. She called it the John and Robert McCollom Memorial Scholars.h.i.+p.

"Mac was determined," she said. "A number of tough things happened in his life. He just gritted his teeth and took it, and then he'd go forward. He was amazing."

THREE WEEKS AFTER the s.n.a.t.c.h, Margaret returned to the United States a star. Describing her reception, a the s.n.a.t.c.h, Margaret returned to the United States a star. Describing her reception, a Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times correspondent p.r.o.nounced her "the most celebrated young woman of the war." Not to be outdone, the correspondent p.r.o.nounced her "the most celebrated young woman of the war." Not to be outdone, the Boston Sunday Advertiser Boston Sunday Advertiser declared: "She's blonde. She's cute. She's the No. 1 adventure girl in World War II." declared: "She's blonde. She's cute. She's the No. 1 adventure girl in World War II."

Photographers tracked her stops from Hollandia to Manila to California to New York City; radio shows jockeyed to interview her; a newspaper syndicate purchased her diary; her hometown paper announced that she was fielding offers from "promoters, exhibitionists, theatrical agents, circus booking agents, publicity experts, columnists, commentators and just plain reporters." A national magazine, Calling All Girls Calling All Girls, won the U.S. Army's permission to publish a "true comic" about her experiences in Shangri-La. As a publicity stunt, a newspaper arranged for Margaret to make her long-overdue date with Sergeant Walter "Wally" Fleming. Instead of swimming in the surf off Hollandia, they dined at Toots Shor's, the landmark New York restaurant. They saw each other once or twice afterward, then called it quits.

A crowd estimated at three thousand people-the entire village, really-stood in sweltering heat to greet Margaret's train when it pulled into the Owego station. The Owego Free Academy band struck up a rousing march as she stepped from the train into her father's arms. The president of the Chamber of Commerce proclaimed her "Owego's Number One Citizen." No detail was too small for reporters to capture: "Tanned and with a fresh wave in her feather-cut bob, Margaret wore a smart WAC summer silk uniform and alligator pumps." A representative from a New York talent agency let slip that Margaret was choosing among several movie offers. A gossip columnist wrote that Hollywood beauty Loretta Young wanted the role, but others expected Margaret to star as herself. Neighbors pushed through a police line seeking autographs and cheered as she rode to her home on McMaster Street with her father and sisters in a convertible. Margaret's most lasting memory of her parade was two old women sitting on a porch, waving their handkerchiefs and crying.

Margaret Hastings flanked by her sisters, Catherine and Rita, during the parade upon her arrival home in Owego, New York. (Photo courtesy of B. B. McCollom.) At the end of a thirty-day furlough, the military decided not to s.h.i.+p Margaret back to New Guinea. Instead, the bra.s.s sent her on a nationwide tour hawking Victory Bonds. During one six-week stretch, she spoke in fourteen different states. Over time, she gave more than two hundred speeches. At each stop, she repeated a brief version of her ordeal and posed with celebrities and generals, including Dwight Eisenhower. Her mailbox swelled with thousands of fan letters, poems, autograph requests, and proposals from unknown suitors, including a young man who boasted that he was his town's champion spitter. One letter came from Sergeant Don Ruiz, the paratrooper whom Walter believed Margaret tried to seduce. The letter is chaste, catching her up on news of the paratroopers and describing the photos Walter took in the valley. "You look swell standing by your golden gra.s.s mattress bed and also in the little pup tent back in the potato field," he wrote. The closest Ruiz came to flirting was to write about the beautiful women he danced with at a party. He signed off: "Long live the Queen of Shangri-La."

Not everyone appreciated the attention lavished on Margaret. The mother of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special copilot, Major George Nicholson, lodged a complaint with the U.S. Army. "She developed a lot of resentment toward Margaret Hastings," said John McCarthy, George Nicholson's first cousin, once removed. Margaret Nicholson apparently feared that her son would be blamed for the crash. In response to one of her letters, a colonel in the War Department's Public Relations office wrote: "I have the deepest sympathy for your bereavement, and I can well understand your concern that nothing be published that would tend to minimize the sacrifice made by your gallant son. You can be sure that anything which would be of this nature would be disapproved for publication." Nicholson's wife, Alice Nicholson, asked to speak directly with Margaret, but Margaret declined. John McCarthy explained: "My great aunt Alice said, 'Do you refuse to see your commander's wife?' Margaret Hastings replied, 'I refuse to see my commander's widow.' " copilot, Major George Nicholson, lodged a complaint with the U.S. Army. "She developed a lot of resentment toward Margaret Hastings," said John McCarthy, George Nicholson's first cousin, once removed. Margaret Nicholson apparently feared that her son would be blamed for the crash. In response to one of her letters, a colonel in the War Department's Public Relations office wrote: "I have the deepest sympathy for your bereavement, and I can well understand your concern that nothing be published that would tend to minimize the sacrifice made by your gallant son. You can be sure that anything which would be of this nature would be disapproved for publication." Nicholson's wife, Alice Nicholson, asked to speak directly with Margaret, but Margaret declined. John McCarthy explained: "My great aunt Alice said, 'Do you refuse to see your commander's wife?' Margaret Hastings replied, 'I refuse to see my commander's widow.' "

The criticism added to Margaret's growing disenchantment with fame. She didn't consider herself a hero, just a fortunate survivor, and she longed for her old routines. Her wish came true when movie plans fizzled. "The war ended and they were overwhelmed with war stories," said Margaret's sister, Rita Callahan. "Once they wanted to make a B movie and she wouldn't sign up for it."

A year after the s.n.a.t.c.h, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times found Margaret living contentedly on McMaster Street. "Almost any morning, she can be seen in faded GI pants and s.h.i.+rt, sweeping and dusting inside the green frame house that she shares with her father," he wrote. "Margaret is not writing a book about her experiences. She has no movie ambitions. She signs no testimonials for canned goods, cigarettes or camping equipment. The biggest thing in her life right now is a plan-to go to Syracuse University for a degree." found Margaret living contentedly on McMaster Street. "Almost any morning, she can be seen in faded GI pants and s.h.i.+rt, sweeping and dusting inside the green frame house that she shares with her father," he wrote. "Margaret is not writing a book about her experiences. She has no movie ambitions. She signs no testimonials for canned goods, cigarettes or camping equipment. The biggest thing in her life right now is a plan-to go to Syracuse University for a degree."

Margaret spent more than two years at Syracuse, but left without graduating. She married Robert Atkinson, whom her sister Rita described as a former Olympic bobsledder turned insurance salesman. They had a son, but separated when Margaret was pregnant a second time, with a daughter. They divorced and Margaret raised her children on her own, in Rome, New York, where she worked an administrative job on the Griffiss Air Force Base. Now and then, reporters sought her out, most often on anniversaries of the crash. They also called when Michael Rockefeller, the son of New York's governor and scion of the storied family, disappeared in New Guinea. "He'd have an excellent chance of surviving, if he didn't drown," she told them.

The survivors, pilots, paratroopers, and, in Margaret's lap, Peggy the pig, after the rescue from Shangri-La. (Missing: Ken Decker, who was being treated for his injuries when the photo was taken.) (Photo courtesy of C. Earl Walter Jr.) Margaret's last public appearance as the "Queen of Shangri-La" came in 1974, when she, McCollom, and Decker became honorary members of the National World War II Glider Pilots a.s.sociation. Three decades after their ordeal, the three survivors embraced, laughed, and reminisced during a reunion at the glider pilots' convention that year. During brief remarks, Margaret described a lesson she carried with her from the valley. "Fear is something I don't think you experience unless you have a choice. If you have a choice, then you're liable to be afraid. But without a choice, what is there to be afraid of? You just go along doing what has to be done."

