#46. Surrender: Corregidor’s Final, Frantic Message

Episode #46 - Irving Strobing – Episode Transcript

Cold Open
[Broadcast] “They are not near yet. We are waiting for God only knows what. How about a chocolate soda.
“Not many. Not near yet. Lots of heavy fighting going on. We’ve got only about one hour twenty minutes before…
“We may have to give up by noon. We don’t know yet. They are throwing men and shells at us and we may not be able to stand it. They have been shelling us faster than you can count…
“We’ve got about 55 minutes and I feel sick to my stomach… I am really low down. They are around now smashing rifles. They bring in the wounded every minute. We will be waiting for you guys to help. This is the only thing I guess that can be done.
''General Wainwright is a right guy and we are willing to go on for him, but shells were dropping all night, faster than hell. Damage terrific. Too much for guys to take. Enemy heavy cross-shelling and bombing. They have got us all around and from the skies.
“From here it looks like firing ceased on both sides. Men here all feeling bad because of terrific nervous strain. …
''Corregidor used to be a nice place, but it's haunted now. Withstood a terrific pounding.
“Just made broadcast to Manila to arrange meeting for surrender. Talk made by Gen. [Lewis C.] Beebe. I can’t say much. Can’t think at all. I can hardly think. Say, I have 60 pesos you can have for this weekend.” (Pause)
''The white flag is up. Every one is bawling like a baby. They are piling dead and wounded in our tunnel. I’m vomiting. Arm's weak from pounding key, long hours, no rest, short rations, tired…
''I know how a mouse feels. Caught in a trap waiting for guys to come along and finish it up. Got a treat. Can pineapple. Opening it with Signal Corps knife.'
''My name is Irving Strobing. Get this to my mother, Mrs. Minnie Strobing, 605 Barbey Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. They are to get along O.K. Get in touch with them as soon as possible. Message, my love to Pa, Joe, Sue, Mac, Harry, Joy and Paul. Also to all family and friends. God bless 'em all. Hope they be there when I come home. Tell Joe, wherever he is, go give 'em hell for us. My love you all. God bless you and keep you. Love. Sign my name and tell my mother how you heard from me.
[Pause] ''Stand by,''

[Narrator] And that … was the last thing the United States heard from Corregidor Island.
This is Left Behind.

Podcast Welcome
Welcome to “Left Behind,” a podcast about the people left behind when the US surrendered The Philippines in the early days of WW2. I’m your host and researcher, Anastasia Harman. My great-grandfather Alma Salm was one of the POWs, and his memoir inspired me to tell the stories of his fellow captives.
If you, like me, believe it's important for people to hear this relatively unknown part of World War II history. Please consider sharing this episode with a friend. Word of mouth is the number one way that people find new podcasts. So, by sharing, you’re helping to keep these important stories alive.

Today I’m excited to introduce you to Irving Strobing, the radio operator who sent the last Morse Code telegraph messages off Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942, as the Japanese invasion grew ever heavier and closer to Malinta Tunnel, headquarters of Allied forces in The Philippines.
The recording you heard at the beginning of this episode includes Strobing telegraph signals with a narrator speaking the words Strobing tapped out. It ranges between a play-by-play of the events taking place just outside the Malinta Tunnel to the raw emotions of a 22-year-old in a dire situation to a personal message to those he loves.
Strobing sent this message over the space of 14 hours. He thought he was sending it into the ether and that perhaps no one would receive it. But he was very wrong.
Let’s jump in.

