A WWII Veteran and an Author

Leon Hesser (Naples News Article) served in the Pacific theater during WWII. The Indiana farm boy was drafted in 1944. Upon arrival at basic training at Camp Hood, Texas, he was bunked with a young man by the name of Hugh Hefner (the Hugh Hefner, as time would tell – see the illustration he made for Leon).

Leon’s experience fighting through the Zig Zag Pass in Bataan is recorded in his self-authored memoir, Zig Zag Pass. After his time in the service, Leon pursued a career in international agriculture, and married his war-time sweetheart Florence. Today, the two of them reside at the American House in Bonita Springs. Thank you to our Executive Producer Bob Gillette for arranging this interview.

A big thank you to the Trianon Hotel at Bonita Bay for hosting us for our week of filming. Your accommodations were wonderful.

To see a trailer for the film and other production stories, visit www.enlistedfilm.com.