Someone asked Margaret if she'd like to return to New Guinea. Without hesitating, she answered, "You bet!"

She never made it. Four years later, Margaret was diagnosed with uterine cancer. "She put up a good fight," her sister said. "She never felt sorry for herself. When she knew she was going to lose, she took herself off treatments and came home."

Margaret Hastings died in November 1978 at sixty-four. She is buried next to her parents, in a pretty little cemetery dotted with American flags, a short walk from McMaster Street.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(In Alphabetical Order)

SANTIAGO "SANDY" ABRENICA-Master sergeant in U.S. Army 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Right-hand man to Captain C. Earl Walter Jr.

CUSTODIO ALERTA-Corporal in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

G. REYNOLDS ALLEN-Captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces and a pilot of the Waco glider dubbed the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot.

RICHARD ARCHBOLD-Biological researcher and sponsor/organizer of the 1938 expedition that "discovered" the New Guinea valley later nicknamed "Shangri-La."

WILLIAM D. BAKER-Captain in Army Air Forces and pilot of B-17 search plane that spotted the survivors in the jungle clearing.

ALFRED BAYLON-Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

LAURA BESLEY-Sergeant in the Women's Army Corps from s.h.i.+ppenville, Pennsylvania. Pa.s.senger aboard the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special. Close friend of Margaret Hastings.

BENJAMIN "DOC" BULATAO-Sergeant in 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Lead medic in volunteer rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

ALEXANDER CANN-Canadian-born filmmaker for the Netherlands Indies Government Information Service. Former Hollywood actor and failed jewel thief.

HERMENEGILDO CAOILI-Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

KENNETH DECKER-Tech sergeant from Kelso, Was.h.i.+ngton, who worked as a draftsman in the engineering department of the Far East Air Service Command. Pa.s.senger aboard the Gremlin Special. Gremlin Special.

FERNANDO DONGALLO-Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

RAY T. ELSMORE-Colonel and commander of the 322nd Troop Carrier Wing of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Confirmed Major Myron Grimes's report of a large valley in central New Guinea and subsequently became the U.S. military's leading authority on the region. Directed rescue operations following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

WALTER "WALLY" FLEMING-Army sergeant based in Hollandia, New Guinea, and sometime boyfriend of Margaret Hastings.

GEORGE GARDNER-Major in the U.S. Army Air Forces who supervised supply runs to the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special survivors. survivors.

HERBERT F. GOOD-Army captain from Dayton, Ohio. Pa.s.senger aboard the Gremlin Special. Gremlin Special.

MYRON GRIMES-Major in the Army Air Forces who was the first U.S. military pilot to "discover" the New Guinea valley later nicknamed "Shangri-La."

JACK GUTZEIT-Sergeant and radioman on C-47 search and supply plane known as the 311, following the following the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

ELEANOR HANNA-Private from Montoursville, Pennsylvania, in the Women's Army Corps. Pa.s.senger aboard the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special.

MARGARET HASTINGS-Corporal from Owego, New York, in the Women's Army Corps. Secretary to Colonel Peter Prossen, close friend of Laura Besley. Pa.s.senger aboard the Gremlin Special. Gremlin Special.

PATRICK HASTINGS-Widowed father of Margaret Hastings. Foreman in shoe factory in Owego, New York.

EDWARD T. IMPARATO-Colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces and pilot of plane that dropped C. Earl Walter Jr.'s paratrooper team into Shangri-La.

JUAN "JOHNNY" JAVONILLO-Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

HELEN KENT-Sergeant from Taft, California, in Women's Army Corps. Pa.s.senger aboard the Gremlin Special. Gremlin Special.

GEORGE LAIT AND HARRY E. PATTERSON-War correspondents who flew over the New Guinea valley with Colonel Ray T. Elsmore and coined the nickname "Shangri-La."

YALI LOGO-Leader of the Logo-Mabel clan who plotted to murder the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special survivors. survivors.

JOHN AND ROBERT MCCOLLOM-Twin brothers from Trenton, Missouri, both lieutenants in the maintenance section of the Far East Air Service Command. Pa.s.sengers aboard the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special.

WILLIAM G. MCKENZIE-Captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces, from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Copilot to Major William J. Samuels in glider s.n.a.t.c.h plane.

HERBERT O. MENGEL-Captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces, from St. Petersburg, Florida, and pilot of the 311 supply plane.

MELVIN MOLLBERG-Private in the Army Air Forces, from Baudette, Minnesota. a.s.sistant engineer on the Gremlin Special. Gremlin Special. Joined the crew as a favor to his best friend, Corporal James "Jimmy" Lutgring, who didn't want to fly with Colonel Peter Prossen. Joined the crew as a favor to his best friend, Corporal James "Jimmy" Lutgring, who didn't want to fly with Colonel Peter Prossen.

RALPH MORTON-War correspondent for The a.s.sociated Press who led coverage of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash, along with Walter Simmons of the crash, along with Walter Simmons of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune.

GEORGE H. NICHOLSON JR.-Major in the Army Air Forces, from Medford, Ma.s.sachusetts. Copilot on the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special.

HENRY E. PALMER-Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A glider pilot aboard the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot.

PETER J. PROSSEN-Colonel in the Army Air Forces, from San Antonio, Texas. Chief of the maintenance section of the Far East Air Service Command in Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea. Pilot of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special.

CAMILO "RAMMY" RAMIREZ-Corporal in the U.S. Army's 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteer medic in rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

DON RUIZ-Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

WILLIAM J. SAMUELS-Major in the U.S. Army Air Forces and commander of the 33rd Troop Carrier Squadron, from Decatur, Illinois. The most experienced U.S. pilot in the Southwest Pacific in "s.n.a.t.c.hing" gliders from the ground into the air.

WALTER SIMMONS-War correspondent for the Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune who led coverage of the who led coverage of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash, along with a.s.sociated Press reporter Ralph Morton. crash, along with a.s.sociated Press reporter Ralph Morton.

ROQUE VELASCO-Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash. crash.

C. EARL WALTER JR.-Captain in the U.S. Army's 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special), from Portland, Oregon. Was awaiting a combat posting with his Filipino-American paratroopers when he volunteered to lead the rescue mission into Shangri-La.

WIMAYUK WANDIK-Known to the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special survivors as "Pete," a leader of the native village of Uwambo. survivors as "Pete," a leader of the native village of Uwambo.

Additional Pa.s.sengers and Crew Killed in the May 13, 1945, Crash of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special: Major Herman F. Antonini of Danville, Illinois; Major Phillip J. Dattilo of Louisville, Kentucky; Private Alethia M. Fair of Hollywood, California; Captain Louis E. Freyman of Hammond, Indiana; Private Marian Gillis of Los Angeles; First Lieutenant Lawrence F. Holding of Raleigh, North Carolina; Private Mary M. Landau of Brooklyn, New York; Sergeant Marion W. McMonagle of Philadelphia; Corporal Charles R. Miller of Saint Joseph, Michigan; Sergeant Belle Naimer of the Bronx, New York; Private George R. Newcomer of Middletown, New York; Sergeant Hilliard Norris of Waynesville, North Carolina; and Corporal Melvyn Weber of Compton, California.

