Days of Anguish, Days of Hope

Days of Anguish, Days of Hope is the heroic story of Chaplain Robert Preston Taylor, who spent 42 months in Japanese prison camps during World War II. On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Manila, the Philippines, the next day. Taylor was caught in a maelstrom of war and the every-day fight for survival. He ministered to the fighting men on the front lines during the Battle for Bataan and received the Silver Star for bravery. He endured the Bataan Death March – where thousands of American soldiers died – the Cabanatuan Prison Camp, and the so-called “hell ships” that were bombed by American pilots who did not know the American prisoners were on board. During the nearly four years in prison, he faithfully ministered God’s love to the other prisoners. After he was liberated, he returned home to learn that his wife Ione, who was told he had died on the “hell ships,” had remarried. He decided to remain in the military and years later President John F. Kennedy named him Air Force Chief of Chaplains with the rank of major general.