POW’s Life Story
Before the War
[Narrator] Irving Strobing was born March 24, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York. I was privileged to speak with his favorite niece, Stephanie Wolkin. She told me:
[Stephanie] “He one time told me that me and my brother were his favorite niece and nephew. I must've been maybe eight at the time. My brother would've been five. And we were all excited and we went around for about a week. Wow. We’re Unk’s favorite niece and nephew. And then I looked at my brother one day and I said, Jim, were his only niece and nephew.”
“My uncle Irving Strobing was the second of three children. His older brother, Joe was mentioned in his message. And his younger sister, by three years, was my mother. Her given name was Sylvia, but her nickname was Sue. And so she's also referenced in his message from Corregidor. He had just pretty much a normal upbringing, you know, a kid in Brooklyn. Nothing particularly, exciting.”
[Narrator] Irving’s parents Sam and Minnie Strobing were both Jewish immigrants from present-day Poland, who came to the US around 1909. So, his parents evaded living through the home-front horrors of both WW1 and WW2. The family spoke Yiddish at home, and the father, Sam, worked as a tailor while mother, Minnie, was a housewife.
Irving graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in the later 1930s and then attended Brooklyn College for a year – until July 1939, when the 19-year-old enlisted in the US Army. He was quickly sent to Signal Corps School in New Jersey, and then to a base near San Francisco, California, then to Hawaii and finally to the Philippine Islands.
[Stephanie] “He always knew that he wanted to go into the army. He was hoping to make it his career. From everything I've heard, including from my dad who was a ham radio operator and very close with my uncle, apparently my uncle was a wizard at sending Morse Code. He sent it fast, and it was accurate, and he was kind of known for that.”
[Narrator] And, actually, I can attest to that a bit – he was in a 1961 WW2 documentary, where he showed his telegraph skills. He taps out the message so fast, while speaking the words he’s tapping, and not even looking at the machine. I mean, I still have to look at the keyboard while I type, and that has to be so much easier than tapping out Morse Code.

During the War
[Narrator] Well, when Pvt. Strobing got to The Philippines, he was stationed in Baguio (which is in Northern Luzon Island, the largest island in The Philippines), and was the Chief Radio Operator there. However, on December 8, 1941, he was on a 3-day pass in Manila when the Japanese attacked The Philippines.
Thus, he remained in Manila as a radio operator until January 1, 1942, when he was sent to Corregidor Island. Once on The Rock, as the servicemen fondly called the island, Strobing became a mainstay in Malinta Tunnel, specifically in the lateral tunnel where the Signal Corps was located. The Signal Corps shared that lateral tunnel with the Finance Department, whose story I told in episode 41. I’ve put the link in the show description.
Since Strobing was stationed in a tunnel bored into the base of a large hill, he wouldn’t have experienced the full extent of the dire effects of the constant air bombardment and artillery shelling of Corregidor, which grew only worse as April 1942 turned into May.
Strobing said:
[Strobing] “I guess I was pretty lucky. The job kept me under many feet of rock.”

[Narrator] On the night of May 5-6, 1942, Japanese forces landed on the northeastern beaches of Corregidor Island’s tail. I covered the details of this landing 2 weeks ago in Episode #44, so to be brief here, the 4th Marines managed to hold off the enemy – for a few hours. But the lack of American and Filipino light artillery and trained infantry men soon pushed the fight close to Malinta Tunnel’s gates.
Sometime during the early morning hours of May 6, Corporal Irving Strobing began tapping out a telegraph message in Morse Code. That’s the message you heard at the beginning of the episode. Upon liberation from a POW camp, he told a newspaper:
[Strobing] “I was on the air 14 hours before stopping. The official surrender was at noon, May 6, 1942. I just took a chance and said about anything. I never did remember what I said but I hoped my mother would get it and keep up her hopes. I hope I didn’t say anything wrong.”
[Narrator] It’s interesting that he never remembered what he said in the messages – just makes me think that he was so full of adrenaline, in such a fight or flight state of being for those 14 hours, that what he said just didn’t register in his mind.
Further, Strobing didn’t know on that final day of battle whether the message would be picked up by anyone.