NOTES ON SOURCES AND METHODS

This is a work of nonfiction. No liberties have been taken with facts, dialogue, characters, or chronology. All quoted material comes from interviews, reports, diaries, letters, flight logs, decla.s.sified military doc.u.ments, news stories, books, or some other source cited in the notes below. Descriptions of people and places are based on site visits, interviews, written materials, photographs, and newsreel images. Unless noted, the author conducted all interviews, either in person or by phone. Interviews with natives of the Baliem Valley, or Shangri-La, were translated by Buzz Maxey, an American missionary relief and development manager who has lived there most of his life.

Abbreviations of key source materials: IDPF-Individual Deceased Personnel File, an official U.S. Army doc.u.ment generally running more than one hundred pages, detailing the circ.u.mstances of death, recovery and identification of remains, dispersal of belongings, and burial. IDPFs for nineteen of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special victims were obtained using the Freedom of Information Act. Army officials said they could not locate files for Laura Besley and Louis Freyman. victims were obtained using the Freedom of Information Act. Army officials said they could not locate files for Laura Besley and Louis Freyman.

CEW-C. Earl Walter Jr.'s daily journal, which he wrote during his weeks in Shangri-La. Walter granted permission for its use here. Much of the journal was reproduced by Colonel Edward T. Imparato in Rescue from Shangri-La Rescue from Shangri-La (Paducah, Ky.: Turner Publis.h.i.+ng, 1997). (Paducah, Ky.: Turner Publis.h.i.+ng, 1997).

MACR-Missing Air Crash Report No. 14697, the decla.s.sified U.S. Army Air Forces account of the incident, including survivors' sworn statements taken upon their return to Hollandia; the names, ranks, and home addresses of the victims; a map showing the crash location; and an official account of the flight, the crash, and the search and rescue.

SLD-"Shangri-La Diary" is an account of the crash and rescue written by Margaret Hastings in secretarial shorthand while in the valley. Inez Robb of the International News Service helped to expand it into a serial distributed to newspapers in the summer of 1945. Reader's Digest Reader's Digest published a condensed version in December 1945. Tioga County historian Emma Sedore transcribed the version of the diary used here. In an unaired interview with doc.u.mentary filmmaker Robert Gardner, John McCollom vouched for its accuracy. C. Earl Walter Jr. agreed, with one exception: he denied singing "Shoo, Shoo Baby" as he entered the survivors' camp. However, in a joint interview in 1998, McCollom insisted that it was true, and Walter relented. Walter acknowledged as much to the author. Walter's initial denial might be traced to the ribbing he took from friends and family about singing in the jungle. published a condensed version in December 1945. Tioga County historian Emma Sedore transcribed the version of the diary used here. In an unaired interview with doc.u.mentary filmmaker Robert Gardner, John McCollom vouched for its accuracy. C. Earl Walter Jr. agreed, with one exception: he denied singing "Shoo, Shoo Baby" as he entered the survivors' camp. However, in a joint interview in 1998, McCollom insisted that it was true, and Walter relented. Walter acknowledged as much to the author. Walter's initial denial might be traced to the ribbing he took from friends and family about singing in the jungle.

TCHS-Tioga County Historical Society, in Owego, N.Y., which preserved Margaret Hastings's personal sc.r.a.pbook, letters, telegrams, photographs, and other materials.

NOTES

The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a sourced pa.s.sage, please use the search function of your eBook reader.

1. MISSING 1 On a rainy day: National Severe Storms Laboratory Historical Weather Data Archives, Norman, Oklahoma, http://data.nssl.noaa.gov (retrieved October 17, 2009).1 a green, farm-style house: Description comes from author's interviews with Margaret Hastings's sister Rita Hastings Callahan, August 1, 2009, and childhood friend Mary Scanlon, August 2, 2009, and also from the author's visits to Owego, N.Y.1 in a front window: Callahan, interview.1 grew up a farm boy: Ibid.2 visible signs of her absence: Ibid.2 walked into a recruiting station: Margaret Hastings's enlistment records at NARA.3 the combat death toll: U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Fact Sheet, dated November 2008, www1.va.gov/opa/fact/amwars.asp (retrieved January 27, 2010).3 messengers fanned out across the country: Hometowns of crash victims' families were contained in the decla.s.sified Army Air Force account of the crash, MACR.3 THE SECRETARY OF WAR DESIRES THE SECRETARY OF WAR DESIRES: Telegram located in archives at TCHS. The original had no punctuation, which was added here for readability, and abbreviated the word corporal corporal.3 most recent letter home: "Owego WAC, Reported Missing, Is Safe," news clipping in Margaret Hastings's personal sc.r.a.pbook, TCHS. Story described Margaret Hastings's most recent letter and her family's hope that she would be found alive.4 Margaret is missing: Callahan, interview.

