Lost In Shangri-La Part 15

INSIDE THE GLIDER, Palmer snapped Margaret out of her thoughts about the natives with a sharp warning: "Don't be surprised if the tow rope breaks on the first try." Palmer snapped Margaret out of her thoughts about the natives with a sharp warning: "Don't be surprised if the tow rope breaks on the first try."

"What happens if it does?" McCollom asked.

Palmer laid on a Louisiana accent: "Well, suh, the Army's got me insured for ten thousand dollars."

Margaret wasn't laughing. She gripped her rosary and looked around the glider cabin, so flimsy when compared to the plane that had brought her to the valley nearly seven weeks earlier. She told her diary: "I wondered if we had survived a hideous plane crash and so much hardship, illness and pain, only to be killed when rescue was so near."

Palmer helped to fasten their seat belts and showed them where to hold on, to avoid whiplash when the s.n.a.t.c.h came. They held tight as the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise grew closer. grew closer.

Major Samuels circled the C-47 at fifteen hundred feet above the valley floor. His crew made sure the pickup arm was in place, hanging below the plane's belly, to grab the nylon loop. Peering through the windshield, he looked to the horizon and saw clouds closing in on the valley.

"I don't think I can pick up today," he radioed to Elsmore in the Ray Jr. Ray Jr. and also to the crew in the supply plane. and also to the crew in the supply plane.

Relying on his rank and his expertise, gained from a year of flying into and out of Shangri-La, Elsmore commanded otherwise: "This is the best weather I've seen in the valley in many a day. You can do it. Go right down there and pick up the glider. You'll never get much better weather here." Samuels knew better than to argue.

The Leaking Louise Leaking Louise, piloted by Major William J. Samuels, approaches the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot for a s.n.a.t.c.h attempt. (Photo courtesy of C. Earl Walter Jr.) for a s.n.a.t.c.h attempt. (Photo courtesy of C. Earl Walter Jr.) At one point during the conversation, Samuels turned away from the radio and asked his copilot, Captain William McKenzie: "Are you nervous, Mac?"

"h.e.l.l, yes," McKenzie said. "Are you?"

"I guess you could say that."

Samuels wrenched his neck to look into the cabin. "You guys all ready back there?" he asked the crew. They responded with thumbs up.

"OK, here we go. Lower the boom."

Samuels pulled back on the throttles, slowing the C-47 to just over 135 miles per hour. He pushed forward on the control wheel, guiding the plane down to twenty feet above the valley floor and headed toward the spindly posts with the nylon loop draped across them.

At 9:47 a.m., the steel hook caught hold of the loop. Samuels slammed the throttles forward to gain power as he pulled back on the control wheel to gain alt.i.tude.

Inside the glider, the pa.s.sengers and crew felt a neck-snapping jolt.

Watching from his B-25 at six thousand feet, Colonel Elsmore spat a machine-gun litany into his radio: "Oh boy. Oh boy. Ohboy, Ohboy, OHBOY!"

The drag from the glider slowed the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise to a dangerous 105 miles per hour. The s.n.a.t.c.h plane was flying barely above the speed at which a C-47 was doomed to stall, a failure almost certain to be fatal. to a dangerous 105 miles per hour. The s.n.a.t.c.h plane was flying barely above the speed at which a C-47 was doomed to stall, a failure almost certain to be fatal.

Making matters worse, just before becoming airborne, the left wheel of the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot had snagged one of the parachutes laid down the center of the field. The white cloth billowed and thrashed against the glider's underbelly as it struggled to gain alt.i.tude at the end of the tow rope. Lieutenant Palmer's black humor about government life insurance now seemed more relevant and even less funny. If it were even possible, an emergency landing in the had snagged one of the parachutes laid down the center of the field. The white cloth billowed and thrashed against the glider's underbelly as it struggled to gain alt.i.tude at the end of the tow rope. Lieutenant Palmer's black humor about government life insurance now seemed more relevant and even less funny. If it were even possible, an emergency landing in the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot would likely be a twisting, uncontrolled affair. would likely be a twisting, uncontrolled affair.

