Coming Soon: Uncovering Lost Heroes of WWII – A Personal Journey into the Mindanao Mystery
For years, I’ve been diving deep into the untold stories of our missing service members from World War II, piecing together clues from archives, eyewitness accounts, and forgotten battlefields. Today, I’m thrilled to tease an upcoming article that spotlights one of the most compelling cases I’ve ever worked on: the search for the remains of four American heroes executed on the island of Mindanao in 1942.
At the heart of this story is Benjamin Broadwell Hagans, a remarkable 96-year-old survivor whose childhood paradise turned into a nightmare during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. As a young boy and Philippine Scout, Ben witnessed unimaginable horrors – including the brutal executions of Lt. Col. Robert Vesey, Capt. Albert Price, 1st Sgt. John Chandler, and the highest-ranking U.S. officer killed by the enemy in WWII, Brig. Gen. Guy O. Fort. These men stood defiant against their captors, with Fort famously taunting them to the end: “You may get me, but you will never get the United States of America.”
What makes this case so urgent now? Ben’s razor-sharp memories, shared in a recent oral history, have provided fresh leads to their burial sites at a former Japanese POW camp. After connecting with Ben’s family and cross-referencing wartime records, maps, and tribunal documents, I’ve teamed up with the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group (AMAG) Inc. for a recovery mission set to launch this fall. We’re talking ground-penetrating radar, forensic expertise, and navigating a region still marked by conflict – all to bring these heroes home after 83 years.
This isn’t just history; it’s about closure for families like Barbara Fox, Gen. Fort’s granddaughter-in-law, and honoring the sacrifices that shaped our world. The full article will dive into Ben’s extraordinary life – from his barefoot adventures on coconut plantations to surviving the Mindanao Death March, internment camps, and even skydiving at 96! – plus the twists that reignited this search.
Stay tuned – the article drops next week and I will share it here! If you’re passionate about POW/MIA stories, hit subscribe to my blog for updates, and let’s keep these legacies alive. Who knows? This could be the breakthrough that rewrites a chapter of WWII.
What do you think – ready to uncover the past? Give me your thoughts and share this to your social media! Help fund this recovery mission! Join us in honoring the unbreakable spirit of WWII heroes like Brig. Gen. Guy Fort and his fellow soldiers, lost but not forgotten on Mindanao’s battlegrounds for over 83 years. Your donation to the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group will fuel our upcoming recovery mission—equipping expert teams with ground-penetrating radar, forensic tools, and on-site logistics to finally bring these brave Americans home and provide closure to their families. Every contribution counts toward rewriting history and ensuring no hero is left behind. Please consider a tax deductible donation here: Support AMAG’s Mission: Mindanao – Forgotten Graves, False Closures & New Hope
John Bear
Investigative Researcher & Host of Stories of Sacrifice Podcast
John Bear is an accomplished investigator and forensic genealogist with over 20 years of experience specializing in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam War POW/MIA cases. He has honed forensic-level skills in open-source intelligence (OSINT) and archival research, bolstered by coursework in Advanced Research Methods and Databases for Historians. Inspired by the loss of his uncle, a WWII POW/MIA identified posthumously in the Philippines, John volunteers directly with families of the missing to provide answers and closure. As a key member of the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group (AMAG), he works directly with MIA families to support projects alongside Military Service Casualty Officers, DPAA Historians, and military intelligence experts. Through his contributions to the Cabanatuan POW Camp, Philippine Hellship Project, and Bataan Death March, John’s efforts have led to over 350 potential WWII identifications through Family Reference Sample (FRS) DNA collection. His investigation into the Vietnam War’s Baron 52 incident uncovered compelling OSINT-based evidence suggesting crew survival, and his work on WWII unrecovered MIAs on Mindanao has generated critical leads. Through his podcast, Stories of Sacrifice: American POW/MIAs, John amplifies families’ stories, ensuring the legacies of the missing are honored.
Baron 52 Docu series Podcast Link: https://www.storiesofsacrifice.org/category/baron-52/
Baron 52: A Family’s Half-Century Fight for Truth Against Bureaucracy and Greed