But Strobing’s message had a real-time, captivated audience across an ocean in Hawaii’s Scholfield Barracks. You see, while Strobing was tapping, Corporal Arnold Lappert was decoding. One source says Lappert “felt the fear, the intensity and the importance of those messages from Corregidor.” Another that he wept over his keyboard as he transcribed the messages.
A Manhattan native, Arnold Lappert was Stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked and spent 4 years of the war in The Pacific. Of receiving the message, he later said:
[Lappert] “I had a general for a runner. One star, but a general. I don’t know his name exactly Collins, I think? But I’ll never forget his face over my shoulder and the way he ripped the paper out of my hand and ran.”
[Narrator] The US military leadership in Hawaii was immensely interested in Strobing’s messages – as his words were the main (if not only) source of information they had about what was happening in The Philippines.
A couple weeks later, the entirety of Strobing’s message (with narration) was broadcast via radio around the US, which is what we heard at the beginning.
One newspaper later stated:
[Newspaper] “Irving Strobing … sent the farewell message that made a nation weep.”
[Narrator] And, seriously, I don’t know about you, but listening to that broadcast is haunting and tense and makes me tear up.

Strobing started his message around midnight of May5-6, 1942, just after the Japanese landing forces arrived on Corregidor Island.
[Broadcast] “They are not near yet. We are waiting for God only knows what. How about a chocolate soda.”
[Narrator] Keep that chocolate soda reference in mind, we’ll return to it later.
[Broadcast] “Not many. Not near yet. Lots of heavy fighting going on. We’ve got only about one hour twenty minutes before…”
[Narrator] I suspect that Strobing was referring to the heavy fighting of the Marine regiments a couple miles away from Malinta Tunnell on Corregidor’s tail portion, where the Japanese came ashore.
I’m not certain what his reference to 1 hours twenty minutes means, but here’s my guess.
Japanese forces landed on the island’s tail portion and fought their way toward Malinta Hill, taking a smaller hill and battery on the way. Here they established their line.
During the early morning hours of May 6, American and Filipino soldiers, artillerymen, and sailors were called in to reinforce the Marine units. At 6 am, those forces attacked the Japanese line.
And I wonder if the 1 hour 20 minutes refers to that coming attack. But I could be wrong. (See episode 44 for more details of this.)
As the fighting continued on Corregidor in the mid-morning hours of May 6, I’m thinking around 9 am, Strobing tapped out:
[Broadcast] “We may have to give up by noon. We don’t know yet. They are throwing men and shells at us, and we may not be able to stand it. They have been shelling us faster than you can count…”
[Narrator] That bombing and shelling came from aircraft and from heavy artillery on Bataan Peninsula. The men on Corregidor had been shelled almost non-stop for the past week. The once lush, tree-covered island was a barren destruction zone, which Strobing will mention later in his message.
An hour or 2 later, Strobing picked up his message:
[Broadcast] “We’ve got about 55 minutes and I feel sick to my stomach… I am really low down. They are around now smashing rifles. They bring in the wounded every minute. We will be waiting for you guys to help. This is the only thing I guess that can be done.”
[Narrator] A plea from a desperate young man to his brothers-in-arms – we’re waiting for your help. Still waiting for your help would be more accurate phrasing. For months, US leadership on Bataan and Corregidor had promised that help from America was on its way. It wasn’t. The powers in Washington decided on a “Europe-first” strategy. The result – well, Strobing was describing that result to anyone who might pick up the message. And help wouldn’t come for these men for another 3+ years.
[Broadcast] ''General Wainwright is a right guy and we are willing to go on for him, but shells were dropping all night, faster than hell. Damage terrific. Too much for guys to take. Enemy heavy cross-shelling and bombing. They have got us all around and from the skies.''
[Narrator] Despite American and Filipino forces on Corregidor outnumbering the Japanese landing forces around 14 to 1, Gen. Jonathan Wainwright (who was commander over all Allied forces in The Philippines) realized that continuing to fight against the inevitable would lead only to more casualties. The Americans and Filipinos had men (too many of them undertrained for hand-to-hand combat) and rifles, but no light artillery or tanks or airplanes.
The Japanese had many units on Bataan waiting to come to Corregidor even more artillery and tanks. There was no chance of Allied forces holding out for more than a couple of days.
Thus, Wainwright decided to surrender Corregidor. Strobing continued:
[Broadcast] “From here it looks like firing ceased on both sides. Men here all feeling bad because of terrific nervous strain. …
''Corregidor used to be a nice place, but it's haunted now. Withstood a terrific pounding.”
“Just made broadcast to Manila to arrange meeting for surrender. Talk made by Gen. Beebe. I can’t say much. Can’t think at all. I can hardly think. Say, I have 60 pesos you can have for this weekend.”
[Narrator] That broadcast happened at 10:30 am. Gen. Lewis C Beebe sent a surrender offer from Gen. Wainwright to General Masaharu Homma, who was over Japanese forces in the nation. The offer included surrender of the 4 Allied-held islands in Manila Bay (collectively called the “Harbor Defenses”), “together with all military and naval personnel and all existing stores and equipment” at noon on May 6 – “if all of your firing and aerial bombardment has ceased.”
At the same time, another radio operator tapped out a message to the US general on Mindanao, a southern Philippine Island. In that message, Wainwright gave that general command of all US forces in the Philippines (except the Harbor Defenses) and to report to Gen. Douglas MacArthur immediately for orders. Wainwright concluded:
[Wainwright] "I believe you will understand the motive behind this order."
[Narrator] Wainwright was attempting to surrender as few men as possible – just those on Corregidor and the few fortified fortresses in Manila Bay, rather than all Allied troops throughout the Philippine Islands.

