LONELY VIGIL: COAST WATCHERS OF THE SOLOMONS

This saga of the valiant coast watchers of the Pacific War exemplifies that rare combination of careful research and exciting narrative style that became a hallmark of Walter Lord's best-selling books. Though their importance has long been acknowledged, the coast watchers had received relatively little attention until the publication of this book in 1977. The remarkable band of individualists, operating deep behind Japanese lines in the dark days of 1942-1943, lived by their wits alone, yet gave the Allies their best intelligence and rescued many a man from downed aircraft and sinking ships - including John F Kennedy and his "PT-109" crew.