The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines

by Jonathan Horn

The so-called half rations the army provided soldiers on Bataan had shrunk from two thousand calories a day to fifteen hundred. Consumed by hunger, men scoured the jungle for ways to supplement their diet. Some tried monkey and iguana, which was said to taste like chicken. Others took their chances with various plants and wild berries, many of which proved poisonous. At his command post at night, Wainwright could hear soldiers sharing what they called “food stories” about what they would eat if back home. Short of vitamin A, they struggled to see in the dark because of a condition called night blindness even as they conjured memories of meals past. Their mouths would water as their gums bled and their teeth became loose because of the lack of vitamin C. Men who had lost twenty pounds would suddenly find their limbs swelling with fluid in bizarre ways. Known as wet beriberi and caused by a lack of vitamin B1, the disease was rarely seen in the United States but would become a familiar sight to Wainwright. “Rotten” was the word he used to describe sanitation everywhere he looked.