2. HOLLANDIA 5 "fit me like sacks": Margaret Hastings to Verna Smith, published as "Owego WAC Writes of Her Life in New Guinea," Owego Gazette Owego Gazette, March 8, 1945.6 usual 5:30 a.m. reveille: Details of Margaret Hastings's daily routine in New Guinea are contained in SLD, part 2. See also Hastings, "Owego WAC Writes."6 just under five-foot-two: Margaret Hastings, SLD, part 11. Margaret notes her height in comparison with the native women, pleasantly surprised that they are shorter than her "five-feet, one-and-one-half inches."6 teenage nickname: Owego Free Academy Tom-Tom Yearbook Owego Free Academy Tom-Tom Yearbook, 1932, p. 18, TCHS.6 hitchhiked when she wanted: Scanlon, interview.6 "drank liquor," "liked the boys": Margaret Hastings, "A Tribute to Mother," undated college paper in correspondence file, TCHS.6 average marrying age for women: U.S. Census Bureau, "America's Family and Living Arrangements," in Current Population Survey: Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2003 Current Population Survey: Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2003, table MS-2, "Estimated Median Age at First Marriage, by s.e.x, 1890Present," Current Population Report ser. P20-553 (Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2003).7 "To tell the truth": James R. Miller, "Reconversion of a Heroine," Los Angeles Times Magazine Los Angeles Times Magazine, July 7, 1946, p. 5.7 more exciting than Atlantic City: Hastings, SLD, part 1.7 "blood, toil, tears and sweat": John Lukacs, Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning; Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning; Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister (New York: Basic Books, 2008), p. 11. (New York: Basic Books, 2008), p. 11.7 "The western world has been freed": Harry S. Truman, transcript of speech announcing the surrender of Germany, found at Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia, http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3340 (retrieved January 3, 2010).8 House Speaker Sam Rayburn: C. P. Trussell, "Blackout Lifted on Capitol Dome," New York Times New York Times, May 9, 1945.8 "It will be a busy summer": Hanson W. Baldwin, "A New Phase Now Opens in the Pacific War," New York Times New York Times, May 13, 1945.8 Between sunrise and sunset: Day-by-day chronology of World War II Pacific history, compiled by U.S. Air Forces and provided by Justin Taylan of PacificWrecks.org, http://www.pacificwrecks.com/60th/1945/5-45.html (retrieved October 11, 2009). See also chronology at http://www.onwar.com/chrono/index.htm (retrieved October 11, 2009).10 named it for an African country: Karl Heider, Grand Valley Dani: Peaceful Warriors Grand Valley Dani: Peaceful Warriors, 3d ed. (Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Group, 1997), p. 1.10 Sri Lankan potentates: Tim Flannery, Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums and p.e.n.i.s Gourds Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums and p.e.n.i.s Gourds (New York: Grove Press, 1998), 3. (New York: Grove Press, 1998), 3.10 Captain Cook visited in 1770: Hobart M. Van Deusen, "The Seventh Archbold Expedition," BioScience BioScience 16 (July 1966): 450. 16 (July 1966): 450.11 a daring strike called "Operation Reckless": Samuel Eliot Morison, History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II, vol. 8, New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944 (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2002), pp. 6890. See also Stanley Sandler, (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2002), pp. 6890. See also Stanley Sandler, World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland, 2001), pp. 400403. (New York: Garland, 2001), pp. 400403.11 "Release a Man for Combat": Ibid., p. 184.11 "my best soldiers": Sandler, World War II in the Pacific World War II in the Pacific, p. 1050.12 a sidearm to keep under her pillow: Dona Cruse, interview by author, August 11, 2009. Dona is the daughter of WAC Ruth Coster, who pa.s.sed up a chance to fly over Shangri-La on May 13, 1945. See also Steven Mayer, "Taft Veteran Killed in Crash Only Woman Listed on Wall," Bakersfield Californian Bakersfield Californian, Nov. 12, 2007, www.bakersfield.com/102/story/283703.html, included in the Ruth Coster Collection at the University of Central Arkansas.12 "Hey Joe-hubba, hubba": Colonel Ray T. Elsmore, "New Guinea's Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," National Geographic Magazine National Geographic Magazine 88, no. 6 (December 1945): 676. 88, no. 6 (December 1945): 676.12 the safety precautions' real aim: Judith A. Bellafaire, The Women's Army Corps: A Commemoration of World War II Service The Women's Army Corps: A Commemoration of World War II Service, U.S. Army Center of Military History pub. 72-15 (Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1990). See also p. 422 in the definitive history of the WACs, Mattie E. Treadwell, The Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1954); and Selene H. C. Weise, (Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1954); and Selene H. C. Weise, The Good Soldier: The Story of a Southwest Pacific Signal Corps WAC The Good Soldier: The Story of a Southwest Pacific Signal Corps WAC (s.h.i.+ppensburg, Pa.: Burd Street Press, 1999). (s.h.i.+ppensburg, Pa.: Burd Street Press, 1999).12 "blanket parties": Margaret Hastings to Kitty Dugan, February 2, 1945, archives, TCHS.13 The letter didn't give away: A notation on the envelope indicates that the letter was "censored by Lt. Margaret V. Bogle," the same officer who informed Margaret Hastings about the trip to Shangri-La.13 enlisting ... in August 1942: Background information on Laura Besley from U.S. World War II army enlistment records at www.ancestry.com (retrieved September 11, 2009), and Harrisburg, Pa., City Directory Harrisburg, Pa., City Directory (Detroit: R. L. Polk, 193637), p. 62. See also 1930 U.S. federal census records. (Detroit: R. L. Polk, 193637), p. 62. See also 1930 U.S. federal census records.13 a "sa.s.sy" young woman: Gerta Anderson, interview by author, April 26, 2010. Laura Besley's mother and Gerta Anderson's maternal grandmother were sisters. Laura was named Earline, after her father, Earl, but took the name Laura from her grandmother.13 tables made from boxes and burlap: Hastings, "Owego WAC Writes."14 parachute cloth hung as decoration: Hastings to Dugan, February 2, 1945. Details of WAC tents in Hollandia also from Mary L. Eck, Saga of a Sad Sack Saga of a Sad Sack, self-published pamphlet recounting military life in New Guinea and elsewhere, 1979.14 double electric socket: Hastings, SLD, part 2.14 "Get skinny in Guinea": Ibid., p. 16.15 showered at least twice a day: Hastings, "Owego WAC Writes."15 "in order to keep respectable": Ibid.15 "There was 'jungle rot' ": Lieutenant Colonel Anne O'Sullivan (retired), "Recollections of New Guinea," Women's Army Corps Journal Women's Army Corps Journal 5, no. 5 (OctoberDecember 1974): 14. 5, no. 5 (OctoberDecember 1974): 14.15 almost enough to make her feel cool: Hastings, SLD, part 2.16 the health of military women: Treadwell, Women's Army Corps Women's Army Corps, p. 446.16 several hundred WACs: Ibid., p. 427.16 a letter to his family: All quotes from Colonel Peter J. Prossen come from his letters to his wife on May 12 and 13, 1945, copies of which were provided by his son, Peter J. Prossen Jr.16 his elder son ... knew him: Peter J. Prossen Jr., interview by author, July 28, 2009.18 hundred or so men and the twenty-plus WACs: John McCollom, unaired interview with filmmaker Robert Gardner, Dayton, Ohio, October 1997.18 Coca-Cola syrup and fresh fruit: Eck, Saga of a Sad Sack Saga of a Sad Sack, p. 29.18 sightseeing flights up the coastline: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.

3. SHANGRI-LA 19 a more direct, low-alt.i.tude pa.s.s: Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 671. See also John McCollom, interview, October 1997.19 "Colonel, if we slip": Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 671.19 late for a hot date in Australia: C. Earl Walter Jr., interview by Patrick O'Donnell, 1988, http://www.thedropzone.org/pacific/walters.htm (retrieved October 10, 2009).20 a mostly flat, verdant valley: Major Myron J. Grimes (retired), interview by author, August 31, 2009.20 stamped the area "unknown" or "unexplored": Ozzie St. George, "Rescue from Shangri-La," Yank: The Army Weekly Yank: The Army Weekly, August 17, 1945, p. 6. See also Gordon L. Rottman, World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-Military Study World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-Military Study (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001), p. 148. (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001), p. 148.20 "estimated 14,000-foot peak": St. George, "Rescue from Shangri-La," p. 6.20 a mountain might be hiding inside: Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 671. (At one point Elsmore writes of a cloud bank, "We could see the occasional rift, but we knew that peaks lurked in its innocent white walls.")20 a flying instructor during World War I: "Ray Elsmore, 66, Helped M'Arthur," New York Times New York Times, February 19, 1957, p. 31.20 deputy county prosecutor: William H. Carleton, "History of the Directorate of Air Transport, Allied Air Force South West Pacific Area and the 322 Troop Carrier Wing," at http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/usaaf/dat.htm (retrieved September 1, 2009).21 MacArthur's evacuation flight: "Ray Elsmore, 66," p. 31.21 the Southwest Pacific: Rottman, Pacific Island Guide Pacific Island Guide, pp. 14652.21 prepared to veer up and away: Grimes, interview.21 "Push on through": Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 673.22 "a riot of dazzling color": Ibid., p. 674.22 "Crops were in full growth": Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 674.22 "diving into the drainage ditches": Ibid.23 "one of the most impressive sights": Ibid., p. 676.24 "a pilot unfamiliar with this canyon.": Colonel Ray T. Elsmore to General George C. Kenney, secret letter (since uncla.s.sified) t.i.tled "Route Survey," May 29, 1944, MacArthur Memorial Archives, Norfolk, Va.24 "anxious to avoid incidents and bloodshed": Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 677.25 "pygmy type": Ibid., p. 689.25 models of sinewy manhood standing seven feet tall: "The Hidden Valley," Pulse: A 27 General Hospital Publication Pulse: A 27 General Hospital Publication, Vol. 3, No. 46, July 8, 1945, Supplement, p. 1. The publication was a hospital bulletin saved by Capt. Earl Walter. Also, Eck, Saga of a Sad Sack Saga of a Sad Sack.25 the size of ponies: Lieutenant William Jeff Gatling Jr. to his family, published as "Shangri-La," Arkansas Gazette Arkansas Gazette, May 20, 1945, n.p.; in the Ruth Coster Collection at the University of Central Arkansas.25 "Dorothy Lamours in blackface": Hastings, SLD, part 2.26 ever set foot in the valley: Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 677.26 "I suppose I would have regretted it": Gatling, "Shangri-La."27 suspending their battle: St. George, "Rescue from Shangri-La," p. 6. Also, Colonel Edward T. Imparato, Rescue from Shangri-La Rescue from Shangri-La (Paducah, Ky.: Turner, 1997), p. 8. (Paducah, Ky.: Turner, 1997), p. 8.27 His father: "George Lait Weds; War Correspondent Takes Jane Peck Harrington as Bride," New York Times New York Times, September 8, 1945. See also "Jack Lait, 71, Dies; Editor of Mirror," New York Times New York Times, April 2, 1954; and "The Press: Blue Bloomers and Burning Bodies," Time Time, July 26, 1948.27 correspondent for the International News Service: Ibid.27 knocked out cold: International News Service, "Newsman Kayoed in London Raid," St. Petersburg Times St. Petersburg Times, April 20, 1941.27 blown out of a car seat: Ernie Pyle, "Rambling Reporter," Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh Press, March 27, 1941.27 "As a war correspondent": Inez Robb, "Robb's Corner," Reading (Pa.) Eagle Reading (Pa.) Eagle, January 29, 1958. It's fitting that Robb wrote this tribute to George Lait, who helped to name the valley Shangri-La. When Margaret Hastings turned her diary into an eighteen-part newspaper series in 1945, Robb was brought on as a professional writer to help.28 a dispatch rich in description: Donald Collier, "U.S. Fliers in New Guinea Discover a Shangri-La," Chicago Natural History Museum Bulletin Chicago Natural History Museum Bulletin, nos. 34 (MarchApril 1945), quoting a story by George Lait "published in a New Guinea news sheet of the Army," www.archive.org/stream/bulletin16chic/bulletin16chic_djvu.txt (retrieved August 30, 2009).28 Patterson's story: Harry E. Patterson, "Real Shangri-La in New Guinea," Milwaukee Journal Milwaukee Journal, March 11, 1945.29 disappointed by the name Hidden Valley: Elsmore, "Mountain and Swampland Dwellers," p. 680.29 "matched a whole army": James Hilton, Lost Horizon Lost Horizon (New York: Pocket Books, 1933), p. 157. (New York: Pocket Books, 1933), p. 157.29 "He foresaw a time": Hilton, Lost Horizon Lost Horizon, p. 158.30 a 1937 speech: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Quarantine the Aggressors Speech," delivered in Chicago on October 5, 1937. Roosevelt paraphrased slightly, changing the tense from "would" to "will." The result was to make the prediction even more ominous. Text located at http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multi/texts/historical/quarantine.txt (retrieved September 1, 2009).

