I Came Back from Bataan

By: Robert Whitmore

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

This is the thrilling first-person story of a young Army Air Corps mechanic caught up in the worldwind of events in World War II. Gautier arrived in the Philippines on Thanksgiving Day 1941. Just two weeks later the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. Gautier was given World War I vintage rifle and sent to Bataan to fight as an infantryman. After the fall of Bataan in April 1942, Gautier survived the infamous Bataan Death March and the horrible conditions at Camp O'Donnel. He was sent along with some other American mechanics to Baguio, where they did all they could to sabotage the Japanese. As the war wore on, Gautier traveled to Japan on the "Hell Ships" where he worked in a coal mine. He along with the other prisoners of war suffered starvation, torture, and beatings until they were liberated in September 1945. Gautier returned to the U.S. to face unforeseen personal challenges, including what would later be known as post-traumatic stress syndrome. His remarkable story is one of personal courage and faith in God and country.

Very interesting story

The story gets right into the action, and doesn't ever really slow down, quickly going over the author's background and getting to his service in the Army. It's a really interesting tale,similar to other accounts I've heard, but also unique and the story sounds credible. I wish it was longer and more detailed, but that's hardly a complaint.

The reader is AI, and honestly it's probably better than 75% of the readers on low volume books like this. There's a few times where it mispronounces things, but it's pretty rare. I listened to it at 1.25x speed, and there were no issues at that speed, was very easy to understand. Frankly I wish this AI voice was available as an option for other books.