Dadda Come Home: The Story of a Little Girl in World War II

When Thelma Clark Santiago was a little girl in the Philippines, she promised her American-born father, William Clark, that she would tell the story of his imprisonment by the Japanese during World War II while working as a civil engineer for the local electric company.

Thelma’s mother, together with her young brothers and sisters, endured poverty and heartache not knowing if and when William might be released from prison. When he was finally liberated, the effects of prison life (eating rats to keep from starving, standing all day in the hot sun) took its toll on William and he died at the age of 59. Thelma carried the story of her father and her family’s struggles in her heart for more than 60 years before it was finally published and excerpts were featured in the Orange County Register.