Hero of Bataan: The Story of General Wainwright

by Duane P. Schultz

“Remember Bataan! Remember Corregidor!” These words rallied a nation in the first dark days of World War II. When defeat screamed from every headline, Skinny Wainwright led the ragged troops of the US Army in the Philippines into battle again and again, disrupting Japan’s timetable for the conquest of the Pacific. With dwindling supplies, little food, no air force or navy and outmoded weapons from World War I, Wainwright fought a modern, well-equipped army to a standstill for almost five months. His actions were a triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, as fine as any military action in history.

General Wainwright was the man MacArthur left behind when he was ordered to leave the hopelessly surrounded garrison in the Philippines. Wainwright also became the highest-ranking American POW, enduring with his men the scanty rations, harassment, and beatings until the end of the war. His return, as a haggard, frail, yet still-proud soldier, brought him a fourth star, the Medal of Honor, and even the demand that he seek the US presidency.

Hero of Bataan: The Story of General Jonathan M. Wainwright is a superb history of the struggle for Bataan and Corregidor. Schultz has combed through military files, captured documents, and the personal letters and diaries of scores of army personnel who served in the Philippines. He also interviewed dozens of men and women who spanned Wainwright’s career from his West Point class of 1906 to his death in 1953 to tell this story of a genuine, old-fashioned American hero.

Genres: History, Biography, World War II

479 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1981

Reviews

[William J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have binged lately on a couple books about General Jonathan Wainwright since reading Fire and Fortitude. This book by Duane Schultz was published in 1981. It is an interesting book and although much of it was repetitious about the fighting and situation in the Philippines and the plight of the prisoners after the surrender, what was informative in the Hero of Bataan as compared to to the General Wainwright Story and Fire and Fortitude was the experience of General Wainwright after the War and in retirement. We know much more today about the stress of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than we did immediately after WWII. Although General Wainwright remained mostly positive during his captivity, he did suffer anxiety about his legacy and guilt about his surrender. Physically he was beaten, humiliated and starved in captivity and that took its toll. The stress also affected his spouse, Adele, whom he called "Kitty." She started to drink heavily and eventually she was hospitalized. The General also drank heavily and it was noticed at the highest levels of the Army. General Wainwright retired in August of 1947 having served 45 years in the US Army. The retirement did not really lessen the stress, the guilt or his affection for his fellow Philippine survivors. He retired in San Antonio, Texas. He was hired by a number of companies, a chain of food stores, a couple of insurance companies and he tried to reduce his appearances at functions but he could never resist the call of veterans organizations. He died on September 2, 1953, eight years to the day when he had witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. He was buried with honors in Arlington National Cemetery not far from his father's grave. His wife did not attend the services. She was still hospitalized. She passed in 1970. There is a melancholy to his post war life. This is an interesting book and worth the read if one is interested in WWII, the Pacific Theater, the Philippine Campaign, The treatment of POW's by Japan and General Wainwright. It is a good read!

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biography of Jonathan Wainwright, the man McArthur left behind in the Philippines when he left for Australia. Covers in depth his surrender of the Philippines to the Japanese and his subsequent imprisonment in China throughout the war.

[Bruce A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realizing how little I knew about WWII in the Pacific, I picked up this book.