Left Behind: When America Surrendered WW2

Family Secret: Left Behind the Scenes

Check out this mini episode about a little-known family secret.
 
"Left Behind the Scenes" is an bonus feature of the "Left Behind" podcast -- with answers to frequent questions, research secrets, and riffs on topics related to the podcast. 
 
Learn more about the "Left Behind" podcast at www.leftbehindpodcast.com
 

Bound by Blood, Forged in War: How the Aldrich Brothers Survived the Impossible

In late 1945, a just-liberated POW named Jack Aldrich discovered something: his brother Bobby – who Jack thought was dead – had also survived imprisonment.
5 years earlier, Jack and Bobby joined the US army – together; Bobby lying about his age to get in. They trained together at Ft. Bliss, Texas, and fought together on Bataan.
They then – together – marched the Bataan Death March and experienced the atrocities of Japan’s POW camps in The Philippines.
Only then, they were separated – and their true struggles for survival began.
This is their survivors’ story.
 
You’ll find images and maps about the Aldrich brother’s story at:
- Instagram: @leftbehindpodcast   -- www.instagram.com/leftbehindpodcast 
- Left Behind Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind Website (includes sources): https://leftbehindpodcast.com/Aldrich

The Hunt for Freedom: A Daring Death March Escape

22-year-old Raymond Hunt was captured by Japanese forces on southern Bataan in April 1942.
The next day, he began the grueling forced march that would become infamously known as the Battan Death March. But Hunt wasn’t going to let his enemies determine his fate. At great risk to himself, he escaped the march and joined the largest Guerilla organization in The Philippines and continued fighting.
By World War 2’s end, Hunt was commanding 3,400 men and women and gathering vital intelligence to aid the American re-invasion of The Philippines.
This is his story.
 
You’ll find images and maps about Ray Hunt at:
- Instagram: @leftbehindpodcast   -- www.instagram.com/leftbehindpodcast 
- Left Behind Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind Website (includes sources): https://leftbehindpodcast.com/Hunt

The Truth behind This Iconic Bataan Death March Photo

On April 9, 1942, three American prisoners of war, their hands bound behind their backs, were photographed by a Japanese soldier.
That photo has become the most iconic of Bataan Death March photographs.
In this episode, discover the lives and fates – and the story behind the photograph – of these three American men.
 
View the photograph:
- Instagram: @leftbehindpodcast   -- www.instagram.com/leftbehindpodcast 
- Left Behind Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind Website (includes sources): https://leftbehindpodcast.com/photo

“At Gunpoint if Necessary”: Two Men’s Harrowing Escapes from Bataan

In the final hours before Bataan surrendered to an unthinkable fate, two men undertook harrowing escape attempts from Bataan.
One with permission. One without.
But escape from Bataan is just the beginning of the story – which starts in a quite Philippine village – and ends in the same, war-ravaged town as a young Filipino man tries to save not only himself, but his entire family from utter destruction.
 
Pictures and maps online at:
- Instagram: @leftbehindpodcast   -- https://www.instagram.com/leftbehindpodcast 
- Left Behind Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind Website (includes sources): https://leftbehindpodcast.com/fernandez/

Abandoned on Bataan: Army Nurse Clara Bickford’s Final-Moment Retreat

Just hours before Bataan fell to the enemy, Clara Bickford and her fellow Army nurses were ordered off Bataan and to the relative safety of Corregidor Island.
But their evacuation was marred by clogged roads, earth-rending explosions, and an enemy airplane dogging their every move.
When they finally made it to the dock – their boat had already left.
Hungry and defenseless, Clara and her friends were deserted on Bataan.
With no idea of what fait awaited as American leaders surrendered Bataan
 
You can find pictures and sources on the 
- Left Behind Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind Website: https://leftbehindpodcast.com/bickford/ 

An Impossible Choice: Gen. Edward King’s Surrender of Bataan

On April 9, 1942, faced with sick, starving, battle-fatigued men and the onslaught of Japanese advances, Gen. Edward King made a momentous decision: He surrendered Bataan Peninsula to Japanese forces.
It was his attempt to save the 78,000 servicemen under his command.
But he couldn’t have foreseen the consequences of that action – both for himself and for the men he surrendered.
You can find pictures and sources on the 
- Left Behind Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind Website: https://leftbehindpodcast.com/king/ 

Speaking for the Fallen

Stories behind the Stars is a volunteer organization seeking to find and tell the stories of all 421,000 servicemen and women killed during WW2.
That's right -- a story for each of the 421,000 WW2 fallen.
Join me as I chat with the project's founder, Don Milne.
We talk about how the project started, what volunteers do, and how anyone can involved.
This 4th of July, discover the project about men and women who truly define what it means that "freedom isn't free."
 
Visit https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/ for more information or head to the Left Behind website: https://leftbehindpodcast.com/stars/

Amidst Bombs and Prayers: Father William Cummings’ Miracle on Bataan

While enemy forces bombed a hospital on Easter Morning, Father William Cummings stood resolute, defying the destruction around him with prayer and faith.
Thus, the tale of Bataan’s Easter morning miracle.
And…he also coined the phrase “There are no atheists in foxholes.”
This is the story of a small, ailing Catholic priest determined to join the soldiers on Bataan – and defied the odds to become a guiding light during the final dark days on Bataan.
 
For pictures and sources, please visit:
- Left Behind Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Left-Behind-Podcast/100092698653154/ 
- Left Behind website: https://leftbehindpodcast.com/cummings/

Submit Your Family’s Story

Do you know of a serviceman or woman who served in The Philippines during WW2?
If so, I want to hear from you.
Check out the episode to find out what stories I'm looking for right now, then visit https://leftbehindpodcast.com/submit-a-story to submit your story today.