As the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot moved forward at the end of the nylon cable after the s.n.a.t.c.h, a parachute used as a field marker caught on the glider's wheel. (Photos courtesy of C. Earl Walter Jr. and the U.S. Army.) moved forward at the end of the nylon cable after the s.n.a.t.c.h, a parachute used as a field marker caught on the glider's wheel. (Photos courtesy of C. Earl Walter Jr. and the U.S. Army.) Margaret prayed harder as the glider swept treacherously low toward the jungle-covered mountains. Seven hundred feet of steel cable had spun out from the winch inside the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise. Added to the three hundred feet of nylon rope from the loop and the towline, the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot trailed the C-47 by about one thousand feet, or several hundred feet farther than ideal. With Samuels struggling to gain alt.i.tude, the longer distance between the two aircraft meant that the glider was being tugged too low toward the mountains. Samuels pulled back harder on the control wheel and applied full power. It wasn't enough. Still the tow rope dragged through the trees-pulling the glider and the seven people on board through the upper branches. trailed the C-47 by about one thousand feet, or several hundred feet farther than ideal. With Samuels struggling to gain alt.i.tude, the longer distance between the two aircraft meant that the glider was being tugged too low toward the mountains. Samuels pulled back harder on the control wheel and applied full power. It wasn't enough. Still the tow rope dragged through the trees-pulling the glider and the seven people on board through the upper branches.

When the glider grazed a treetop, Margaret clenched in fear. Her mind raced back to the sickening sound of branches sc.r.a.ping against the metal skin of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special just before it crashed. just before it crashed.

The Leaking Louise Leaking Louise clawed for alt.i.tude, climbed, and hauled the damaged clawed for alt.i.tude, climbed, and hauled the damaged Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot into the clear. "When the glider swayed into our line of vision," Samuels reported, "we could see pieces of fabric fluttering off in the wind." into the clear. "When the glider swayed into our line of vision," Samuels reported, "we could see pieces of fabric fluttering off in the wind."

The trees were only the first obstacles. His hands sweating, Samuels fought to bring the C-47 up to ten thousand feet, the alt.i.tude he knew would be needed to clear the surrounding ridges. As Samuels overheated, the twin engines of the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise did so, too. The plane began losing alt.i.tude. did so, too. The plane began losing alt.i.tude.

"I've pushed her as far as she can go," he radioed. Samuels announced that he wanted to cut the glider loose to avoid killing the C-47's engines-along with everyone aboard both aircraft.

Elsmore demanded that the major do no such thing. Watching from a higher alt.i.tude in his B-25, he believed the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise had climbed high enough to clear the pa.s.s. He radioed back: "Let 'em heat up. Keep goin'!" had climbed high enough to clear the pa.s.s. He radioed back: "Let 'em heat up. Keep goin'!"

Clouds shrouded the highest ridges, blocking Samuels's vision.

INSIDE THE FANLESS f.a.gGOT, the five pa.s.sengers were exhaling with relief over the tow rope's refusal to break in the trees. But while congratulating each other on their apparent survival, they heard a persistent the five pa.s.sengers were exhaling with relief over the tow rope's refusal to break in the trees. But while congratulating each other on their apparent survival, they heard a persistent slap-slap slap-slap noise from underneath the glider. The sound came from the parachute that had snagged on the wheel during takeoff. As it whipped against the glider's belly, the chute tore through the canvas-covered floor, adding to the damage caused by the sweep through the branches. Strapped in their seats, the pa.s.sengers looked through ragged gashes to the jungle several thousand feet below. The chute kept thwacking, the canvas kept shedding, and the holes kept growing. noise from underneath the glider. The sound came from the parachute that had snagged on the wheel during takeoff. As it whipped against the glider's belly, the chute tore through the canvas-covered floor, adding to the damage caused by the sweep through the branches. Strapped in their seats, the pa.s.sengers looked through ragged gashes to the jungle several thousand feet below. The chute kept thwacking, the canvas kept shedding, and the holes kept growing.

Nearing panic, Margaret tried not to look, but she couldn't stop herself. It reminded her of a ride on a gla.s.s-bottomed boat, only with no bottom.

John McCollom, who'd twice reentered the burning Gremlin Special Gremlin Special, who'd swallowed the grief over his dead twin to lead Margaret and Decker down the mountain, who'd walked across a log to confront the ax-wielding natives, had one more task thrust upon him.

McCollom unbuckled his seat belt and dropped to his knees. He crawled toward the tail of the glider, wind pounding against his face. Hanging on to keep from plummeting to his death, McCollom reached through the hole and grabbed a handful of parachute cloth. He pulled it inside, then grabbed another handful, then another, until the chute was safely stowed away.

IN THE c.o.c.kPIT of the s.n.a.t.c.h plane, Samuels's struggles continued. He obeyed Elsmore's order not to cut loose the glider, even as he watched a temperature gauge on the dashboard show that the cylinder heads of both engines were overheating. of the s.n.a.t.c.h plane, Samuels's struggles continued. He obeyed Elsmore's order not to cut loose the glider, even as he watched a temperature gauge on the dashboard show that the cylinder heads of both engines were overheating.

