Hero of Bataan: The Story of General Jonathan M. Wainwright by Duane Schultz (Book)

Hero of Bataan: The Story of General Jonathan M. Wainwright is a book written by the American author Duane Schultz. It was published by St. Martin's Press in 1981.

Description from the book's dust jacket:

"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 U.S. 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 called 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 American garrison holding off the Japanese. He was also the highest-ranking American captive in World War II, though he had to endure scanty rations, beatings, and emotional harassments as a POW until the end of the war. His return - as a haggard, frail, and yet still-proud soldier - brought him a fourth star and the Medal of Honor. It also resulted in an outpouring of patriotism on a national scale unmatched until the recent return of the hostages from Iran.

Duane Schultz has written a superb history of the struggle for Bataan and Corregidor. He has combed through military files, captured documents, and personal diaries of scores of army personnel who served in the Philippines. In addition, he has interviewed dozens of men and women who span Wainwright's career from his West Point class of 1906 to his death in 1953 to tell this story - the story of a genuine, old-fashioned American hero.

About the Author (text from the book):

Duane Schultz is Adjunct Professor at the University of South Florida. His latest World War II books are Wake Island: The Heroic Gallant Fight, a feature of the Military Book Club, and Sabers in the Wind, a novel about the forced repatriation of the Cossacks. He divides his time between Washington, D.C., and Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Table of Contents

List of Photographs
List of Maps
1. An Old-Fashioned Hero
2. Back in Harness
3. Days of Empire
4. The Cat Has Jumped
5. A Bold Gamble
6. A Symbol of Forlorn Hope
7. And Nobody Gives a Damn
8. The End Here Will be Brutal and Bloody
9. They Are Leaving Us One by One
10. The Troops on Bataan are Fast Folding Up
11. All Hell's Gonna Break Loose
12. Goodbye, Mr. President
13. I Have Taken a Dreadful Step
14. Sold Down the River
15. I Am Hungry All the Time
16. How Long, Oh Lord, How Long?
17. Day of Glory
18. Alone in His Hero's Cage
Wainwright's People
Acknowledgements
Sources
Notes
Index