In Guerrilla in Striped Pants, Walter W. Orebaugh, a former U.S. diplomat, gives an account of his adventures behind the lines in Italy during World War II--a courageous odyssey that won him his country's acclaim as a hero and the Medal of Freedom, its highest civilian decoration, "for exceptionally meritorious and courageous service ... behind the German lines" and for "courage, resourcefulness, and coolness under fire." The drama of Orebaugh's capture by the Italian army, his internment in the mountains, and his subsequent escape is punctuated by his heroic smuggling of two companions out of danger, his encounter with a glamorous Hungarian spy, and his treacherous journey through enemy territory to freedom. Orebaugh's account is a personal adventure story that contains all the elements of danger, intrigue, and courage which will grip the reader's imagination. The fact that it accurately recounts an important moment in history intensifies the drama, and affirms how ingenuity and daring feats can be performed by ordinary people in times of great peril.