4. GREMLIN SPECIAL GREMLIN SPECIAL 31 comically ornate certificate: Members.h.i.+p in the "Shangri-La Society" was extended to survivors of the May 13, 1945, crash and their rescuers. Margaret Hastings's certificate can be found at TCHS; those of John McCollom and C. Earl Walter, in their personal sc.r.a.pbooks. Ken Decker's could not be located.31 "leading authority on the valley": Walter Simmons, "Glider Takes Six More Out of Shangri-La," Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune, July 1, 1945.31 "a case of 'head you lose' ": Ray Zeman, "Pilot Finds Shangri-La," Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times, October 16, 1944.32 "fully equipped with bargaining trinkets": Harold Streeter, "Pacific Reporter: Shangri-La," Hartford Courant Hartford Courant, May 13, 1945.32 "navigational training": MACR, p. 1.32 Prossen's first trip to Shangri-La: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.32 a date after work: Hastings, SLD, part 1. In her published diary, Margaret says she had been informed of the flight a day earlier by Colonel Prossen, but in her sworn statement after the crash, dated June 29, 1945, MACR, she said she was invited that morning.32 desperate to visit Shangri-La: Hastings, SLD, part 2.32 she leaped at Prossen's offer: Prossen issued the invitation through the chain of command, so it was delivered by Lieutenant Margaret V. Bogle, according to Hastings's sworn statement, MACR.32 prizes at local dog shows: Hastings, SLD, part 2.33 savoring each cold spoonful: Ibid.34 leather and hydraulic fluid: Details of the C-47 from www.boeing.com/history/mdc/skytrain.htm (retrieved September 5, 2009). See also www.warbirdalley.com/c47.htm.34 at a cost to the military of $269,276: Copy of Aircraft Record Card #41-23952, from U.S. Air Force Historical Division, Research Studies Inst.i.tute, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Ala.34 Gremlin Special Gremlin Special: The MACR lists "Merle" as the nickname, but "Gremlin Special" is cited in an account of the crash in Michael John Clarinbould, The Forgotten Fifth: A Photographic Chronology of the U.S. Fifth Air Force in World War II The Forgotten Fifth: A Photographic Chronology of the U.S. Fifth Air Force in World War II (Hyde Park, N.Y.: Balus Design, 2007), pp. 1034. (Hyde Park, N.Y.: Balus Design, 2007), pp. 1034.34 The Gremlins The Gremlins: Roald Dahl, The Gremlins The Gremlins (1943; reprint, Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse, 2006). (1943; reprint, Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse, 2006).34 "Let the girls in first": Hastings, SLD, part 2.35 "showing partiality": Ibid.35 caught Laura's eye and winked: Hastings, SLD, part 2.35 spent time in a German prisoner-of-war camp: Background information on Eleanor Hanna from her sister, Roberta (Hanna) Koons, interview by author, September 11, 2009.35 singing wherever she went: Hastings, SLD, parts 2 and 4.35 "Isn't this fun!": Ibid., part 2.36 bracelet made from Chinese coins: Eleanor Hanna's U.S. Army individual deceased personnel file (IDPF) contains a Xerox image of part of the bracelet, which was found in the grave she shared with Laura Besley. At first it wasn't clear to whom it belonged, but a May 14, 1959, letter in the file from her father to the army quartermaster general makes a claim on the bracelet and refers to the two others she owned just like it.36 daughter of a newspaper publisher: "Pfc. Gillis from East Orange," New York Times New York Times, June 9, 1945. Although the Times Times said she was from New Jersey, MACR lists her hometown as Los Angeles. said she was from New Jersey, MACR lists her hometown as Los Angeles.36 fleeing from Spain with her mother: Ibid.36 grieving the death of her fiance: a.s.sociated Press, "Airfield Is Built to Rescue a Wac and 2 Men in New Guinea," New York Times New York Times, June 9, 1945.36 relieve her loneliness: Information about WACs Helen Kent and Ruth Coster from Dona Cruse, interviews by author, August 11, 2009, and September 4, 2009. Dona is the daughter of Ruth, who died in 2005.36 tell her what it was like: Ibid.36 Three more WACs: World War II enlistment records, www.ancestry.com (retrieved November 13, 2009).37 trailed by his copilot: Background on George H. Nicholson from MACR. Also, 1920 and 1930 U.S. Federal Census at www.ancestry.com (retrieved September 11, 2009). Also, interviews by author with Maryrose Condon, a first cousin of Major Nicholson, and John and Michael McCarthy, first cousins once removed, on September 13, 2009.37 graduated from Boston College, then received master's degrees: Interviews with Maryrose Condon and John McCarthy, September 13, 2009. See also "Major Geo H. Nicholson Killed in Plane Crash," Malden (Ma.s.s.) Evening News Malden (Ma.s.s.) Evening News, May 31, 1945, p. 1; and "Maj. George H. Nicholson, Killed in Pacific Plane Crash," undated newspaper clipping saved by Nicholson's family.37 served under Lord Mountbatten: "Major Geo H. Nicholson Killed," Malden Evening News Malden Evening News.37 skipped a "Victory in Europe" party: Alice K. Nicholson Cadley to friends and family, "Mother's Day 1995," in which she marked the fiftieth anniversary of the crash by distributing copies of Nicholson's letter.37 a vivid fifteen-page narrative: George H. Nicholson to his wife, Alice K. Nicholson (later Cadley), May 9, 1945, provided by his cousin Maryrose Condon.39 three other crew members: Crew list, MACR, p. 3.39 a month earlier: "Melvin Mollberg Killed In Plane Crash in the Pacific," undated newspaper clipping provided by Melvyn Lutgring.39 Corporal James "Jimmy" Lutgring: Melvyn Lutgring, interview by author, January 5, 2010. Lutgring was named for Melvin Mollberg, despite the different spelling of their first names.40 asked her on a date: Hastings, SLD, part 2.40 an oil salesman and a leader in his Presbyterian church: "Daytonian, Two Valley Men Reported Killed in Action," Dayton Dayton Journal Journal, May 30, 1945, p. 2. See also Williams' Dayton (Montgomery County, Ohio) City Directory 1944 Williams' Dayton (Montgomery County, Ohio) City Directory 1944 (Cincinnati: Williams Directory, 1944), p. 484. (Cincinnati: Williams Directory, 1944), p. 484.41 "The Inseparables": Betty McCollom, widow of John McCollom, interview by author, August 1, 2009. See also information about John and Robert McCollom from Marjorie Lundberg, "Baby Girl's Father Killed, but Uncle Is Dad's Replica," St. Paul Dispatch St. Paul Dispatch, June 8, 1945, n.p., from John McCollom's personal sc.r.a.pbook.41 Eagle Scouts together: John S. McCollom's obituary, Dayton Daily News, Dayton Daily News, August 21, 2001, provided by Betty McCollom. August 21, 2001, provided by Betty McCollom.42 a wedding photo: "Tragic Shangri-La Figures and Kin," St. Paul Dispatch St. Paul Dispatch, undated story and photographs in McCollom's sc.r.a.pbook.43 "Mind if I share this window": Hastings, SLD, part 2. McCollom's location is confirmed in his sworn statement, dated June 29, 1945, MACR.