But the broadcast message didn’t stop the Japanese bombardment from the air and from Bataan. The Allies broadcast the message again at 11 am, then again at 11:45. Then, well, here’s my great-grandfather Alma Salm’s description of the next actions:
[Salm] “Precisely on the hour—as the blazing sun overhead registered high noon—the white flag of surrender was hoisted high atop rocky Malinta Peak. An unusual quiet settled over the “Rock” in sharp contrast to the din caused by many days of concentrated bombardment and bombing. Occasional Jap aerial bombings and sporadic firing in the western part of the island—where our troops had not gotten word of surrender—were the only sounds.
“A feeling of frustration and dejection took hold of me as I watched our Star-Spangled Banner give way. My eyes blurred before me.”
[Narrator] Salm wasn’t the only one tearing up. Strobing messaged:
[Broadcast] ''The white flag is up. Everyone is bawling like a baby. They are piling dead and wounded in our tunnel. I’m vomiting. Arm's weak from pounding key, long hours, no rest, short rations, tired…”
[Narrator] That was 12 noon. The US Stars and Stripes was lowered and burned.
In those final moments, Strobing tapped out a personal message to his family, hoping that his mother would somehow receive it.
[Broadcast] ''My name is Irving Strobing. Get this to my mother, Mrs. Minnie Strobing, 605 Barbey Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. They are to get along O.K. Get in touch with them as soon as possible. Message, my love to Pa, Joe, Sue, Mac, Harry, Joy and Paul. Also to all family and friends. God bless 'em all. Hope they be there when I come home. Tell Joe, wherever he is, go give 'em hell for us. My love you all. God bless you and keep you. Love. Sign my name and tell my mother how you heard from me.''
[Narrator] Apparently, a friend of Strobing’s in Hawaii obtained the personal part of the message and sent it to his family.
At this time, Irving’s older brother “Joe” was in the US Army and stationed in Seattle. So that’s what he meant by: “Tell Joe, wherever he is, go and give them hell.” Although this message was to his brother specifically, I personally also like to think there’s a second meaning -- a message to all US soldiers, who Strobing had previously asked to come help them and who had the colloquial nickname “Joe” – to give the Axis forces hell, wherever they might be.
After a pause, Strobing added a single word: “Standby.”
But nothing ever followed.
It was the last word broadcast by American forces from Corregidor Island.

