On numerous occasions, my father's life-by all accounts-could have easily ended. Undoubtedly, his survival was because God had a part in it. One must look at Paul Harden's life in awesome wonder and recognize how God's hand kept him alive, especially during his early military career. Lt. Paul Harden had many narrow escapes from death. The first was at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, in 1944. During a routine training mission, his B-24 lost engine power and crash-landed with a full load of fuel and bombs. This disaster could easily have ended in a fiery explosion with total loss of life. However, all but one walked away from the crash. On many other occasions, Harden and his crew met the threat of death from storms in the Atlantic flying to the forward operating base in Italy and from flak of German artillery cannons on missions. Each time, Harden and his crew beat the odds and survived. The ultimate challenge came when Harden and his aircrew were shot down over Yugoslavia and taken prisoner by the German Luftwaffe. Captured by the Germans, Harden and his crew found themselves in German and Croatian POW camps. Throughout the ordeal, Harden and his crew survived. While these airmen were heroes, they were also guided by the hand of God. Harden never gave up his faith while being held captive in Croatia. Through rare circumstances, a local Catholic Priest came to the camp and ministered to the POWs, allowing Harden and several of his men to continue to practice their faith.