Born at Fort Walla Walla in 1883, “Skinny” Gen.J.M Wainwright IV, returned home after enduring three years as a prisoner of Japan during World War Two. “Skinny” was distinguished as the highest-ranking American POW during the war. He and his troops surrendered to the Japanese forces at Corregidor. He first saw action in the Philippines much earlier, in 1908-10 during the Moro Rebellion. “Moro” stood for Muslim – those of the southern Philippines who resisted first Spanish and then American rule. Skinny returned to the Philippines in 1940 to make ready for the Japanese invasion of 1941, and the battles that took Wainwright and thousands more into captivity. Throughout he felt like he had “let his country down,” and was surprised that once freed and back home he was treated as a hero. On Sept. 13, he got his own ticker-tape parade in New York. Horace Sykes does not tell us when he was also celebrated his home town, Walla Walla. [Click to Enlarge]
Also remember he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. An amazing man. Thank you for these pictures of a great one.
Bob
There many more slides taken by Sykes of the ceremonies on the stage. I chose but one. I think that Wainwright got the Medal of Honor, but over the objections of MacArthur.
Paul
I am the public affairs officer here at the Walla Walla VA, in Walla Walla WA. Our VA is named after Gen. Wainwright – the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical center. I was searching for pictures of Gen. Wainwright to use on a birthday cake, and came across this piece.
I am very intrigued by this post, and was wondering if there were other pictures you could share with our VA for our historical purposes.
As the PAO, I try to maintain as much information as I can about Gen. Wainwright.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Linda Wondra
Public Affairs Officer
Walla Walla VA
linda.wondra@va.gov
(509) 525-5200, x26520
(509) 301-1303 – cell
Ft Walla Walla Museum is interested in all your history past and future and has much material which should be of interest to you. And you are very longtime neighbors!