[Narrator] But although the radio lines had gone quiet, Corregidor was a hub of activity. US Army historian Louis Morton wrote:
[Morton] “During the morning all arms larger than .45-caliber had been destroyed. The marines, misreading the order, had begun to smash their small arms as well, and others had followed suit until an officer had halted the destruction. All classified papers and maps had been torn or burned and lay in shreds and ashes on the floor of the tunnel. The codes and radio equipment had been smashed beyond recognition and the treasury of the Commonwealth Government reduced to trash. It took Col. John R. Vance, the finance officer, and his assistants several hours to cut up with scissors more than two million pesos. By noon, when the destruction was completed, Malinta Tunnel presented a scene of "unbelievable disorder, congestion, and confusion."
“The men in the tunnel had reached the end of their physical and mental resources. They were dirty, hungry, and completely exhausted. Some reacted violently to the order to destroy their arms and swore with bitter vehemence, but most were too tired to have any feelings at all. The quartermaster lateral had been thrown open and each man took what he wanted and went off to a quiet corner to eat his last meal before the Japanese moved in. Some lay down and went to sleep; others stared vacantly into space.”
[Narrator] But still, the Japanese continued their advance and bombardment. Wainwright had the surrender message again broadcast at 12:30. Still, the Japanese continued. So around 1 pm, Wainwright sent a Marine Captain with a flag bearer, a musician, and an interpreter to the Japanese front lines on the island. Morton continued:
[Morton] “As the group passed through the American lines, the music sounded out and the flag bearer waved his white standard, a sheet tied to a pole. The Japanese allowed them to march through no man's land without interference, and in due time [the marine] Captain … was taken to a colonel he believed to be the troop commander on Corregidor. To him he explained that General Wainwright was seeking a truce and wished to discuss the terms of surrender with General Homma. The Japanese officer, after consulting his superiors on Bataan, told [the marine] Captain … that if Wainwright would come to his headquarters he would make arrangements to send him to Bataan.”
[Narrator] So around 2 pm, Wainwright left Malinta Hill.
[Narrator] Wainwright rode in a sedan to Denver Hill (a hill on Corregidor Island’s tail portion), then continued on foot to the summit, where he met a Japanese colonel. The night before, Japanese General Homma, had ordered this colonel to accept Wainwright’s surrender only IF the US was surrendering ALL forces throughout The Philippines.
When Wainwright explained he was surrendering only 4 islands in Manila Bay, the colonel responded with “an angry torrent of Japanese," saying that the only surrender he’d talk about is the entire Philippines. To which Wainwright responded:
[Wainwright] "In that case, I will deal only with General Homma and with no one of less rank."
[Narrator] The colonel agreed to take Wainwright to Bataan. Actually, that colonel had already been ordered by Homma to bring Wainwright to Bataan. Homma hadn’t heard the surrender message broadcasts and didn’t know until 12:30 that the white flag had been hoisted.
Wainwright and his entourage reached Cacaben in southeastern Bataan around 4 pm. The Americans were taken to a home about a mile away from the dock, where they waited nearly an hour for Gen. Homma to arrive.
Around 5 pm, the American and Japanese emissaries sat down to negotiate surrender. Wainwright opened with an offer to surrender all the US and Filipino forces that were part of the Harbor Defenses. Homma refused, saying that Wainwright had to surrender all the US forces in The Philippines. Wainwright countered that he didn’t have authority to surrender all the forces, just the unit in Manila Bay.
At this point, Homma stood, telling Wainwright that he didn’t have
[Homma] “any reason to see you if you are only the commander of a unit ... I wish only to negotiate with my equal. . . . I advise you to return to Corregidor and think the matter over. If you see fit to surrender, then surrender to the commanding officer of the division on Corregidor. He in turn will bring you to me in Manila.”
[Narrator] Thus, Wainwright returned to Corregidor, arriving late that night.
By the way, this is a basic overview of the surrender events. If you’re interested in the more nitty-gritty details, I suggest chapter 32, “The End of Resistance,” in Louis Morton’s The War in The Pacific, The Fall of the Philippines.

