Wake Island Escapers - US Heroes in Japanese Occupied China
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Published 2021-07-24
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Credit: Gurdon H. Wattles
All Comments (21)
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I remember being a Marine recruit hearing how the Marines of Wake Island defended their island against the onslaught of Japanese raiders. They sunk a warship with a mortar, held off invasion after invastii. With only 1 30mm machine gun. Man what brave men they were. That is the reason i became a Marine. That and my Dad and my Grand Father and his Father were all Marines.
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I remember hearing old vets talk about the Japanese with absolute hatred. Now I know why.
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My grandfather was a wake island defender. Very excited to hear Mark's retelling of their story.
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Fun fact: VMFA 211 “Wake Island Avengers” fly still today in the F35B. Recently deployed aboard the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth. Marines do not forget
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Surviving any sort of Japanese captivity is a feat in itself.
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MK CONSTRUCTION in Boise, Idaho was the main contractor on Wake and I got to know a man named Frank and we talked many times and he told me stories about Wake. He said he ended up in Japan working in mines until the war ended. He said they beat him all the time and a person should never know what real hunger is. I have thought of Frank many times and have the utmost respect for this Man. It was sad to hear of his passing but this memory lives on with me.
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Incredible that Cunningham lived to 86 years old even after all his wartime hardships.
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Admiral Cunningham also received the Navy Cross for his actions in defense of Wake Island
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No wonder my grandfather who was a marine island hopper equipped with a flamethrower hated the Japanese until he died in the early 2000s. He wouldn’t dare eat Asian food are do anything remotely close to Asian culture. He would eat spam every day too.
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Thank you Mark, the story of real American and British heroes, who never gave up and never turned into songbirds.
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This brought back memories of reading “Unbroken” the story of Louis Zamperini and the brutal torture he endured at the hands of the Japanese.
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The treatment the captives received was nothing short of barbaric. I sincerely hope that at least some of those Japanese soldiers involved received their just recompense.
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Wow, and I thought I had a bad week. These men fought and died so I could have a easy free life. Thank you to each and everyone of them.
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Thanks, Dr Felton. This is one of those great war stories that's usually only told up to the capture of the island. The activities of of the surviving POW's are equally exciting and worthy of praise. The decorations received by the POW's postwar were both well deserved and inadequate for all the risks taken to escape from Japanese custody.
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I suspect that if British soldiers in Malaya and Americans at Wake had known what Japanese captivity would be like, surrender would’ve seemed a far less practical option. But of course they couldn’t know; Japan concealed and denied their cruelty. For example, the first news of the Bataan Death March only got back to the Allies through the testimony of a group of American escapees (including the heroic Ed Dyess) who sailed a native boat from Mindanao to Australia in late 1942.
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The western world is built upon and held up by some sincerely strong men. Thanks for telling their story Dr. Felton. 🇺🇲🇬🇧
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Very interesting once again Dr Felton thank you!
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Dude who called Emperor Hirohito a "son of a bitch" to a Japanese interpreter is definitely in the top 10 for biggest balls of the pacific theatre.
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If you're not watching War Stories as well as MFP you're just not getting the full Felton Experience
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Have a great summer! Greetings from Sweden 🇸🇪
