This is the true story of Stanley Willner, merchant mariner, prisoner of war, family man and standard bearer in the decades long struggle to get veterans' benefits for the merchant marine. Stanley's odyssey began at the outbreak of World War II. As a new third mate, his ship was sunk by a German merchant raider and, after several months of captivity, transferred to the dreaded Changi Prison Camp at Singapore. There he met James Clavell, who captured some of their experiences in the epic King Rat, and was forced to work on the infamous Burma-Siam Railroad on the River Kwai. This is a remarkable story of courage, perseverance and heroism.