Author Description

William (Bill) Ferguson dreamed of fighting in World War II, eventually becoming quartermaster of PT 329-one of the toughest naval vessels of the war. After demanding immediate deployment to the war zone, he braved the perils of that unprecedented mobilization, surviving not only the unsettling gaze of New Guinean cannibals, giant snakes, and a relentless enemy, but also incontinent pigeons and sailors-and barely competent cooks and commanders. The dangers come fast in his story. Bill takes down an enemy ship. He confronts death on the beach. His crew is ordered into the greatest sea battle ever fought, and while there survives typhoons, kamikaze pilots, and incredibly perilous missions. Bill was a witness to history: epic confrontations with the greatest warships ever known, Manila burning, Corregidor invaded from the skies, and the human toll of a terrible conflict. But he was more than that-he was a soldier, a sailor, and a hero. This is his unforgettable story. This flag was fl own on PT Boat 329 during the battle of Surigao Straits in the Philippines during October 24 and 25, 1944. The flag was so tattered after the day's battles that William changed the flag, to a new one. William was afraid that he and his crew would start receiving friendly fire, as the flag was very hard to make out. After he removed this flag, he dated it and kept it. He now proudly displays this flag in his home.