You're No Good to Me Dead: Behind Japanese Lines in the Philippines (Naval Institute Special Warfare)

Rating:
Summary: Riveting South Pacific Adventure
Review: At age 23, Bob Stahl volunteered to become a radio operator and cryptographer for the largely forgotten and often overlooked Allied Intelligence Bureau (AIB). In You're No Good to Me Dead: Behind Japanese Lines in the Philippines, Stahl uses the southeastern portion of the Philippine Islands from 1943 to 1945 as the lense through which he viewed the world as an agent gathering intelligence information in helping pave the way for the Allied victory over Japan. Inserted miles behind enemy lines, Stahl and his fellow AIB agents from the 978th Signal Service Company, First Reconnaissance Battalion, established intelligence networks via a series of radio stations deep in the Philippine jungle. Here they conducted coastwatching, weather reporting, and air warning operations for the Allies, in addition to establishing contact with and, often times, operating as part of the organized guerrilla effort fighting the Japanese. You're No Good to Me Dead is a riveting account of a young battlefield commissioned lieutenant working autonomously as a clandestine agent. Stahl's memoir brings us from the days of hanging out at ice-cream parlors in the Anthracite country of central Pennsylvania to the difficult lifestyle struggling to survive in the crude camps and disease-infested jungles on the island of Samar and the Bondoc Peninsula on the southeastern portion of Luzon. Portraying his odyssey, Stahl shares his riveting, informative and often humorous story detailing his personal battles to keep station S3L "on the air" every day for fifteen straight months. Often times in short supply of batteries, arms, and food, Stahl accomplished unseemingly difficult missions, moving frequently to avoid Japanese patrols in order to make good on MacArthur's earlier admonition to be careful, because "you're no good to me dead." Having completed two years of research in writing a book title Surviving Bataan and Beyond, I have had the pleasure in reading a number of first-hand accounts on the struggles in the Philippines during the Second World War. I can honestly say that none, even remotely, measure in terms of substance, originality and readability to Bob Stahl's You're No Good to Me Dead. With this book Stahl has filled a void in the narrative history of the Philippine campaign. It is a significant contribution and more importantly, it is extremely enjoyable to read. I strongly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: My legacy
Review: This is a great book. It held my interest throughout and I was unable to put it down.

However, I write this review from a biased viewpoint. This book provided me information regarding my father, Gerardo Nery who never talked about this part of his life. Maybe because of its classification or because (like many WWII vets) had no reason to boast about their heroic actions during WWII. This part of history had been a black hole in families' life, which Bob Stahl has been able to shed light. Not only does it describe my father's involvement during WWII but also of my mother's, Nacling Medenilla and her family especially my grandfather, Mayor Medenilla whom I was never able to meet during my adult life.

After my birth in 1946, I was never able to return to the Philippines and so missed out on the entire Filipino Legacy and Heritage. Like my father, I joined the US Army and did a tour in Viet Nam in Special Operations working deep in enemy territory as an Army Ranger as a member of N Co. 75th Airborne Rangers. My Ranger class activated the 75th Ranger Colors and I was fortunate to be assigned to B Co. 75th Rangers, Ft. Carson Colorado as a 2LT Infantry Officer. I was able to continue in Special Operations after flight school and flew several missions prior to the formation of TF 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment).

Thank you, Robert E. Stahl for the outstanding story of the Filipino's involvement in the fight for liberation. You have provided me the information needed to fulfill my family history.

Bahala Na,

Gerard B. Nery, Jr.
COL (Ret) US Army
IN/AV