5. EUREKA!

44 twisted in their seats for a look: Hastings, SLD, part 3.44 "Oh, what is so rare": Ibid.44 The Vision of Sir Launfal The Vision of Sir Launfal: The famous line from Lowell's 1848 poem is, "And what is so rare as a day in June?"45 as soft as green feathers: Hastings, SLD, part 3.45 a heading of 224 degrees: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 1.46 standing in the narrow radio compartment: Ibid.46 alone at the controls: Ibid.46 an alt.i.tude of about one thousand feet: Ibid.46 four hundred feet: Hastings, SLD, part 3.46 "Eureka!": Ibid.47 "I want to come again!": Ibid.47 "Give her the gun and let's get out of here": Ibid.47 thought he was joking: Ibid. Margaret wrote, "I thought he was joking. So did everyone else."47 applying full power to climb: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 1.48 learned to fly only three years earlier: "Maj. George H. Nicholson Killed In Pacific Plane Crash," undated newspaper clipping saved by Nicholson's family.48 Turbulent air was common: MACR does not make an official determination whether the cause of the crash was pilot error, a sudden downdraft, or a combination of factors.48 especially treacherous: Imparato, Rescue from Shangri-La Rescue from Shangri-La, p. 170. Imparato knew the terrain from flying over it.49 "a sudden down-draft of air current": Historical Data Regarding the Loss of a FEASC C-47 and the Rescue of Survivors of the Crash Historical Data Regarding the Loss of a FEASC C-47 and the Rescue of Survivors of the Crash, decla.s.sified doc.u.ment prepared by the U.S. Air Force Historical Division, Research Studies Inst.i.tute, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Ala., November 17, 1952.49 "flat on the deck": Hastings, SLD, part 3.49 "This is going to be darn close": McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 1.50 The cabin crumpled forward: This account of the crash is taken from the sworn MACR statements of John McCollom and Margaret Hastings, as well as photographs of the wreckage provided to the author by Eugene M. Hoops. At the end of World War II, Hoops was part of an American military unit sent from the Philippines to New Guinea to clean up the base at Hollandia and to destroy remaining files. Upon opening a metal file drawer, he discovered a set of photographs from the May 13, 1945, crash and its aftermath. Despite orders to destroy the material, Hoops believed the photos might be significant and decided to preserve them for posterity.50 turning somersaults as he fell: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 1.50 momentarily blacked out: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.50 flattened down like a stepped-on tin can: Ibid.51 "all by myself on a Sunday afternoon": Ibid.51 spoiled by a plane crash: Hastings, SLD, part 3. She writes that she was "indignant because this thing had happened to me!"51 thick arms around her: Ibid.52 "My G.o.d! Hastings!": Ibid.52 McCollom doubted it would explode: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.52 "Give me your hand!": Hastings, SLD, part 3.52 Her hair still crackled with burning embers: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 2.53 a b.l.o.o.d.y ... gash on the right side of Decker's forehead: Decker details his injuries in his sworn statement, MACR, p. 2. See also Hastings, SLD, part 4; McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 2.53 "My G.o.d, Decker, where did you come from?": Hastings, SLD, part 4.53 his deliverance into the jungle: Decker, sworn statement, MACR, p. 1.53 catapulted through the c.o.c.kpit and out through the winds.h.i.+eld: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.53 "h.e.l.luva way to spend your birthday": Ibid.53 "Hastings, can't you do something for these girls?": Hastings, SLD, part 4.54 seared off all her clothes: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.54 "Let's sing": Hastings, SLD, part 4.54 only superficial burns: Ibid.54 McCollom invited him to join in the fun: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.54 tangled in the roots of a tree: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 2.55 They left Good's body where it fell: Photograph of the wreckage, courtesy of Eugene M. Hoops.56 wedding ring with a white inlay: Lt. Col. Donald Wardle, chief of the Army Disposition Branch, Memorial Division, to Mrs. Cecelia A. McCollom, May 13, 1959. See also letter from Lt. Col. Donald L. Wardle to Louis Landau, father of Private Mary Landau, May 1, 1959, about the recovery of remains and personal items from the crash site. Contained in Mary Landau's IDPF, provided by the U.S. Army under a Freedom of Information Act request.