With help from copilot William McKenzie, Samuels flew the equivalent of a high-alt.i.tude tightrope, with a dozen lives in two aircraft hanging in the balance. He throttled back just enough to keep the engines from seizing while maintaining enough alt.i.tude for both his C-47 and the trailing Waco glider to narrowly clear the valley walls.

"We dropped her down to eight thousand feet," Samuels said, "and ... we were practically brushing the mountain tops." But the plane didn't quit. The C-47 remained aloft, and so did the glider.

As they flew through the final mountain pa.s.s out of the valley, the overheating Leaking Louise Leaking Louise and the damaged and the damaged Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot pa.s.sed over the charred wreckage of the pa.s.sed over the charred wreckage of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special.

Even with a two-foot-wide hole in the glider floor, Margaret, McCollom, and Decker couldn't spot the crash site. But they knew that under the jungle canopy, pressed into the moist soil, there stood twenty white wooden crosses and one Star of David, silently marking the loss of friends, comrades, and family, left behind in Shangri-La.

The view from the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot as the as the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise pulled the glider out of Shangri-La, en route to Hollandia. (Photo courtesy of B. B. McCollom.) pulled the glider out of Shangri-La, en route to Hollandia. (Photo courtesy of B. B. McCollom.)

EPILOGUE: AFTER SHANGRI-LA AS COLONEL ELSMORE predicted, the remainder of the ninety-minute trip was uneventful, with one small glitch. A pack of generals, VIPs, and reporters gathered at Hollandia's Cyclops Airstrip for the survivors' arrival, but the predicted, the remainder of the ninety-minute trip was uneventful, with one small glitch. A pack of generals, VIPs, and reporters gathered at Hollandia's Cyclops Airstrip for the survivors' arrival, but the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot landed a quarter mile away on the Sentani Airstrip, completing a round-trip begun seven weeks earlier with the landed a quarter mile away on the Sentani Airstrip, completing a round-trip begun seven weeks earlier with the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special. The greeting party raced to Sentani, where the survivors posed for photos with the crews of the glider and tow planes. Later they gave a press conference that made the front pages of newspapers around the world. Asked what they wanted to do next, the trio played it cute: "Get a haircut and shave, and then go up to Manila," McCollom said.

"A haircut and a shower will do me," Decker said.

"I'd like a shower and a permanent," Margaret said.

The Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot was too damaged to fly again, so a new glider was used the following day in a s.n.a.t.c.h that brought out Alex Cann and five paratroopers: Corporal Custodio Alerta and Sergeants Alfred Baylon, Juan Javonillo, Camilo Ramirez, and Don Ruiz. Two days later, on July 1, 1945, out came the third and final group-Walter called them "The Four Musketeers"-sergeants Santiago Abrenica, Hermenegildo Caoili, and Roque Velasco, and Walter himself. Along with souvenirs of bows, arrows, and axes, they decorated their caps with pig tusks and feathers to make a grand entrance. They left behind the tents and most of their supplies, but took their weapons. was too damaged to fly again, so a new glider was used the following day in a s.n.a.t.c.h that brought out Alex Cann and five paratroopers: Corporal Custodio Alerta and Sergeants Alfred Baylon, Juan Javonillo, Camilo Ramirez, and Don Ruiz. Two days later, on July 1, 1945, out came the third and final group-Walter called them "The Four Musketeers"-sergeants Santiago Abrenica, Hermenegildo Caoili, and Roque Velasco, and Walter himself. Along with souvenirs of bows, arrows, and axes, they decorated their caps with pig tusks and feathers to make a grand entrance. They left behind the tents and most of their supplies, but took their weapons.

The paratroopers tried to convince several native boys to board the glider, without success. "We were excited to go," said Lisaniak Mabel. "We said, 'Let's go!' but our parents said, 'We don't want to lose you.' "

The three survivors of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crash upon their return to Hollandia. (Photos courtesy of B. B. McCollom.) crash upon their return to Hollandia. (Photos courtesy of B. B. McCollom.) The paratroopers had better luck with the little pig named Peggy. Squealing and wriggling, it left Shangri-La on the last glider flight to Hollandia. Peggy's subsequent fate is unknown.

FOUR MONTHS AFTER the rescue, Shangri-La and the "Grand Valley" discovered in 1938 by Richard Archbold were formally acknowledged to be one and the same. As the journal the rescue, Shangri-La and the "Grand Valley" discovered in 1938 by Richard Archbold were formally acknowledged to be one and the same. As the journal Science Science reported: "The ident.i.ty of the valley came about through a comparison of photographs taken by the Army just before the survivors were rescued with airplane photographs taken by the Archbold expedition. The ident.i.ty is acknowledged by the Army, and particularly by Colonel Ray T. Elsmore, who directed the recent rescue operations." reported: "The ident.i.ty of the valley came about through a comparison of photographs taken by the Army just before the survivors were rescued with airplane photographs taken by the Archbold expedition. The ident.i.ty is acknowledged by the Army, and particularly by Colonel Ray T. Elsmore, who directed the recent rescue operations."

