Wainwright’s Release

In March of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt reassigned General Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines to Australia. With that, Major General Jonathan Wainwright was now placed in charge of all Philippine forces. Promoted to temporary lieutenant general, Wainwright decided to relocate his troops to the fortified garrison at Corregidor. It was a tumultuous time, and after the Japanese captured Bataan and forced Allied prisoners on the infamous “Death March,” Corregidor became the next target. Despite relentless artillery fire, Wainwright and his 13,000 troops held out for a month before surrendering on May 6th, exhausted and outmatched.

The unfortunate part about Wainwright’s promotion was that because he was the commander of all Allied forces in the Philippines, his surrender also led to the surrender of troops that were still resisting the Japanese in other parts of the country. The situation was a disaster, but he really had no choice. Wainwright was captured and spent the next three and a half years as a POW in Luzon, Formosa (now Taiwan), and finally in Manchuria, China. He was there until April 23, 1945, when Russian forces in Manchuria freed the POW camp after the Japanese surrender.

Years of captivity had taken a severe toll on the general. Previously nicknamed “Skinny,” he was now frail and emaciated, his hair white and his skin cracked and fragile. The nickname seemed like a cruel joke now, and one that no decent person would use. Not only was he in horrible condition, but he was also deeply depressed, and very afraid that he would be blamed for the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese. When Wainwright arrived in Yokohama, Japan, for the formal surrender ceremony, his former commander, General MacArthur, was shocked by his appearance. His fears were unfounded, because back in America, Wainwright received a hero’s welcome, was promoted to full general, and awarded the Medal of Honor.