A Letter from Bataan

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19 June 1945

Dear Mrs. Porter,

The International Red Cross has transmitted to this Government an official list obtained from the Japanese government, after long delay, of American prisoners of war who were lost while being transported northward from the Philippine Islands on a Japanese ship which was sunk on 24 October 1944.

It is with deep regret that I inform you that your son was among those lost when that sinking occurred and, in the absence of any probability of survival, must be considered to have lost his life. It is with deep regret that I must notify you of this unhappy culmination of the long period of anxiety and suffering you have experienced. You have my heartfelt sympathy.

Sincerely yours,
J.A. Curio
Major General, The Adjutant General of the Army

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Through a pastiche of authentic letters, articles, personal interviews, film, and music, A Letter from Bataan traces the journey of Captain George E. Porter from the small town of St. Joseph, Missouri through to the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941 during World War II and ultimately to George’s death as a Japanese prisoner of war in 1944.

It tells the story of a charismatic young man sent off to fight for his country and the agonizing months and years that passed while his family waited for word of his whereabouts and survival. A Letter from Bataan chronicles a side of the war rarely seen in pop culture and simultaneously provides a microcosmic view of war itself and its devastating effects on a soldier’s family. Ultimately, the play is a meditation on how we tell our stories and the remembrances we leave behind.

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Workshopped by writer/director Neal J. Freeman at the 2010 Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, A Letter from Bataan is the recipient of a 2010 seed grant from The Drama League Directors Project. A Letter from Bataan has been developed with the support of the Brooklyn College Department of Theater.

Do you know a World War II veteran who might like to talk with us? Please let us know.

Letter photographs by Ron Amato.