In the meantime, Japanese forces had surrounded Malinta Hill, cutting it off from all other portions of Corregidor Island. More Japanese troops landed on the island. They’d entered the Malinta Tunnel with 20 men brandishing flame throwers, demolition charges, and rifles. At bayonet point, they marched the “docile” Americans and Filipinos out of the tunnel, except for those in the hospital.
I’ve posted some pictures of Malinta Hill being evacuated. In it, POWs with their hands raised in surrender, emerged from the tunnel entrance, while bayonet-wielding Japanese soldiers stand guard, some looking toward the camera.
They photos are dramatic.
But they were also staged.
Liberated POWs would later share stories about how they were brought out of, then ushered back into the tunnel several times so that the photographers could get several shots of the surrendering Americans – and use the best photos for propaganda back home.
I’ve also posted a photo of Japanese troops removing the US flag from the top of Malinta Hill. It’s most certainly staged, because the Americans removed and burned the flag at noon. But, of course, Japanese men removing the flag makes for much better propaganda. And, well, as we know, truth is the first casualty of war.
But I digress.

Let’s go back to Gen Wainwright. He returned to Corregidor late on the night of May 6 to find that Malinta Hill and Tunnel had already been taken, thus he immediately surrendered to the commanding officer of the Japanese division on Corregidor. It was an unconditional surrender of all Allied forces in The Philippines. Morton stated:
[Morton] “All local commanders were to assemble their troops in designated areas and then report to the nearest Japanese commander. Nothing was to be destroyed and heavy arms and equipment were to be kept intact. "Japanese Army and Navy," read the closing paragraphs, "will not cease their operations until they recognize faithfulness in executing the above-mentioned orders. If and when such faithfulness is recognized, the commander in chief of Japanese forces in the Philippines will order 'cease fire' after taking all circumstances into consideration."
“It was midnight by the time the job was finished and the surrender document signed. Wainwright was then taken, under guard and through groups of captured Americans and Filipinos, to Malinta Tunnel, which by now was full of Japanese troops. … He went to the small whitewashed room he had inherited from General MacArthur. …Exhausted and humiliated, he threw himself down on his narrow cot. He, had not slept and had hardly eaten since the terrible Japanese bombardment of the 5th. But sleep would not come easily. Though he had done all that he could, the forced surrender lay heavily on his mind. No man could be expected to endure more than he and his men had. This the President had told him in the message received only a few hours before he had gone forward to surrender. Now, in the bitterest moment of his life, he could turn to the consolation of that message from his Commander in Chief:
[Roosevelt] “In spite of all the handicaps of complete isolation, lack of food and ammunition you have given the world a shining example of patriotic fortitude and self-sacrifice.
“The American people ask no finer example of tenacity, resourcefulness, and steadfast courage. The calm determination of your personal leadership in a desperate situation sets a standard of duty for our soldiers throughout the world.
“In every camp and on every naval vessel, soldiers, sailors, and Marines are inspired by the gallant struggle of their comrades in the Philippines. The workmen in our shipyards and munitions plants redouble their efforts because of your example. You and your devoted followers have become the living symbols of our war aims and the guarantee of victory.”
[Narrator] But would those words strengthen Wainwright, Strobing, and the 1,000s of American and Filipino POWs through the next 3+ years of imprisonment, starvation, and torture?