6: CHARMS 58 "surrounded by fire if we don't": Hastings, SLD, part 4.58 "You're all right": Ibid.59 "Everything in the jungle had tentacles": Ibid., part 6.60 pulled off her khaki s.h.i.+rt: Ibid., part 4.60 arms draped over his shoulders: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.60 still dangled from her wrist: Eleanor Hanna's IDPF notes that the bracelet was found in the grave she shared with Laura Besley, which means it remained in her possession after the crash. She had no clothes, and therefore no pockets, so it stands to reason the bracelet remained on her wrist.60 a broken rib: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.61 help McCollom with Eleanor Hanna: Ibid.; see also sworn statements in MACR of Decker, p. 1, and McCollom, p. 2.61 compounding their misery: Hastings, SLD, part 4. She writes: "Now the daily and eternal rain of New Guinea began to fall. Soaked clothing was added to our miseries."61 .45-caliber pistol: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 2.61 Cracker Jacksize boxes of K-rations: Jerold E. Brown, Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001), p. 270. (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001), p. 270.61 burn until the middle of the next day: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 3.62 no one would have survived: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.62 couldn't find any flares: The survivors gave separate accounts of the contents of the life rafts. Margaret Hastings, in SLD, part 4, said the kit contained flares, but in his sworn statement, MACR, John McCollom states: "I looked all over the life raft equipment, but I never could find any flares." He later writes about trying to use Margaret's mirror to signal planes, adding veracity to his account.63 "Let's sing": Hastings, SLD, part 4.63 the plane was still aflame: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.63 might be lightning: Imparato, Rescue from Shangri-La Rescue from Shangri-La, p. 184.63 hike all 150-plus miles: Sergeant Ozzie St. George, "Hidden Valley," Yank: The Army Weekly Yank: The Army Weekly, Far East ed., Aug. 10, 1945.63 yaps and barks of wild dogs: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.63 "Eleanor's dead": Margaret Hastings describes finding Eleanor Hanna dead in SLD, part 4, while in his sworn statement, MACR, John McCollom says only, "I guess that Private Hanna died about 8 o'clock that night," referring to the previous night.64 "I can't stop shaking": Hastings, SLD, part 5.64 seventeen cans of water: Ibid. McCollom's MACR statement mentions the cots, but the more complete inventory is in Margaret's diary.64 black electrical tape and a pair of pliers: Decker, sworn statement, MACR, p. 1.64 burned feet covered by cotton bandages: Hastings, SLD, part 5.65 a five-pointed white star: Photos of the downed C-47, taken shortly after the crash, provided by Dona Cruse.65 impossible to see except from a short distance: Photograph of the wreckage, courtesy of Eugene M. Hoops.65 between the plane and ground controllers: MACR, p. 1.66 worked it furiously to flash s.n.a.t.c.hes of sunlight: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 3. See also Hastings, SLD, part 5, and John McCollom, interview, October 1997.66 "Don't worry": John McCollom, unaired interview with Robert Gardner, Seattle, May 13, 1998.66 at peace with her mother's death: Hastings, SLD, part 5.66 Margaret's middle name: Callahan, interview.66 In a school essay: Hastings, "Tribute to Mother," TCHS.67 hugging tightly to keep from falling off: Hastings, SLD, part 5.67 "Everyone else is dead and we're very lonely, aren't we?": Ibid.67 "Laura has died!": Hastings, SLD, part 5.67 "Don't be a dope, Hastings": Ibid.68 " 'Now the shoes belong to me' ": Ibid.69 hated the nickname: Hastings, SLD, part 15.70 lit a cigarette and handed it to her: Ibid., part 5.70 "No night will ever again be as long": Ibid.

7: TARZAN 71 McCollom climbed a tree: In his MACR statement, p. 3, McCollom says he saw the clearing from the tail of the plane. But in his October 1997 interview with Robert Gardner, McCollom explained that he had to climb a tree to see the clearing.71 a course they could follow: McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 3. See also John McCollom, interview, October 1997.71 an officer wrote back: Susan Sheehan, A Missing Plane: The Dramatic Tragedy and Triumph of a Lost and Forgotten World War II Bomber A Missing Plane: The Dramatic Tragedy and Triumph of a Lost and Forgotten World War II Bomber (New York: Berkeley Books, 1986), p. 210. (New York: Berkeley Books, 1986), p. 210.72 More than six hundred American planes: Justin Taylan, interview by author, October 2, 2009. Taylan is an authority on World War II plane crashes and director of Pacific Wrecks Web site.72 more missing airplanes than any country on earth: Sheehan, Missing Plane Missing Plane, p. 9. Sheehan focused her work on the eastern half of the island, but in the estimation of Taylan, this was true for all of New Guinea.72 Flying Dutchman Flying Dutchman: This account of the November 10, 1942, crash and cargo door diary is based on Clarinbould, Forgotten Fifth Forgotten Fifth, p. 39. See also "Agony of the Flying Dutchman," at www.aerothentic.com/historical/Unusual_Stories/C47FlyingDutchman.htm (retrieved August 23 and September 14, 2009), and "C-47A Flying Dutchman," at www.pacificwrecks.com (retrieved August 23, 2009).73 "so light that he 'felt like a baby' ": "Agony of the Flying Dutchman."74 two tins of water and a few cellophane-wrapped Charms: Hastings, SLD, part 5. Margaret Hastings's account is the primary source of the trio of survivors' journey through the jungle to the clearing. McCollom corroborated significant parts and added important details in his October 1997 interview with Robert Gardner, and also in newspaper interviews he gave over the years.75 Later, writing in her diary: Ibid.76 "Let's go": Ibid.76 crawling on their hands and knees: Jack Jones, "Survivor Recalls Crash, 47 Days in Wild Jungle," Dayton Daily Camera Dayton Daily Camera, June 10, 1959.76 "three-inch 'feather' bob": Hastings, SLD, part 5.76 never complained: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.77 "It is foolish to think that we could have cut our way out": Hastings, SLD, part 6.77 intended to fill their stomachs: Ibid.78 returned with a new idea: Ibid.78 "understudy Johnny Weissmuller": Ibid.78 point of pride with her: Ibid.79 "the old mother hen instinct": Remarks of Colonel Jerry Felmley at John McCollom's retirement dinner, September 23, 1980, Wright Patterson Air Force Base Officers' Club. Felmley interviewed Decker for the occasion.79 a fresh human footprint: John McCollom, interview, October 1997.79 strange barking sounds: St. George, "Rescue from Shangri-La," p. 6.

