MacArthur Left But Volckmann Remained
Almost everyone from my generation (baby boomers) knows the quote by General Douglas MacArthur wherein he says, “We Shall Return” in reference to when he was ordered to leave the Philippines in 1942 to command allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Command.
What you may not know is that many men under his command didn’t just surrender as they were ordered, but instead they avoided the Bataan Death March and other atrocities by traveling to northern Luzon where they waged the fight of their lives. One of these men is the subject of this article. His name was Russell W. Volckmann and he was from Clinton, Iowa.
Volckmann
We first were made aware of Colonel Volckmann (his rank in 1941) after reading a small book published by the The Clinton Herald, and written by Gary Herrity. Herrity’s reference to the book written after the war entitled “We Remained” (1954) by Volckmann caught our interest, and after waiting about a week for an interlibrary loan, we were able to read this previously unknown (to us) account of Russ Volckmann’s three years behind the lines fighting against the Japanese invaders.
While Volckmann wasn’t the only person to remain on the island, he was one of four men to help build the guerrilla forces and lead them, along with many brave Filipino citizens, in a three year endeavor to survive and thwart the ruthless ‘Japs’.
Philippine Army Chief of Staff Major Gen. Basilio J. Valdes (L) posing outside command post w. legendary Luzon guerrilla leader Colonel Russell Volckmann (R). LIFE photo
I would like to make a special point of mentioning that if it wasn’t for the extreme courage and sacrifices that were made by the Philippine people, the outcome of the war and the survival of Volckmann and his compatriots would never have happened as it did.
Russell Volckman went on to become a Brigadeer General after the war, and is noted even now as one of the proponents of the use of guerilla warfare that has since become one of the effective methods of defence. Volckmann was often sought out as a military consultant on this subject.
Volckmann’s book is well worth reading, not only for American historians, but for Filipino historians too. My husband is also from Clinton, Iowa. He said that he never remembered hearing about Colonel Volckmann, or being taught about his importance in American history in any of his classes throughout his school years.
We cannot forget these heroes!
Sources:
Golden Oldies of Clinton History, Vol. 2 – Gary Herrity (2003-08)
We Remained – Russell W. Volckmann (1954)
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Filed under: History, Military, World War II
Carole,
My Dad served in the Philippines when we retook the islands.
Thanks for making me aware of another part of that fight!
Bill
Twitter: webduck
Bill, I hope you will be able to find the book Volckmann wrote and read it too. It really was very interesting and I think you would like it.
I’ve always been fascinated with the Phillippines’ efforts in WWII. This is a great story and one I hadn’t heard before. Thanks.
Volckmann’s book is excellent, and is a classic on resistance against the Japanese occupying forces in the Philippines during WWII. Another great book about one of Volckmann’s subordinates, Captain (later General) Donald Blackman, a key figure in the formation and development of US unconventional warfare capabilities, and is titled “Blackburn’s Headhunters.” BH is much easier to find on used-book sites than is Volckmann’s “We Remained,” which is considered a very rare, and thus very valuable, book. Last (but by no means least) is the great book written about Col. Wendell Fertig, who commanded around 40,000 anti-Japanese guerrillas on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. That books is titled “They Fought Alone,” and is also easier to find than Volckmann’s book. All of these books have many lessons to teach our current armed forces, now engaged in bloody and thankless counter-insurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan…and the books also have much to teach typical Americans, who too often forget about the staggering sacrifices that some of our countrymen and -women have taken in times of great conflict.
I would to purchase copies of Volckman’s WE REMAINED and Blackburn’s HEADHUNTERS. Please direct me to where I could puirchase these books. Thank you. S F Guiang, MD
Twitter: webduck
Sadly, Volckmann’s book is out of print and very hard to find even in libraries. You might try looking on Ebay, but the cost could be very high. You could also try Amazon or Barnes and Noble for them. One of the best sources for old books is Powell’s books in Portland, Oregon. There is a search box for Powell’s on this page right at the top if you would like to use it.
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I tried to post a comment, but was rejected. Not sure what the problem is. Anyway, one last time (a truncated answer): Try Abebooks.com and Alibris.com for “Blackburn’s Headhunters” and “We Fought Alone.” Volckmann’s book is extremely rare and usually fetches $200 more more–if you can actually find one. Good luck.
For those who are interested there is an online copy of “We Remained” at http://www.archive.org/details/weremainedthreey011059mbp.
Twitter: webduck
Michael, I appreciate so much that you included the link to the book so other people can download it and read his story. Are you related to Russell Volckmann?
Carol, Russell was my fathers first cousin.
Twitter: webduck
Michael, I am so honored that you stopped by my blog and left comments. I’m sure you are very proud of your cousin Russell. Do you live anywhere near Clinton, Iowa, or elsewhere?
If you all are interested in a more recent book on Russell Volckmann, there’s one coming out in April 2010 called “American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann”
It looks like this one covers his entire career, from the Philippines to his role in creating army special forces…its on amazon.com if you guys want to check it out.
Twitter: webduck
Thank you so much Luis! I will check Amazon and maybe pre-order it.
His story is reallly amazing and extraordinary. I never heard his name before but once I read the title ” We remained” my interest compell me to search for his name. I also appreciate my fellow Filipinos who take care of him during his escape in Bataan (like Bruno, the family he met in Bataan that feeds his group, and the other tribes in Northern Luzon). I’m interested to buy a book about him I hope it’s still available.
I’m a Filipino artist, his inpiring story is very interesting to paint. And my desire is to share his legacy and the legacy of other Filipinos who helps him along the way. I have made The Battle of Bataan Paintings for the purpose of reminding my countrymen about the sacrifcie of thousands of men who fought in Bataan. So that they will always be remembered. Here’s the link of my small exhibit in Orani, Bataan, Philippines. Thank you and God Bless you Sir Volckmann.
From my heart- my gratitude and appreciation
Hers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bataan_paintings/sets/72157623755314303/
Hers´s last blog ..Drawing-The Bataan Defenders
I am one of the 9 surviving children of Jose K. Maddul a.k.a. Bruno (+) who took care of Blackburn and Volkmann as mentioned in the book “Blackburn’s Headhunters”. My late father had a copy of the book and was able to keep it. However, when I got hold of it after his death, the book was in a very sorry state: no cover with worn-out pages 17 to 310 are what were left. I am looking for a copy of the book. I am also searching for any relative of the two American officers.