Archbold never returned to New Guinea, never married, and never engaged in further exotic expeditions. He devoted the remainder of his life, and his considerable fortune, to the Archbold Biological Station, a five-thousand-acre preserve near Lake Placid, Florida, dedicated to ecological research and conservation. He died in 1976 at sixty-nine.

JUST AS THE Uluayek legend foretold, a new age dawned after the return of the sky spirits. Changes in the valley during the ensuing decades have been dramatic, but whether for better or worse is a matter of debate. Uluayek legend foretold, a new age dawned after the return of the sky spirits. Changes in the valley during the ensuing decades have been dramatic, but whether for better or worse is a matter of debate.

Spurred in part by news stories about the natives during coverage of the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special rescue, Christian missionaries established camps in the valley in the decade after the war. They flew in aboard new amphibious planes that could land and take off from a straight stretch of the Baliem River. After initially reacting with hostility, in time a majority of native families accepted Christianity. Today, more than a dozen large churches dot the valley's one town of any size, Wamena, a dusty former Dutch government post with trash-strewn streets and a population of ten thousand and rising. Wamena is also now the site of a small airport; aircraft remain the only way in and out, but the valley's former isolation has surrendered to regularly scheduled flights. rescue, Christian missionaries established camps in the valley in the decade after the war. They flew in aboard new amphibious planes that could land and take off from a straight stretch of the Baliem River. After initially reacting with hostility, in time a majority of native families accepted Christianity. Today, more than a dozen large churches dot the valley's one town of any size, Wamena, a dusty former Dutch government post with trash-strewn streets and a population of ten thousand and rising. Wamena is also now the site of a small airport; aircraft remain the only way in and out, but the valley's former isolation has surrendered to regularly scheduled flights.

After the missionaries came Indonesian troops, who arrived in force in the 1960s and '70s, after the Netherlands ended colonial control over the western half of New Guinea. Dutch New Guinea is now an Indonesian province called Papua. (The eastern half of the island of New Guinea is a separate country, called, confusingly, Papua New Guinea.) Hollandia has been renamed Jayapura. Shangri-La is now the Baliem Valley.

Tribal affiliations remain intact among valley people, but natives throughout the province are collectively called Papuans. A low-intensity independence movement has sputtered along seeking a "Free Papua." But hundreds of miles from the Baliem Valley, mining companies are extracting major gold and copper deposits. The Indonesian government has no intention of ceding control over Papua or its resources.

Years of persuasion by missionaries and force by Indonesian authorities put an end to the perpetual wars that formerly defined native life in the Baliem Valley. But an absence of war has also meant an absence of strong leaders, and peace hasn't meant prosperity. The province has the highest rates of poverty and AIDS in Indonesia. Health care is woeful, and aid workers say school is a sometimes thing for valley children. The Indonesian government provides financial support, but much of the money ends up in the hands of nonnative migrants who run virtually all the businesses of Wamena.

Elderly native men in p.e.n.i.s gourds walk through Wamena begging for change and cigarettes. Some charge a small fee to pose for photos, inserting boar tusks through pa.s.sages in their nasal septums to look fierce. More often, they look lost.

One village near Wamena earns money by displaying a mummified ancestor to the few tourists who obtain special government permits to visit the valley. Younger men and women have largely abandoned p.e.n.i.s gourds and twine skirts. Instead they wear Western castoff shorts and T-shirts with unfamiliar logos and images. In February 2010, a young man walked toward his remote village wearing a T-shirt that displayed a portrait of Barack Obama. Asked if he knew the ident.i.ty of the man on his shirt, he smiled shyly and said no.

A Dani tribesman photographed in the Baliem Valley city of Wamena in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Mitch.e.l.l Zuckoff.) Robert Gardner, a doc.u.mentary filmmaker who first visited the valley in 1961 to film the Dani people in their original state, despairs at the changes during the past half century. "They were warriors and independent people," he said. "Now they're serfs in their own country." Others, however, say the transition to modern ways, though difficult, will eventually lead to improved opportunities and standards of living.

Outside Wamena, large parts of the landscape remain unchanged from scenes depicted in photographs taken by Earl Walter and the movie made by Alex Cann. Families still live in thatch-roofed huts and grow sweet potatoes and other root crops, and they still count their wealth in pigs.

