Posted on 03/04/2009 5:46:20 AM PST by BronzePencil
Concord's town flag will be lowered to half-staff today in honor of Henry John Wilayto, a survivor of the 1942 Bataan Death March during World War II, who died Feb. 28 at his Concord home of leukemia. He was 92.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Anyone who has not read Ghost Soldiers, really should do so. It is heart wrenching but a story of great courage and will give you an idea of what these guys went through. Amazing story.
My prayers for Mr. Wilayto’s family, and good on him for living a long life after such hardship and horror.
Thank you and Godspeed Mr. Wilayto.
My late uncle was a Bataan survivor as well. He didn’t speak of it until shortly before his death and then only very briefly.
This had to be one very strong man. God rest his soul.
Go to your reward, Mr. Wilayto. God Bless.
My prayers for Mr. Wilayto’s family, and good on him for living a long life after such hardship and horror.
I'll second that. Anyone who thinks they have it rough should read this book, one on the Burma railway, the Indianapolis survivors or any other about forced labor or P.O.W. camps. Every time I do I realize what a spoiled brat I really am compared to these people.
Just downloaded the book to my Kindle 2
Thanks for the tip
To absent comrades:
"We're the battling bastards of Bataan;
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam.
No aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces.
And nobody gives a damn.
Nobody gives a damn.
by Frank Hewlett 1942
From a long essay:
What of the last survivors of Bataan?
Some of them died in mental hospital.
Some died of ills from their imprisonment.
Some died by their own hand, some on Skid Row.
But looking at the rest, executives, physicians, sergeants, priests, you wouldn't guess the purgatory these men had endured.
And so, with grace, and, most remarkable, a signal absence of vindictiveness, the few survivors reached a calm old age.
Check your library for "bataan: Our Last ditch" by John W. Whitman. IMO, the definitive book on the Bataan defense. I always thought we got out butts beat pretty badly but we and the Filipinos put up one Helluva fight.
Again, IMO, it was the incompetence of MacArthur that led to this disaster and had we not needed a hero so badly, there is a case for his being court martialed. (last paragraphs)
Henry John Wilayto, may you rest in peace.
We lost my wifes father this fall. He was a WWII Naval veteran. I hope they all have peaceful rest considering all they have given us.
RIP.
My neighbor is a survivor of the Death March.
He has lived his life to the fullest, and is still going strong!
Amazing what he went through, and has outlived so many others of his generation.
(Still hates Japanese cars, too!)
Anyone who questions the A-bomb should read about Bataan.
The bayoneting stories made me tear up.
The Japanese were fanatical savages.
That’s so true. We are all spoiled. At least for now.
Welcome, enjoy (well, that might not be quite the right word, it’s harrowing, but very well written and you will come away very impressed by these people).
Clearly a tough guy! To survive that you had to be made of stern stuff. My FIL was a ww2 vet (marine fighter pilot) and I just don’t think they make ‘em like that anymore. Honest, honorable, but don’t mess with his family or friends.
I have to say, having lived in Japan as a child, I find it hard to reconcile the two things. They were incredible brutal and cruel in ww2, and yet when we lived there they were kind to us (we lived off base for some time and back then we kids ran around all over in the ginza etc, and felt completely safe).
An American Hero and a very brave man - his kind is greatly missed today.
I think they have not been tested. I suspect some (many? maybe not) would step up to the plate, they just have never had to. Well, except for our brave kids in Iraq and Afghanistan. I look at my father and my FIL (he passed away a couple of years ago) and think that the Depression they went thru as kids and the culture that said you had to work for what you got helped make them into the men they became. I know there were many like them.
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