I Shall Return

MacArthur FULFILLED HIS PROMISE TO RETURN. CAN MY UNCLE DO THE SAME? In the first dark days of 1942, General MacArthur promised the Filipinos that he would return after his daring escape to Australia. And he kept his promise when US troops stormed back into the Philippines in 1944. Last seen at the dreaded Death March, Junior’s uncle also promised to return…but could he do so? Three purple fruits hold the answer. Set in WWII Philippines and the Pacific, and with the overarching theme of patriotism and a Christian underpinning, I Shall Return is less about war and more about the Filipino and American people-their faith, their love, their struggles, and their willingness to give their lives for country, family, and friends. It relates in detail for the first time the sacrifices and martyrdom of unheralded heroes some who occupied the highest positions before the war. I Shall Return takes the reader to the dark dungeons of Fort Santiago in Manila; to Bataan, where POWs are forced to march for miles without food or water in scorching heat; to the swamps of Candaba, where guerrillas snatch escapees from certain death; to a Spanish casa where seven sisters outsmart their guards in a dramatic escape. Woven into the plot are intertwined love stories: Childhood sweet-hearts torn apart by the war-can he fulfill his promise to return to her and to his family, and how? A poor boy in love with a rich girl-we follow him as he makes himself worthy and become a hero. And a black American smitten by a beautiful mestiza-can he overcome prejudice and racial tensions? How about her family? With historical introductions, photographs, and rich imagery, the characters and places of I Shall Return come alive vividly and beautifully in a novel of deep dimension. This historical novel complements books on WWWII Philippines published in recent years such as The Great Raid by William Breuer, Escape from Davao by John D. Lukacs and Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff. About the Author: Cosme R. Cagas edits the e-Philippine ILLINI and has been an editor of scientific journals and organizational newsletters. He has published several short stories and poems. He established five foundations, including the University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America with fifteen chapters throughout the United States, and PEACE, that has constructed more than 500 artesian wells and water systems for the poor. He is president of the Christ Philippine Missions, which supports 350 scholars and feeds 679 school children. His many awards include the Most Outstanding Alumnus Abroad of the UP College of Medicine, a John Wesley Missions award and the LINKAPIL, the highest award given to Filipinos overseas, from the President of the Philippines.