Logging companies have stripped some nearby mountainsides of trees, but the Ogi ridge where the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crashed remains pristine. Large pieces of wreckage can still be found there by anyone willing to make an arduous hike up the mountain, using moss-covered logs as bridges over small ravines, cutting through thick vines, and avoiding missteps that could send them over cliffs. b.u.t.tons, belt buckles, and pieces of human bones can be found in the muddy tomb where the wreck sits. Not long ago, a boy digging with friends turned up a silver dog tag. It was stamped with the name, address, and serial number of WAC Sergeant Marion McMonagle, a widow from Philadelphia who had no children and whose parents died before her. crashed remains pristine. Large pieces of wreckage can still be found there by anyone willing to make an arduous hike up the mountain, using moss-covered logs as bridges over small ravines, cutting through thick vines, and avoiding missteps that could send them over cliffs. b.u.t.tons, belt buckles, and pieces of human bones can be found in the muddy tomb where the wreck sits. Not long ago, a boy digging with friends turned up a silver dog tag. It was stamped with the name, address, and serial number of WAC Sergeant Marion McMonagle, a widow from Philadelphia who had no children and whose parents died before her.

The tale of the plane crash and the sky spirits is still told by those who remember it, though their numbers are dwindling. When the author of this book visited in early 2010, Yunggukwe Wandik, whose pig was killed by falling cargo, refused to talk about the episode for nearly an hour. She only relented when the author offered an apology on behalf of his countrymen. She never asked for money, but after she shared her memories, she accepted a few dollars as long-belated compensation for her first pig.

Throughout the author's visit, natives crowded around to view copies of Earl Walter's photos. When Helenma Wandik saw a photo of Wimayuk Wandik, known to the survivors as Pete, his eyes welled with tears. He held the photo close to his face, then stroked it with his long, bony fingers. "This is my father," he said in Dani, drawing it to his chest. He accepted a copy of the photo and offered a polished stone in exchange.

AFTER THE WAR, the U.S. Army tried to send troops to Shangri-La to recover the crash victims' remains. That plan was scuttled in 1947 when two amphibious planes that were supposed to be used in the mission were destroyed in a typhoon. No one was hurt. In letters to the victims' families, the military declared that "the many extreme hazards involved in this plan posed serious threats to the lives of the members of this proposed expedition." The bodies from the the U.S. Army tried to send troops to Shangri-La to recover the crash victims' remains. That plan was scuttled in 1947 when two amphibious planes that were supposed to be used in the mission were destroyed in a typhoon. No one was hurt. In letters to the victims' families, the military declared that "the many extreme hazards involved in this plan posed serious threats to the lives of the members of this proposed expedition." The bodies from the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special were declared "non-recoverable" and their common gravesite received an official name: "USAF Cemetery, Hidden Valley, No. 1," at longitude 139 1' east, and lat.i.tude 3 51' south. were declared "non-recoverable" and their common gravesite received an official name: "USAF Cemetery, Hidden Valley, No. 1," at longitude 139 1' east, and lat.i.tude 3 51' south.

However, a decade later, a Dutch team searching the jungle for the wreck of a missionary plane stumbled upon the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special. The finding was reported by The a.s.sociated Press, prompting a search and recovery mission by the U.S. Army. Using detailed directions from John McCollom and Earl Walter, the team located the crash site in December 1958. The bodies of Sergeant Laura Besley, Captain Herbert Good, and Private Eleanor Hanna were identified and recovered. As for the eighteen others, in the words of an officer who notified the next of kin, "segregation was not possible." The team collected as many bones and personal effects as possible and hiked out.

Herbert Good was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Eleanor Hanna was buried in a private cemetery in Pennsylvania. Her Chinese coin bracelet, and the two others she'd left behind in her tent, were returned to her family.

Laura Besley was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Hawaii. Her second funeral was May 13, 1959, the fourteenth anniversary of the crash. Every WAC then stationed in Hawaii served as an honorary pallbearer. A few weeks later, one WAC who attended the funeral returned to be sure a proper grave marker had been installed. To her surprise, a lei of vanda orchids rested on Laura Besley's grave. She never learned who left them.

The eighteen others were buried together on June 29, 1959, at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Their remains rest under a large granite headstone inscribed with their names, ranks, birth dates, and home states. Among the mourners were Colonel Peter Prossen's two sons, Peter Jr. and David. John McCollom attended the ceremony with his brother's widow, Adele, and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Dennie.

