Re: Bataan: A Survivor's Story

Date: March 12, 2004

"USAO hosts book signing for WWII memoir

More than 50 years after the extraordinary events that shaped his life -- and just months after his death -- the amazing story of World War II hero Gene Boyt of Chickasha, is finally being told. On Thursday, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma will host a book signing party to honor author David Burch, a 1992 graduate of USAO, who poured more than five years of his life into this project.

Community members are invited to meet Burch and see the book for the first time at 3 p.m. on March 11 in the Lawson Court Parlor at USAO. The event is jointly sponsored by the college and the USAO Bookstore.

“Bataan: A Survivor’s Story,” possibly one of the last accounts to come from a Bataan survivor, details the Bataan Death March and Boyt’s subsequent 42 months in Japanese internment camps. In this fast-paced narrative, Boyt’s voice conveys the quiet courage of the generation of men who fought and won history’s greatest armed conflict.

The story begins in April 1942. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines were subsequently surrendered, Lt. Gene Boyt became a prisoner of war, suffering unthinkable deprivation and brutality at the hands of the ruthless Japanese guards.

Gene Boyt 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 until his death last year.

David L. Burch, a human relations professional in Oklahoma City, formerly taught college courses in American history and government.

Gregory J.W. Urwin is professor of history at Temple University and associate director of Temple’s Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy. He is the author of “The United States Infantry: An Illustrated History, 1775-1918” and “The United States Cavalry: An Illustrated History, 1776-1944.”

“This book is the fruition of five year’s work,” Burch told the Chickasha Express-Star last spring. “Gene and I started working on it back in 1997.” It was picked up in 2003 by the University of Oklahoma Press.

To capture this amazing story, Burch spent years collecting Boyt’s voice on tape. The final result was more than 60 hours of recorded information on which Burch based his book. “This is Gene Boyt’s life story. And it talks about his time in Bataan, of course, but there is also a lot more to it. We devote several chapters to his life, growing up during The Great Depression era, here in Oklahoma, as well as in Missouri. And he goes quite a bit into detail about life as a Japanese prisoner of war.”

The book is balanced, Burch said. “It is not full of recrimination, holding a lot of animosity toward the Japanese people. And Gene doesn’t try to make himself out to be a hero. Instead he gives a very detailed and accurate account of what it was like to both survive the Bataan Death March and be a prisoner of the Japanese during World War 11.”

A 1987 graduate of Chickasha High School, Burch went on to graduate from USAO in 1992, with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He earned a master’s degree in political science from UCO and a master’s degree in public administration from Oklahoma University. He taught American history and government at a private junior college in Oklahoma City for a year during the 1990’s.

“Originally I was going to have Gene come and speak to one of my history classes. But we were never able to arrange that, and I wanted to have some way to hang on to his story for future generations. We started thinking, why not write a book? So that’s how we got started,” he said.

“Gene’s story is unique because he talks about the way the men in the prisoner of war camp pulled together. There is some humor, believe it or not. There are light-hearted moments with some practical jokes they played on the guards. Different men from different branches of the service used their unique talents and were able to pull together and make the experience as endurable as possible.

“For example, one prisoner was found to have been an assistant director in Hollywood before the war broke out. He used his time to help the men put on a play, and Gene actually acted in that. The overall message is that Gene is not bitter. It is an uplifting story. And it may well be the last full length account of the Bataan Death March told by an American officer. It was very rewarding, and a lot of hard work, but it is all worth it, now.”

On March 28, 2003, Boyt and Burch were honored at a special dinner party in Chickasha. Guests included Dr. Charles Rankin, editor and publisher of the OU Press, along with more than 50 members of the Boyt and Burch families. The following day, March 29, was Gene Boyt’s 86th birthday.

David is especially proud of his roots in Chickasha. “I enjoy telling people in my work that I got my start at USAO,” Burch said. “I feel as if I obtained a firm foundation for my life and career and USAO, and I am very proud to be associated with the college.”"