I SHALL RETURN
On the morning of December 7, 1941 the Japanese not only bombed Pearl Harbor. They also launched a fierce attack on the Philippines. At Clark Air Base 18 of 35 Flying Fortresses were destroyed along with 56 fighters and 25 other planes. By January 2 Manila had fallen. General Douglas MacArthur led his troops in retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. Japan’s forces threw themselves zealously into MacArthur’s first line of defense. Then they landed a battalion behind MacArthur and his forces. 75,000 American and Philippine soldiers were trapped with little hope. On February 22 General MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to abandon his troops and go to Australia. MacArthur left Lt. General Jonathan Wainwright in charge and from Darwin, Australia he issued his now famous statement. “The President of the US ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed to Australia for the purpose of organizing the American offensive against Japan…I came through and I shall return.” The…
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