Re: Bataan: A Survivor's Story

Date: March 30, 2004

"World War II Veteran and POW Pens Memoir of Bataan Death March, Japanese Internment Camps

NORMAN, OK -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/30/2004 -- When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines were subsequently surrendered in April 1942, Lt. Gene Boyt became a prisoner of war. Bataan: A Survivor's Story ($24.95, April 2004), written by Gene Boyt with David L. Burch, possibly one of the last accounts to come from a Bataan survivor, details the Bataan Death March and Boyt's subsequent forty-two months in Japanese internment camps.

Boyt's fast-paced and inspirational account is, in many ways, representative of the generation of Americans who fought and won history's greatest armed conflict. Assigned as a construction engineer in the Philippines, Boyt built runways and infrastructure throughout Clark Field. But everything changed on December 8, 1941, when Japan struck Clark Field just hours after the devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Boyt narrowly survived the assault, and became a prisoner of war when the Philippines were surrendered in April 1942. He went on to endure unthinkable depravation and brutality at the hands of the Japanese until being liberated by American forces in the summer of 1945.

In Bataan, Boyt provides a rarely seen and detailed look into the daily lives of American POWs, including original descriptions of the conditions in three prison camps in Japan -- Tanaguaw, Zentsuji, and Roku Roshu. Boyt also offers insight into the vanity of General Douglas MacArthur and his callousness toward subordinates.

Despite his horrific experience as a prisoner of war, Boyt remains surprisingly upbeat throughout the book. As he states in the Introduction, "Bataan did not extinguish my faith in humanity. I still believe that most people, regardless of their race, are decent and desire peace. That is an idealistic goal, but we must strive for it anyway."

Gene Boyt (1917-2003) achieved the rank of Captain by the time of his discharge from the military. After retiring from his position as engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Boyt lived in Chickasha, Oklahoma, until his death in 2003. David L. Burch, a human relations professional in Oklahoma City, formerly taught college courses in American history and government.

Bataan: A Survivor's Story (272 pp., $24.95 hardcover) is available in bookstores or directly from the University of Oklahoma Press: 1-800-627-7377 and www.oupress.com.
272 pp., $24.95 hardcover
ISBN: 0-8061-3582-4
25 b&w illus./2 maps
Pub Date: April 2004

Contact:
Caroline Dwyer
Publicity
(701) 746-6954
cdwyer@ou.edu "