Origins of the Bataan Boys

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the Bataan Boys, the group of fifteen army officers who served under MacArthur, and who escaped from Corregidor Island and the southern part of the Bataan Peninsula on the night of March 11, 1942. The Bataan Boys can be divided into two groups according to rank, position, and the process of appointment. The first, upper-level group consisted of eight men: Major General Richard K. Sutherland, Brigadier General Richard J. Marshall, Brigadier General Hugh J. Casey, Brigadier General Spencer B. Akin, Brigadier General William F. Marquat, Brigadier General Harold H. George, Colonel Charles P. Stivers, and Colonel Charles A. Willoughby. Except for George, who was killed in an accident in Australia right after the successful evacuation, all played important roles as MacArthur's aides. The second group consisted of seven men: Lieutenant Colonel LeGrande A. Diller, Lieutenant Colonel Francis H. Wilson, Lieutenant Colonel Sidney L. Huff, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph R. Sherr, Major Charles H. Morehouse, Captain Joseph R. McMicking, and Sergeant Paul P. Rogers. They carried out official and private roles as MacArthur's adjutant, including care of MacArthur's family, or worked as assistants for members of the upper-level group.