Mighty Talks | Telling His Story

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force’s monthly Mighty Talk series continues with Telling His Story: POW #1000 with author Dr. Janis Pardue Hill. This program will take place on September 19th at 11:00 am at the museum.

The program is free to the public, but please register at https://forms.gle/tgvzSssChA5XyVfx8

About the Book
The Japanese captain ominously declared, “You will all die here.” His words carried the chilling certainty of the enemy—an enemy the American and Filipino captives had come to know and fear as they were forced to march through the unforgiving terrain of the Bataan Peninsula. Still, in the midst of their suffering—starving, dehydrated, and exhausted—they clung to the hope that survival was possible. They had already endured the unimaginable horrors of the infamous Bataan Death March, witnessing the brutality of the Japanese guards who bayonetted, shot, beheaded, or buried alive any soldier who fell behind. But more terror awaited them in the camps where disease, starvation, thirst, and death seemed to wait for them around every corner, day and night.

Such was J. C. Pardue’s nightmare. In Telling His Story: POW #1000, Dr. Janis Pardue Hill, as primarily a compiler and editor, provides the details of his story, from his entry into the US Army Air Corps through his WWII experiences in the Philippines. Most prominent among her father’s memories was the miracle of his Bible. Surviving a direct hit from a fragmentation bomb, confiscation in a POW camp, and disposal on a Hell Ship, that Bible always returned. His most treasured possession—his Bible, the weapon he considered the most valuable of all, came home with POW #1000.

About the Author
Dr. Janis Pardue Hill, the daughter of J.C. Pardue, masterfully compiles her father’s harrowing experiences into a moving narrative. Through her words, she brings history to life and honors her father’s incredible legacy of faith and perseverance.

Dr. Pardue Hill is a retired university professor and lifelong educator, holds a BS in English education, an MA in literature, and a PhD in Curriculum Theory. She has worked in secondary and university classrooms, as a Program Coordinator in the LA Department of Education, and as a Curriculum Coordinator in the Ouachita Parish School System. Dr. Hill and her husband, Charles A. Hill, Jr., have two children, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren and live in North Louisiana.