Stories of Sacrifice - American POW/MIAs15 Aug

The Radio Man and the Teacher — Pt 2 The Guerrilla of Baroy

Show Notes

The Radio Man and the Teacher

A Stories of Sacrifice episode

In this episode we return to the story of 1st Lt. Roy E. Welbon — not only as the lost guerrilla of Baroy, but as a husband. Through newly uncovered documents from the MacArthur Memorial Archives and the powerful 1990 oral history of his wife, Helen Haladay Welbon, we step into the quiet life they built together in Butuan and the choices that war forced upon them.

Listeners will hear how a maritime radio operator and a Red Cross teacher created a home on the plaza across from the royal palms, how Helen followed Roy into the jungle, and how, in November 1943, he insisted she leave on the submarine USS Narwhal while he remained behind. We also examine the newly obtained evidence — including Col. Fertig’s casualty report and his radio message to General MacArthur — confirming that after Roy was killed, his comrades recovered his body and buried him with full military honors beneath a small white cross on the plaza in Baroy.

This is a story of ordinary love tested by extraordinary times, and of the unfinished work still required to bring one American home.

Main Topics

Roy and Helen’s life together in pre-war Butuan
Helen’s vivid memories of their house, the sawmill, and daily life
The outbreak of war and the Christmas Eve 1941 evacuation
Helen’s decision to follow Roy — including the bilge of the launch
The heartbreaking choice at Cantilan and the USS Narwhal evacuation
New MacArthur Archives documents: Ken Bayley memoir, Fertig casualty report, and the radio confirming a marked grave with full military honors
Helen’s long silence and her 1990 oral history
The continuing search for Roy Welbon and other Mindanao MIAs

Support the Mission
AMAG — the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group — is preparing a mission to Mindanao this winter to locate the remains of 1st Lt. Roy Welbon and other Americans still missing in the region. If this story has moved you, please help finish what war left unfinished.

Donate here: https://donorbox.org/support-amag-s-worldwide-mia-mission

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