[1] His captors demanded Fort help persuade his former soldiers engaged in guerrilla warfare to stop resisting the occupation.

However, he lacked a copy of his birth certificate and was unsure if he'd be allowed back, or if he could find a job during the Great Depression.

[5] Aside from a stint as a plantation manager from 1917 to 1922, Fort remained with the constabulary until World War II, advancing to the rank of Colonel.

Stationed mainly in Mindanao, Fort was noted for both studying and observing the rituals and customs of the people he served among and for convincing outlaw bands to lay down their arms.

[2] Fort took his division to Lanao province in Mindanao where he organized and outfitted several battalions of Moro soldiers[9] and planned a defense in depth for his sector.

[15] The division fought longer than other army groups before surrendering and made use of demolitions to close one of the main roads through the island.

[13] After Fort's surrender he was shipped north on the small freighter Maru San alongside other captive generals, including his direct commander Sharp plus Joseph P. Vachon and Manuel Roxas.

In November 1942 the Japanese sought Fort's help in talking to the Moro people, who had started a new rebellion against the occupying forces.

According to the U.S. government, Fort's body was never recovered, resulting in his name being engraved on the tablets of the missing at the Manila American Cemetery.

[25][11] However, a former prisoner of war and later provincial governor[26] named Ignacio S. Cruz said he located Fort's remains and turned them over to the American Graves Registration Service.

[22] In 2017 Fort's granddaughter[27] and six other families of missing soldiers filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.