Bataan: A Survivor’s Story

by Gene Boyt, Gregory J.W. Urwin (Foreword), David L Burch (Contributor)

Like many other young American men during the depression-era 1930s, Gene Boyt entered Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps. Later, after receiving an ROTC commission in the Army Engineers and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Missouri School of Mines, Boyt joined the Allied forces in the Pacific Theater. While building runways and infrastructure in the Philippines in 1941, Boyt enjoyed the regal life of an American officer stationed in a tropical paradise--but not for long. When the United States surrendered the Philippines to Japan in April 1942, Boyt became a prisoner of war, suffering unthinkable deprivation and brutality at the hands of the ruthless Japanese guards. One of the last accounts to come from a Bataan survivor, Boyt’s story details the infamous Bataan Death March and his subsequent forty-two months in Japanese internment camps. In this fast-paced narrative, Boyt’s voice conveys the quiet courage of the generation of men who fought and won history’s greatest armed conflict.

Genres: World War II

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kim Bakos · Rating 4 out of 5]

My great-uncle died on the Bataan Death March and I wanted to learn more about it. Although this author was an engineer and in a totally different location than my uncle when the March started, I'm sure they all suffered and endured the same things. It was fun to see a few mentions of my uncle's battalion - the 192nd Tank Battalion - in the book, since there are no firsthand accounts by anyone who was serving with mu uncle. This author writes in an easy, conversational style and isn't overly graphic in describing the horrors of the March and subsequent imprisonment. I highly recommend this story to anyone wanting to know more about this chapter in our country's history.

[Anne Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gene Boyt's memoir captures the dark days of early 1941 and beyond, as an unprepared U.S. entered the Second World War. His recounting of his experiences as a participant in the infamous "Bataan Death March" and as a POW pack this slim volume with a lot of power.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moving memoir about every day heroism of the victims of the Bataan Death March, the Allies during the fall of the Philippines and the courage of Allied prisoners during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

[Michael Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at a dark history of WWI.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lt Boyt joined the Army before the war started as an Engineer and was posted to the Philippines. He starts his story with his tough life growing up during the depression in Oklahoma.

He discusses his experience in fighting the Japanese, surviving the march and the subsequent imprisonment. He decries the modern efforts to portray the Japanese as merely reacting to preserve their culture and societal values when they attacked America and set off on their efforts to conqueror the Pacific. He acknowledges the decency of some individual Japanese but also talks briefly about the culture that created created cruelty in their armed forces and how such evil should not be forgotten or excused.

A brief but poignant story.

[Brad Goertzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. While painful and horrific to read what humans can do to one another, these are tremendous reminders of what evil did and still can live in our world. Lessons we all must remember and ensure are never repeated.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Unbroken I figured I better read this since it has been on my shelf for a couple of years.