The next morning, Wainwright was taken to Manila to broadcast the surrender terms to the US generals in other parts of The Philippines. The message went out over public radio.
[Narrator] Within a couple of days, Cor. Irving Strobing and his fellow POWs were marched to the southeastern part of Corregidor, where they were encamped – with little food or water – for a couple of weeks. (More details on that in an upcoming episode.)
Among the men captured that day along with Strobing and my great-grandfather, were these others whose stories we’ve discovered in previous Left Behind episodes:
- Frank Pyzick
- Louis Sontag
- Brooks Miller
- Alan Manning
- Alton Hall
- Adolphus Hutchison
- Francis McManus
- Henry Goodall
- Nurse Clara Bickford
- Felipe Fernandez
- Father and son Vicente and Marcos Mocorro
- Curtis Beecher
- Arthur Kuykendall
- Aaron Pressman
- Walter Wernher
- Meridith Hough
- Paul Wing
- George Hamilton
- Edwin Franklin
- And many more we’ll met in the weeks to come.
I’ve put links to all their specific episodes in the show description.

In early June 1942, Strobing and the other Americans captured on Corregidor were sent to the Cabanatuan POW camps. The death rate at the camp was extremely high throughout the summer. But Strobing survived and was healthy enough to be among the first POWs transferred to work camps in Japan.
He left Manila in early November 1942, and arrived at the Tanagawa Camp near Osaka, Japan, later that same month. POWs at that camp worked on the dry docks of a nearby submarine base.
While in the POW camps, Strobing became quite sick. Here’s his niece Stephanie Wolkin:
[Stephanie] “As kids, my brother and I would always ask him questions just about the war, especially because we noticed that his upper arms had deep stars. We asked him what that was about. “Apparently, he had contracted gangrene in both arms when he was in prison. And the fellow prisoners found a way to make a still, so they had happy hours many times. They knew that the gangrene had come out but had no way to do that.
“So they bribed the Japanese camp doctor to cut out the poison. They saved up their cigarette allotments and that's how they bribed him, with cigarettes. And when the time came for the surgery, the guys took all of the whiskey they had brewed, and they poured it into my uncle. Then they held him down. Well, this Japanese army surgeon cut out a gangrene and saved his life.”
“When we were little kids, he didn't tell us any stories at all. As we all aged and we talked about things. I said, well, what did you eat? Because you know, they didn't have a lot of food for you. And he said, well, one time a dog walked in. But it didn't walk out.”
“He said, the guys who gave up hope didn't come home. They died. And the guys who kept up hope and really thought there was a chance they could be free, were the ones who made it.”
[Narrator] When I asked Stephanie why she thought her uncle was able to hold on to hope, she said:
“He was a kid; he had his whole life before him.
“He had some really tough assignments. He was assigned to a steel mill, making steel. He was also assigned to a rock quarry. Where, as he said: I made little rocks out of big rocks. “
[Narrator] That rock quarry was at the Omi camp, which is on the western coast of Japan’s main island, roughly directly across the island from Tokyo. Strobing was transferred to Omi about 18 months after first arriving in Japan. Here’s Stephanie again:
[Stephanie] “Both of those assignments or jobs were pretty stressful, pretty physical. And done by guys who were not getting really good meals. They were not in the best of shape. They were not being well fed. There were bugs and lice and all of that. So it was designed to just keep the strongest people alive and the rest of them fell by the wayside. And thank goodness, he didn't.”
[Narrator] By the way, I’ve posted a picture of the American POWs at Camp Omi, which includes Irving Strobing.

