Endorsements
Utterly fantastic. The story of Clay Conner Jr provides important insight into one of the least-recounted parts of WWII in this brave, daring, and controversial book. Bob Welch is as fine a nonfiction writer as America has ever produced, and this book shows how at the top of his game he truly is.
Resolve is an intriguing blend of Unbroken and Robinson Crusoe. Welch’s excellent writing shows the incredible strength of not only Clay Conner but also the Filipinos and Negritos who helped him and his men survive. This is more than a book about war, but a book about friendships growing and thriving in the most difficult of circumstances.
I am a complete sucker for inspirational stories, and Resolve is one of the best. Bob Welch’s meticulous reporting describes a soldier who was trapped in the jungle for most of World War II and yet had the brains, courage and — well, let’s admit it — luck to not only survive but also mount his own guerrilla force — with the U.S. flag flying. If anyone was an emblem of American ingenuity, it was Clay Conner Jr.
Author Bob Welch relates a spellbinding drama of Lieutenant Clay Conners’ struggle for survival as a guerrilla fighting the Japanese in the mountains and steaming jungles of Luzon after the Americans surrendered the Island early in World War II. Powerfully told with marvelous attention to historical detail. Welch locks you in suspense with his depiction of the true life story of a few Americans during the horrendous guerrilla “war in the shadows”. Only through their ingenuity and courage will they survive capture by a cruel enemy. The author captures and relates the sufferings, feelings and determination of those soldiers, bringing the reader, between a few tears, to cheer them on.
The Americans in World War II who stepped forward to preserve our nation’s freedom are leaving us. But stories like Clay Conner’s—unlike any other war story I’m aware of—remind us of the perseverance, courage, and hope that we must carry on in their honor.