Indestructible is not just the story of Pappy Gunn, the legendary aviator and mad genius of the 5th Air Force. It is the story of his family’s experience during World War II as Pappy went to extraordinary lengths to rescue them from the hellish conditions of Japanese captivity in Santo Tomas University Internment Camp.
In 1945, when the camp was liberated, Pappy’s family nearly died during a Japanese artillery bombardment that struck the university. I recently drove to Texas and interviewed Nat Gunn, Pappy’s son, on camera about his experiences during WWII. The moment he describes in this interview was one of the most difficult scenes to write in Indestructible. But I thought it was extremely important; Pappy was not the only hero in the Gunn family.
The American Warrior 
My dad was a pilot with PAL after spending 2 years in France and England in WWII. We were in the PI from 1945 to 1950. Pappy saw my mother and I off at Cebu where I was born at the Velez Clinic (1947). When I discovered Nathan had written a book, I requested a copy with a nice greeting and autograph. When we left, Pappy wrote a glowing letter for my dad, whom he descibed as “…solid man.” We came back to America and Dad went to work with National Airlines in Miami August of 1951. The Philippines were always a soft spot in their hearts.—Bill Moore