Robert McCollom's wedding ring, found among the remains, was returned to his widow. She never remarried. After her death the ring pa.s.sed to their daughter, who wore it to feel connected to her parents. It was stolen from her home in 1991, but she still hopes it will turn up.

JAMES LUTGRING, WHOSE place on the place on the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special crew was taken by Melvin "Molly" Mollberg, never forgot his best friend. Lutgring knew that, months before his death, Mollberg had tried unsuccessfully to join a unit that flew P-47 Thunderbolts. As a tribute, Lutgring and some friends arranged to nickname a P-47 "Molly." They took pictures of themselves gathered around the fighter's nose, its name painted in flowing script. Lutgring also named his son after his lost pal, though Melvyn Lutgring never learned why his parents subst.i.tuted a "y" for the "i." Melvyn Lutgring served in Vietnam as a U.S. Army helicopter mechanic. crew was taken by Melvin "Molly" Mollberg, never forgot his best friend. Lutgring knew that, months before his death, Mollberg had tried unsuccessfully to join a unit that flew P-47 Thunderbolts. As a tribute, Lutgring and some friends arranged to nickname a P-47 "Molly." They took pictures of themselves gathered around the fighter's nose, its name painted in flowing script. Lutgring also named his son after his lost pal, though Melvyn Lutgring never learned why his parents subst.i.tuted a "y" for the "i." Melvyn Lutgring served in Vietnam as a U.S. Army helicopter mechanic.

LIEUTENANT HENRY E. PALMER received an Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement for piloting the received an Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement for piloting the Fanless f.a.ggot Fanless f.a.ggot. He returned to Louisiana after the war, married, had four daughters, and became registrar of voters in East Feliciana, Louisiana. In that role, he played a small part in a much larger historical event: the investigation into the a.s.sa.s.sination of President John F. Kennedy. In 1967 New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison charged a businessman named Clay Shaw with conspiring with Lee Harvey Oswald to kill the president. Henry Palmer was called to testify during Shaw's trial, as part of the prosecution's effort to establish a connection between Shaw and Oswald. Witnesses said Oswald tried to register to vote in Palmer's office on a day when Shaw was nearby. Shaw was found innocent, but Henry Palmer continued to field questions about the case from conspiracy theorists until he died in 1991 at seventy-seven.

For piloting the Leaking Louise Leaking Louise, Major William J. Samuels received a Distinguished Flying Cross, given for "heroism or extraordinary achievement while partic.i.p.ating in aerial flight." Shortly afterward, he was offered a choice: go to Okinawa and be promoted to lieutenant colonel or go home. He chose the latter and spent the next thirty-three years as a pilot for United Airlines. He died in 2006 at ninety-one.

AFTER THE WAR, Colonel Ray T. Elsmore cofounded Transocean Air Lines, an upstart company created by aviation mavericks to fly unscheduled routes that other carriers couldn't or wouldn't. He served as a Transocean director and executive vice president from 1946 to 1952. Elsmore later became president of Western Sky Industries in Hayward, California. His military honors included the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Commendation Award, and six Presidential Unit Citations. Colonel Ray T. Elsmore cofounded Transocean Air Lines, an upstart company created by aviation mavericks to fly unscheduled routes that other carriers couldn't or wouldn't. He served as a Transocean director and executive vice president from 1946 to 1952. Elsmore later became president of Western Sky Industries in Hayward, California. His military honors included the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Commendation Award, and six Presidential Unit Citations.

An obituary published in The New York Times The New York Times recalled how Elsmore arranged General MacArthur's flight from the Philippines and "directed the dramatic rescue of a Women's Army Corps member and two service men from the wilds of the 'Valley of Shangri-La' in Netherlands New Guinea." He died in 1957 at sixty-six. There's no evidence he ever set foot in the valley. recalled how Elsmore arranged General MacArthur's flight from the Philippines and "directed the dramatic rescue of a Women's Army Corps member and two service men from the wilds of the 'Valley of Shangri-La' in Netherlands New Guinea." He died in 1957 at sixty-six. There's no evidence he ever set foot in the valley.

A year later, the Times Times published the obituary of George Lait, one of the reporters who flew with Elsmore in 1944 and named the valley Shangri-La. Fittingly, Lait went to Hollywood after the war and became a top publicist in the movie business. He died at fifty-one. published the obituary of George Lait, one of the reporters who flew with Elsmore in 1944 and named the valley Shangri-La. Fittingly, Lait went to Hollywood after the war and became a top publicist in the movie business. He died at fifty-one.

Ralph Morton remained Australia bureau chief for The a.s.sociated Press until 1948, after which he worked on the AP's foreign desk in New York and taught at the Columbia University School of Journalism. In 1954, he and his wife founded the weekly Dartmouth Free Press Dartmouth Free Press in Nova Scotia. He died in 1988 at eighty. in Nova Scotia. He died in 1988 at eighty.

