John Lewis Floyd's 'The Expendable': A Gripping True Story of Patrol Wing 10 PT Squadron 3

Hayseed: Most absorbing account of a Navy corpsman through the invasion of the Philippines at the start of the war. Riveting.

United States on Sep 21, 2023

Jack Jasneski: I must say that I did not expect the story line of the book when I selected to read it but if you are interested in what was happening in the U.S. Navy one year before the outbreak of WW2 and what went on in the Philippines for the first six months of the war, this is a fantastic read. I have always been interested in what happened to MTB Squadron 3, what went on in Manila, Bataan, and Corregidor and Patrol Wing 10. In this true book Charles Beckner leads us through all of went on in the Philippines during these early months of WW2. His life as a choreman takes us through Cavite, Bataan, Pat Wing 10, MTB Sq. 3 and finally again through Pat Wing 10. This book is just a fantastic read. You will enjoy it.

United States on Jun 15, 2023

Richard D. Joy: This is a factual story (Creative nonfiction) about a grim time in U.S. military WWII history, revolving around a young Navy Hospital Corpsman during the fall of the Philippines. While I think it is a good read and I do recommend it for the military history buff, but it is not without some minor faults.
Dr. Floyd clearly has gone to great length to research the historical events and the technical details of PT boats and PBY aircraft, though I believe he relied on his own Air Force background to give a military flavor but skipped the Navy culture. Such as referring to a head as a latrine, constantly calling Petty Officers and CPO's as NCO's or noncoms, misconstruing the difference between an Army Quartermaster (supply) and a Navy Quartermaster (Navigation) and on the final page saying his father in law retired from the Navy as a CWO4, the highest "non commissioned" rank. Where a CWO4 is indeed a commissioned officer and rates all the privileges and responsibilities of any other commissioned officer.
Most likely these minor oversights will only be noticed by a U.S. sailor or in my case, A Marine and does not otherwise detract from a very good book.

United States on Jan 15, 2023

DW: When I first started this book, I was a bit put off by the fictionalized dialog of the (mostly) real characters. A literary style known as "creative non-fiction," at times the dialog came off somewhat contrived in my opinion. But I continued reading, and soon was engrossed in Pharmacist Mate Charles Beckner's real life journey into one of the pivotal events of the Second World War. Beckner witnessed and participated in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor, the evacuation of MacArthur by PT boat, and the last ditch efforts to hold Cebu and Mindanao. The Expendable reads like an adventure novel. Hard to put down! This book gives the reader a sense of the desperation felt by the Americans and Filipinos who were literally abandoned by the U.S. government in the face of overwhelming Japanese military advances. It also illustrates the seemingly unfair decisions that were made regarding those who would be evacuated to Australia and those who would be forced to remain and hopefully survive. Rank did indeed have its privileges...

My only negative comment is the inclusion of the fictitious nurse "Tillie" in this otherwise non-fiction account. I realize the author was trying to...

United States on Nov 11, 2021

James Barker: Having read hundreds of memoirs, I consider this to be among, if not, the best. It is a fascinating story in that it not only gives you a sense of the times, but also an idea of the danger and deprivations.

Australia on Aug 08, 2021

J. Link: * Member First Class

What an amazing saga. I generally enjoy historic accounts from The Great War (WW I), WW II, and the period between. People and events and their relevance to the era. This popped up as a niche book recently published when I bought it, January 2021, but it kept getting pushed aside as more attractive books caught my interest. Finally as end of summer reading, I was immediately fully immersed in this creative nonfiction account of Navy Corpsman Charles Beckner.

By that, the author John Lewis Floyd uses the convention to create, as he says, "a factually accurate narrative around established facts and events." When I am reading historic accounts I almost always keep an internet browser open to get detail on people, places, and things, in this case ships, aircraft, and the Philippines. However, Floyd provides ample maps and photos that are embedded within the text to reinforce the story. That was a huge plus.

Perhaps some readers might be put off by the long development of Beckner’s background as a farm boy in Indiana, then entering the Depression-era Navy. Like a Michener novel, that was essential to better understand his character as we...

United States on Aug 07, 2021

Amazon Customer: The author really captured the desperate feeling that everyone must have been experiencing at this time and place in the war. I found it different and educational and now can understand the bravery of all involved.

Australia on Feb 23, 2021

takeiteasy: I suspect this book tells a good story but it does it far too slowly for me. I didn't get out of training camp. I think it might suit very patient WW11 history buffs.

Australia on Nov 09, 2020