Quote Originally Posted by Polarbear1605 View Post
lol...yep, lots and lots of controversy about the "Hero or Butcher of Samar". Certainly don't know everything about Waller but after sorting out the "yellow press" issue and the hike from hell the guy is still my hero. When he finally broke out of the jungle, he when right back in leading a rescue party with a 105 fever to save his Marines. However, now that I know Presley founded a family tradition of good whiskey...I may have to reconsider.
"Butcher of Samar" was of course exaggerated; there' little in the record to suggest that Waller actually tried to carry out the infamous orders he got from "Howlin' Jake". Executing the 11 porters might seem to justify the title but by the standards of the day that was pretty normal. I'll give him points for going back with a rescue party (though experience of tropical fevers leads me to suspect that the 105 is an exaggeration), but taking 9 days to find the group left behind... well, that's how it was in those days. Reading period sources really does give the impression that the American forces were far from prepared for jungle operations!