Donald D. Blackburn's involvement in guerilla warfare against the Japanese in WWII qualified him to become one of the first commanders of the Special Forces. For this career biography, the author conducted personal interviews with Blackburn and his family in 2008, with access to all of Blackburn's personal papers, documents, photos, and his war diary from 1941-1944. The book also draws on previous interviews of Blackburn conducted by others, before Blackburn was affected by Alzheimer's disease. The author recounts how Blackburn and another future Special Forces hero, Russell Volckmann, escaped from a POW compound in Bataan and gathered a guerilla army of tribesmen of the Cagayan Valley to undermine the Japanese Army in The Philippines. Blackburn's active military service after WWII is also described, especially his activities in Special Forces operations in Southeast Asia in the 1950s-1970s. B&w historical and personal photos are included. Guardia (US Army) has written a previous book on military history. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)