Walter Simmons of the Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune stayed in the Far East for a decade after the rescue. He wrote one of the first accounts of North Korean soldiers crossing the thirty-eighth parallel at the start of the Korean War. He returned to Chicago in 1955 and became the newspaper's features editor, Sunday editor, and Sunday magazine editor before his retirement in 1973. He died in 2006 at ninety-eight. stayed in the Far East for a decade after the rescue. He wrote one of the first accounts of North Korean soldiers crossing the thirty-eighth parallel at the start of the Korean War. He returned to Chicago in 1955 and became the newspaper's features editor, Sunday editor, and Sunday magazine editor before his retirement in 1973. He died in 2006 at ninety-eight.

Alexander Cann edited his film into an eleven-minute quasi-doc.u.mentary called Rescue from Shangri-La Rescue from Shangri-La. It opens with images of forbidding mountains shrouded by clouds, then Cann begins the narration: "High in the mountains of Dutch New Guinea, beneath these clouds, an American Army plane crashed some time ago." The film climaxes with the glider s.n.a.t.c.h.

After the war, Cann married for a fourth and final time, had two sons and a daughter, and continued making doc.u.mentaries in Australia. His wife, theatrical agent June (Dunlop) Cann, told a reporter that he "stopped off to be an alcoholic for twelve years," so she left the film industry to raise their children. Late in life, he sobered up and returned to acting, winning roles on the television series Skippy Skippy, about a heroic kangaroo, and in the 1970 movie Ned Kelly Ned Kelly, starring Mick Jagger. Cann died in 1977 at seventy-four.

AT THE URGING of Earl Walter, medals were awarded to all ten enlisted paratroopers from the 1st Recon-Santiago Abrenica, Custodio Alerta, Alfred Baylon, Ben "Doc" Bulatao, Hermenegildo "Superman" Caoili, Fernando Dongallo, Juan "Johnny" Javonillo, Camilo "Rammy" Ramirez, Don Ruiz, and Roque Velasco. All but Bulatao and Ramirez received the Bronze Star. The two medics received the Soldier's Medal, the U.S. Army's highest noncombat award, for risking their lives to save the three survivors. Bulatao and Ramirez left few public traces after the war. In September 1945 Ramirez traveled to Kelso, Washington, to see Ken Decker. During the visit, Decker's parents hosted a wedding reception for Ramirez and a Texas woman named Lucille Moseley with whom he'd been exchanging letters for several years. A brief news story about the wedding described her as "a twenty-eight-year-old night club entertainer." The marriage didn't last. Ramirez died in 2005 at eighty-seven. Ben Bulatao got married in Reno, Nevada, in 1968, and divorced in California in 1984. He died in 1985 at seventy-one. of Earl Walter, medals were awarded to all ten enlisted paratroopers from the 1st Recon-Santiago Abrenica, Custodio Alerta, Alfred Baylon, Ben "Doc" Bulatao, Hermenegildo "Superman" Caoili, Fernando Dongallo, Juan "Johnny" Javonillo, Camilo "Rammy" Ramirez, Don Ruiz, and Roque Velasco. All but Bulatao and Ramirez received the Bronze Star. The two medics received the Soldier's Medal, the U.S. Army's highest noncombat award, for risking their lives to save the three survivors. Bulatao and Ramirez left few public traces after the war. In September 1945 Ramirez traveled to Kelso, Washington, to see Ken Decker. During the visit, Decker's parents hosted a wedding reception for Ramirez and a Texas woman named Lucille Moseley with whom he'd been exchanging letters for several years. A brief news story about the wedding described her as "a twenty-eight-year-old night club entertainer." The marriage didn't last. Ramirez died in 2005 at eighty-seven. Ben Bulatao got married in Reno, Nevada, in 1968, and divorced in California in 1984. He died in 1985 at seventy-one.

AFTER THE RESCUE, Earl Walter and the men of the 1st Recon finally shipped out to the Philippines. By then the islands were secure. On August 15, 1945, six days after an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the j.a.panese announced their surrender. The same day, General MacArthur dissolved the 1st Recon in a letter expressing grat.i.tude for battalion members' service. Earl Walter and the men of the 1st Recon finally shipped out to the Philippines. By then the islands were secure. On August 15, 1945, six days after an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the j.a.panese announced their surrender. The same day, General MacArthur dissolved the 1st Recon in a letter expressing grat.i.tude for battalion members' service.

