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  • No Uncle Sam: The Forgotten of Bataan
  • George H. Curtis
No Uncle Sam: The Forgotten of Bataan. By Tony Bilek in collaboration with Gene O’Connell. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2003. ISBN 087338-768-6. Maps. Photographs. Index. Pp. xviii, 260. $34.00.

At the opening of hostilities in the Philippines on 8 December 1941 (local time), private first class Anton "Tony" F. Bilek witnessed the decimation of a significant portion of the United States Far East Air Force at Clark Field on the island of Luzon. In his memoirs, No Uncle Sam, Bilek describes that event as well as his efforts and those of his unit, the 28th Material Squadron, in maintaining the remnants of the American air force based at Clark Field and, later, on the Bataan Peninsula. Most of his book, however, deals with Bilek's experiences as a prisoner of war, beginning on 10 April 1942, when he and thousands of American and Filipino troops formally surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army.

Although already suffering from malnutrition, Bilek survived the infamous Bataan Death March and ensuing train ride to Camp O'Donnell. He describes in considerable detail the various phases of that journey and his experiences at two POW camps in the Philippines (O'Donnell and Cabanatuan), aboard a Japanese transport en route to Japan, and at Camp 17 and the coal mines located near Omuta, Japan. Understandably, much of his memoir covers health-related experiences. Throughout his imprisonment, he was afflicted with numerous diseases and illnesses, including beriberi, [End Page 1287] malaria, and pneumonia. While working in the Japanese coal mines, he suffered injuries serious enough to warrant the consideration of amputation.

The scope of Bilek's highly readable and interesting memoirs, however, extends well beyond the subject of personal health. In fact, it appears to cover nearly every conceivable aspect of life as a POW in the custody of the Japanese military, including such subjects as American collaborators, air raids, abuse by Japanese soldiers and civilians, prisoner work details, prison camp facilities, and, perhaps most emphatically, food and the lack thereof. As grim as many of his experiences were, there are also occasional traces of humor in Bilek's book, such as the unsuspecting Japanese guard who demanded tutoring in the English language and to his embarrassment was taught to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Then there are the stories about Concrete Annie, a Japanese civilian worker at Camp 17 who exhibited considerable interest in the Allied POWs.

Although critical of the failure of the United States to provide more assistance to the "Battling Bastards of Bataan," Bilek also defends his country's actions in the closing month of the war. In the concluding paragraph of his book he states: "Since the end of the war, the United States has been accused of being immoral for using the atomic bomb against Japan. But the arguments behind this accusation are lost on the surviving POWS. To us, the decision was not only appropriate, but it was probably the only reason we left captivity alive."

George H. Curtis
Blue Springs, Missouri
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