In the darkest days of World War II, an unlikely civilian was sent to deliver a letter from Washington to General MacArthur in New Guinea. Eddie Rickenbacker was a pioneer of aviation, the greatest fighter pilot of the First World War, recipient of the Medal of Honor, who'd retired to become a renowned race car driver. Now he was again serving his nation, riding high above the Pacific as a passenger aboard a B-17. Forced to crash-land on the ocean surface, the tiny rubber life rafts held eight occupants, hundreds of miles from the nearest speck of land. Lacking fresh water and with precious little food, the men faced days of unrelenting sun, followed by nights shivering in the cold, fighting pangs of hunger, exhaustion, and thirst, all the while circled by sharks. Wukovits brings to life a gripping story of survival, leadership, and faith in a time of crisis. -- adapted from jacket