Walter completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Oregon. He rose through the sales department at the Mail-Well Envelope Company, where he worked for thirty-seven years. He became a major in the U.S. Army Reserves and raised three daughters and two sons with his wife Sally, whom he lost to a heart attack in 1989. Walter regained his pa.s.sion for swimming and became a U.S. Masters champion, winning medals into his eighties.

From left, John McCollom, Ken Decker, and Earl Walter in 1995. (Photograph courtesy of C. Earl Walter Jr.) Like the two medics, Walter received a Soldier's Medal. In 2009, a few weeks after his eighty-eighth birthday, Walter showed it to a visitor in his apartment in an a.s.sisted-living complex near the Oregon coast. The octagonal medal, about the size of a Kennedy half-dollar, hung beneath a faded red, white, and blue ribbon. A framed citation that hung on the wall credited Walter with "exceptional courage and leadership." It described the mission, then concluded: "Captain Walter's heroism in personally leading the rescue party was directly responsible for the safe return of these survivors."

After the war, he showed the medal to his father. "He asked, 'Did you earn that?' " Without hesitating, C. Earl Walter Jr. told C. Earl Walter Sr., "Yes, Dad, I did."

In the last entry in his journal, dated July 3, 1945, Walter wrote: "And so temporarily we close the tale of The United States Army Outpost at Shangri-La, Dutch New Guinea, and hope that in the years to come we can still look back and say it was a job well done and let it go at that."

In early 2010, Walter learned from this book's author that some older natives in New Guinea still remembered him and his men. He choked up at the rush of memories. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and said: "It was the highlight of my life."

IN THE SPRING of 1995, Walter met John McCollom and Ken Decker in a Seattle restaurant to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the crash. They posed with photos taken of their younger selves in Shangri-La. They laughed and reminisced, filling gaps in each other's stories. Decker, at eighty-four, flirted with a waitress. They raised a gla.s.s to each other, to the paratroopers of the 1st Recon, and to the "Queen of Shangri-La," who couldn't be with them. of 1995, Walter met John McCollom and Ken Decker in a Seattle restaurant to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the crash. They posed with photos taken of their younger selves in Shangri-La. They laughed and reminisced, filling gaps in each other's stories. Decker, at eighty-four, flirted with a waitress. They raised a gla.s.s to each other, to the paratroopers of the 1st Recon, and to the "Queen of Shangri-La," who couldn't be with them.

AFTER THE s.n.a.t.c.h, Ken Decker spent several months in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Once healed, he enrolled in the University of Washington, where he received a degree in engineering. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, then joined the Boeing Company, where he remained until his retirement in 1974. Ken Decker spent several months in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Once healed, he enrolled in the University of Washington, where he received a degree in engineering. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, then joined the Boeing Company, where he remained until his retirement in 1974.

Decker married late in life and had no children. He seldom spoke publicly about the crash, in part because he never regained any memory of what happened between the time the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special took off and when he stumbled out of the wrecked plane. took off and when he stumbled out of the wrecked plane.

Before he died in 2000 at age eighty-eight, Decker received a telephone call every year on May 13, his birthday and the anniversary of the crash. On the other end of the line was his old friend John McCollom.

FOR AS LONG as McCollom lived, the memory of Captain Baker wagging the wings of his B-17 brought tears to his eyes. as McCollom lived, the memory of Captain Baker wagging the wings of his B-17 brought tears to his eyes.

McCollom left the military in 1946, but was called back to active duty during the Korean War. He spent thirty-eight years as a civilian executive at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. After retiring, McCollom became an aeros.p.a.ce consultant and vice president of the Piper Aircraft Company.

He married, had a son and a daughter, divorced, then remarried and had four stepchildren. At the wedding of his twin brother's daughter, Dennie, he stood in for Robert and gave her away. He became a surrogate grandfather to her two sons.

McCollom rarely spoke publicly of his twin, lest the enormity of the loss overwhelm him. When he acknowledged feeling survivor's guilt, he spread it among all the people who died aboard the Gremlin Special Gremlin Special: "Why wasn't I killed instead of them?" he'd say. Most often, when asked about what happened, he'd answer, "I was lucky."

Yet pain has a way of finding an outlet, and the deepest pain for McCollom was reserved for thoughts about his twin. On rare occasions, he'd admit that a sorrowful thought wormed its way into his mind: "Maybe it should have been me instead of my brother, who was married and had a baby daughter he had never seen."

John McCollom and his niece, Dennie McCollom Scott, in 1998. (Photo courtesy of B. B. McCollom.) For a long time after the crash, he regularly dreamed that he, Decker, and Margaret hiked back through the jungle to the wreckage. And there was Robert, alive, waiting for them to return.