This reminds me of the book "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, the story about Louis Zamperini. Louis was an Olympic runner in the 1936 Olympics, joined the war effort as a bombardier on the B24's. Saw some action in the Pacific before he and his crew were forced to ditch somewhere west of Hawaii. 3 survived the ditching and for the next 45 days they survived in a raft with sharks as their constant companions. After being strafed by a Japanese bomber and several shark attacks they come ashore on a Japanese held island and were taken prisoner. After a year and a half the war was over and he returned to the states having to deal with PTSD because of his treatment as a prisoner. He overcame his emotional issues and became an inspiration to young people for years to come.
A great read by the same author of Seabiscuit.