8: GENTLEMAN EXPLORER 80 never much of a traditional student: (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2000), p. 2.80 brusque manner: Roger A. Morse, Richard Archbold and the Archbold Biological Station Richard Archbold and the Archbold Biological Station Ibid., p. 61. Ibid., p. 61.81 "Why don't you collect mammals?": Ibid., p. 4.81 learned from his many mistakes: Ibid., p. 4. Archbold's autobiographical notes indicate that, in Morse's words, he "botched the job."81 his grandfather had been a major benefactor: Ibid., p. 9.81 put his inheritance to work: Ibid., pp. 1114.82 "a comprehensive biological survey of the island": Richard Archbold, A. L. Rand, and L. J. Bra.s.s, "Results of the Archbold Expeditions, No. 41," Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 79, art. 3 (June 26, 1942): 201. 79, art. 3 (June 26, 1942): 201.82 frustrated by the logistical challenges: Morse, Richard Archbold Richard Archbold, p. 15.82 largest privately owned airplane in the world: Ibid., p. 23. The plane is sometimes called the Guba II Guba II, because it was the successor to a similar flying boat that Archbold sold to the Soviet Union, with U.S. permission, to help the Russians search for a plane that crashed while trying to fly over the North Pole. Archbold called the second plane simply the Guba Guba in his accounts in the in his accounts in the New York Times New York Times and elsewhere. and elsewhere.82 a range exceeding four thousand miles: Richard Archbold, "Unknown New Guinea," National Geographic Magazine National Geographic Magazine 79, no. 3 (March 1941): 315. 79, no. 3 (March 1941): 315.83 nearly two hundred people: Ibid.83 "convict carriers": Morse, Richard Archbold Richard Archbold, p. 25. See also Susan Meiselas, Encounters with the Dani: Stories from the Baliem Valley Encounters with the Dani: Stories from the Baliem Valley (New York: Steidl/International Center for Photography, 2003), p. 8. (New York: Steidl/International Center for Photography, 2003), p. 8.83 collecting mammals, birds, plants, and insects: A. L. Rand, "The Snow Mountains-New Guinea Group in the American Museum of Natural History," Scientific Monthly Scientific Monthly 52, no. 4 (April 1941): 38082. See also Richard Archbold, "Expedition Finds Rats 3 Feet Long and Kangaroos That Climb Trees," 52, no. 4 (April 1941): 38082. See also Richard Archbold, "Expedition Finds Rats 3 Feet Long and Kangaroos That Climb Trees," New York Times New York Times, January 1, 1939.84 "a pleasant surprise": Archbold, Rand, and Bra.s.s, "Results of the Archbold Expeditions," p. 211.84 called the area a Groote Vallei Groote Vallei: L. J. Bra.s.s, "Stone Age Agriculture in New Guinea," Geographical Review Geographical Review 31, no. 4 (October 1941): 556. 31, no. 4 (October 1941): 556.84 stumbling upon Kansas City, Kansas: U.S. Census table, "Population of 100 Largest Urban Places, 1940," http://www.census.gov/population/www/doc.u.mentation/twps0027/tab17.txt (retrieved September 26, 2009).85 expeditions in 1907, the early 1920s, and 1926: H. Myron Bromley, The Phonology of Lower Grand Valley Dani: The Phonology of Lower Grand Valley Dani: A Comparative Structural Study of Skewed Phonemic Patterns A Comparative Structural Study of Skewed Phonemic Patterns ('s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1961), pp. 12. ('s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1961), pp. 12.85 the light-skinned men, who must really be ghosts: Denise O'Brien, "The Economics of Dani Marriage: An a.n.a.lysis of Marriage Payments in a Highland New Guinea Society," Ph.D. diss., Yale University, pp. 78.86 "the last time in the history of our planet": Flannery, Throwim Way Leg Throwim Way Leg, p. 4.86 "Forestation is so heavy": Editor's note attached to Archbold, "Unknown New Guinea," p. 318.86 rough weather prevented him from changing course: Bra.s.s, "Stone Age Agriculture," p. 556.86 L. J. Bra.s.s, described what they saw: Ibid., p. 557.87 farm country ... central Europe: Archbold, "Unknown New Guinea," p. 316.87 "One was evidently a man of some importance": Ibid., p. 321.88 started their treks at opposite ends of the valley: Ibid., p. 321.88 the natives practiced cannibalism: Archbold, Rand, and Bra.s.s, "Results of the Archbold Expeditions," p. 253.88 discourage the explorers from traveling to the next village: Archbold, "Unknown New Guinea," p. 324.88 tribesmen "in large numbers": Meiselas, Encounters with the Dani Encounters with the Dani, p. 12. The remainder of the Van Arcken reports from August 9 and 10, 1938, also come from Meiselas, Encounters with the Dani Encounters with the Dani, pp. 1215. In her translation, she uses "Papuan" rather than "native."89 "Here the natives seemed to take our party for granted": Archbold, "Unknown New Guinea," p. 336.90 the most awful moment: The details of this incident were explored vividly by Susan Meiselas in her insightful book Encounters with the Dani Encounters with the Dani. Meiselas reprints original copies of Van Arcken's patrol reports and the map he drew of the valley, including his obfuscating label showing the location where "one Papuan died due to a lance attack." Meiselas declares, "The colonial government forbade Archbold from discussing the August 10 shooting in exchange for Archbold's continued access to the region." Credibility for that claim is enhanced knowledge that colonial rule was already under challenge, as well as by a brief item in the New York Times New York Times on March 8, 1940, reporting that Archbold had been appointed "Officer of the Order of Orange Na.s.sau" by Dutch Queen Wilhelmina. on March 8, 1940, reporting that Archbold had been appointed "Officer of the Order of Orange Na.s.sau" by Dutch Queen Wilhelmina.90 guaranteed that the significance would be overlooked: Archbold, Rand, and Bra.s.s, "Results of the Archbold Expeditions." Roughly six of the report's ninety-one pages are devoted to Teerink's and Van Arcken's journeys, based on their diaries.90 "where more than a show of force was necessary": Ibid., p. 219.90 "one native died due to a lance attack": Meiselas, Encounters with the Dani Encounters with the Dani, p. 15.90 "reception the natives will extend is unpredictable": Archbold, Rand, and Bra.s.s, "Results of the Archbold Expeditions," p. 205.

9: GUILT AND GANGRENE 92 "this aching, miserable night": Hastings, SLD, part 7.92 "a sickening sight": Ibid.92 "evil-smelling, running sores": Ibid., part 10.93 She walked in agony: Ibid., part 7, in which she wrote, "I forced myself to walk back and forth ... it was agony."93 burns on the left side of her face: Ibid., part 9.93 the only one left alive: Pat Pond, "Reunion: Thirty Years After," Women's Army Corps Journal Women's Army Corps Journal 5, no. 5 (OctoberDecember 1974): 19. 5, no. 5 (OctoberDecember 1974): 19.94 "as much for myself as for them": John McCollom to Colonel Edward T. Imparato, n.d., reprinted in Imparato, Rescue from Shangri-La Rescue from Shangri-La, p. 160.94 walk all the way to the ocean: John McCollom and C. Earl Walter, unaired joint interview with Robert Gardner, Seattle, May 13, 1998. McCollom says, "I never even doubted that even if they didn't find me, that I was going to make it-if I had to walk to the ocean."94 separated the candies by color: St. George, "Rescue from Shangri-La," p. 6.94 "delicious battery acid": Hastings, SLD, part 7.95 "we're going to starve to death": Ibid.96 "I doubted him for a moment": Ibid.96 Several hundred U.S. women had already died: Information on the deaths of women in World War II was provided by retired colonel Pat Jernigan, who has done notable work on the history of women in the military, and also by http://www.nooniefortin.com/earlierwars.htm (retrieved October 2, 2009).97 six nurses were among twenty-eight crew members killed: Ibid.97 "a handful of icicles": The story of the homemade WAC flag comes from Pat Jernigan and also from Eck, Saga of a Sad Sack Saga of a Sad Sack, pp. 2930. See also letter t.i.tled "I Am Proud," by WAC Margaret Durocher, in Margaret Hastings's correspondence file at TCHS.98 calls were made to Allied landing strips: Report of Circ.u.mstances Surrounding Flight and Search for C-47 Aircraft Number 41-23952 Report of Circ.u.mstances Surrounding Flight and Search for C-47 Aircraft Number 41-23952, U.S. Army doc.u.ment, MACR, contained in IDPFs of the crew and pa.s.sengers who died.98 "a forced landing": Ibid.98 twenty-four planes took part: Ibid.98 A volunteer crew member: Lutgring, interview, January 5, 2010.98 "this is it": Hastings, SLD, part 7.99 flew away without spotting them: John McCollom, sworn statement, MACR, p. 4. In her diary, Margaret Hastings does not record the first plane they saw at the clearing. Decker's MACR statement is vague, but he seems to agree with McCollom by writing that they reached the clearing around 11:00 a.m. and "we were spotted by a plane that same noon."99 "Get out the tarps!": Hastings, SLD, part 7.99 brought along an unusual pa.s.senger: Ibid., part 13.99 "They see us by now": Ibid., part 7. Hastings, SLD, is the source of the entire dialogue following their discovery by Captain Baker in the B-17.100 "a limitless sea of green": Sheehan, Missing Plane Missing Plane, p. 214.100 saved them in the middle of a jungle: "End of Adventure Is Only Beginning, McCollom Finds," undated clipping from Trenton, Missouri, newspaper, McCollom's sc.r.a.pbook.100 they weren't alone: Helenma Wandik, interview by author, February 1, 2010.100 drop two life rafts as markers: Russell Brines, "Shangri-La On New Guinea," a.s.sociated Press story datelined Manila, June 8, 1945, Walter's sc.r.a.pbook. See also St. George, "Rescue from Shangri-La," p. 6.100 a message to the Sen