Book Description

Grey Ghost is the story of a professional soldier’s struggle for survival and freedom during the cataclysm of war in the World War II European Theater of Operations between mid-1943 and mid-1945, as well as his continued exposure to combat in the Korean Conflict. This story carries the reader through the beginnings of war for America and onto the frontlines of aerial combat in a B-17 Flying Fortress with Sergeant Frank Grey and his crew. It delivers the reader into the hands of the enemy—Nazi Germany—and onto the long, painful journey of captivity of prisoners of war. For Sergeant Grey, the path from captivity to freedom would take numerous unpredictable twists over a period of almost two years, eventually leading him into Yugoslavia to fight with guerilla units under the leadership of General Draja Mihailovich, and finally to freedom in late May of 1945. The details of Sergeant Grey’s escape and recapture, beatings by the Gestapo, and solitary confinement— save one episode of brilliant thinking, comradery, and courage by a small group of POWs who hid Sergeant Grey within the wires of Stalag 17B for four months— have never been fully disclosed to the American public. Sergeant Grey was initially hidden in an escape tunnel while Gestapo, SS troops, and attack dogs searched for him. He became known as the Grey Ghost by the Germans. Coauthor Ned Handy chronicled this event brilliantly within the story of his own POW experience, a book titled The Flame Keepers (2004). That episode reveals the tremendous depth and significance of the human condition, conveying the face of war, during both wartime events and the aftermath as experienced by combat veterans reclaiming their personal lives. The experience of war did not end for Frank Grey on the European continent. Within a few years of the end of World War II, having continued his commitment to the service of his country, he entered into yet another perilous fight: the Korean Conflict. He flew fifty-seven missions over North Korea as a B-29 tailgunner—a commitment that was filled with constant risk and uncertainty. This true story has a deep, significant message for all readers— but especially for American veterans and their families. The strong messages of commitment, courage, and sacrifice can be reflected upon, considering the increased uncertainties of international events on our horizon.