JONATHAN MAYHEW WAINWRIGHT (1883-1953) One of the greatest heroes of
the Second World War,
he was born
in Walla Walla, Wash., and educated at West Point. During World War I,
he served in France and
took part in
the offensive at Saint-Mihiel. In 1940, he was sent to the Philippines
as a Major General. In March
1942, during
World War II, Wainwright assumed the Philippine command when Gen. Douglas
MacArthur was
ordered by FDR
to leave Corregidor and avoid capture by the Japanese. After defending
Bataan Peninsula against a
Japanese invasion
army, Wainwright withdrew with a small force to Corregidor Island in Manila
Bay, where he
made a final stand
before being compelled to surrender on May 6, 1942. He nearly died of sickness
and starvation as a prisoner of war. In 1945, he was moved to Manchuria
and
rescued by allied
forces. General McArthur made sure he participated prominently in the signing
of the surrender
on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Wainwright was elevated to the 4-Star
rank by President Truman and
awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor. He took command of the Fourth Army in 1946 and retired
from the
Army in 1947.