Robert Miller's father, World War II veteran Herbert Henry Miller, died in 1994. A month later, Robert and his mother discovered the Red Cross diary he had kept while a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. It

became the catalyst for Robert's quest to learn more about his father's war. The result of that quest is this remarkable book, a story of terror, horrific despair, and Nazi depravity. But it is also a tale of survival against astonishing

odds, of the deep bonds that develop between men at a time of war, and of choosing to leave hate behind. Herb Miller was twenty-one in February 1944 when he boarded the SS Argentina in Boston Harbor with the U.S.

Army's 30th Infantry Division bound for the European war. Miller landed on Omaha Beach on June 11, five days after the mass assault of D-Day. The 30th moved inland, suffering enormous casualties in three major operations.

Captured by the Germans at Mortain, France, in August 6, Miller endured a punishing fifty-four-day march to Moosburg, Germany, where he survived for seven months in Stalag VIIA, the largest POV camp in Nazi Germany.

During his stay at Stalag VIIA, Miller became good friends with a Nazi guard named Heinz. Heinz disappeared from the camp and Miller always believed he was murdered by his fellow Nazis. His friendship with this kind and

decent German man haunted Miller for the rest of his life.