After 3 years in POW camps, so in summer 1945, Strobing and his fellow Omi POWs began hearing encouraging news about the war. An American newspaper later reported:
[Newspaper] “A British officer at Omi held daily press briefings, giving news received over an illegal radio brought in part by part, carried inside corned beef cans from Singapore. This … was a shot in the arm to the prisoners who were always confident of victory, so confident that they were wagering their rations on victory.”
[Narrator] Of those reports, Strobing said:
[Strobing] “From what we heard, our troops we moving like a machine, a wonderful, good machine. But we never dreamed the States would put on a show like this.”
[Narrator] And then, in early September 1945 – after 3 years and 4 months in captivity, Irving Strobing learned that Japan had surrendered the war. Afterward, their guards
[Strobing] “tripled food rations and allowed a hot bath daily instead of one a week. They let us do as we pleased. The payoff came when American planes dropped more food than the Nips ever dreamed existed. We let them keep theirs.”
[Narrator] 25-year-old Cor. Irving Strobing was soon liberated by rescuers who parachuted into camp. On September 5, 1945, he boarded a train to Yokohama, on Japan’s eastern coast, for transportation to the US.
[Strobing] “We rode a Jap train all last night. All night we peered through the windows looking for GIs. At a small station just outside Yokohama we saw three GIs and a truck. They looked like giants—good giants. It was wonderful.”
[Narrator] Arriving in Yokohama, and wearing a fresh uniform with Corporal stripes, Strobing was met by Red Cross nurses who were handing out chocolate.
[Strobing] “This reception for us when I arrived at the railroad station this morning knocked me back on my heels. I couldn’t say anything, and I still can’t. Will take a week to get accustomed to it.
“Anything American is enough to stir your marrow. It’s all unreal. I never thought I’d reach Yokohama or Tokyo and find Americans in control like this. These boys are unbelievable.”
[Narrator] He also had another personal message to his mother:
[Strobing] “Tell her I am coming home. Tell her I am just as fit as when I left and much happier.”
[Narrator] That message was delivered, and not long after his mother Minnie also received a post-liberation photo of her son.
I found a newspaper article with a beautiful picture of Minnie holding that post-liberation photo of Irving. I posted it on the podcast website and Facebook page.

After the War & Legacy
[Narrator] Before returning to Brooklyn, Strobing first spent time recuperating at a US hospital. Here’s Stephanie again:
[Stephanie] “During the war, people back home raised money for ambulances for the Red Cross. My mother's family all pitched in and they were able to purchase an ambulance. So here's what he said: Following the surrender at Corregidor and 37 months is a POW, I returned to the US and was the patient had Halloran General Hospital for medical processing before going home on RnR.
“Transportation around the hospital grounds was provided by the converted Red Cross ambulances. I rode the shuttle down to the PX one day, as I stepped down to the sidewalk, I turned patted the van and remarked to the driver, “Please take good care of this one. It means a lot to me.” As the driver nodded and drove off, I could imagine her thinking that there went another sad case of combat fatigue. What she didn't understand, of course, was my special relationship with the lettering on the side of the van: Donated in honor of Sgt. Irving Strobing.
“He could have said, Hey, this is my van. Or did you notice my name? He just said, take good care of it. It means a lot to me.”

[Narrator] Strobing arrived home in Brooklyn by early October 1945, and it was a reception he wasn’t necessarily expecting. First, his father had died 9 months earlier, so that would have likely been difficult to come home to. Second, Strobing was a national hero – but he didn’t know it. A newspaper reporter in Yokohama reported:
[Newspaper] “Because his radio appeal was never mentioned [in his mother’s letters], he never knew until I told him whether it was ever received.”
[Narrator] Imagine him spending 3 years in horrid work camp conditions, only to immediately learn upon release that he’s famous – almost a household name -- for that broadcast message. Newspapers across the country, and especially in New York, touted the news of Strobing’s liberation and arrival home.
Thus, the young soldier returned to much fanfare and excitement in New York. Within weeks of arriving home, October 15, 1945, was proclaimed Strobing Day in Brooklyn. He used the speaking opportunity to raise awareness for a proposed memorial for his buddies who didn’t come home. Strobing was dubbed “the Voice of Bataan” and appeared with Gen. Jonathan Wainwright at a Victory Loan Drive.
The publicity and welcome were uncomfortable to Strobing, who his niece described to me as not boastful or attention seeking.
About 4 months after returning home, Strobing met Sgt Arnold Lappert, the radio operator who had received Strobing’s message in Hawaii. Do you recall the chocolate soda line from Strobing message:
[Broadcast] “They are not near yet. We are waiting for God only knows what. How about a chocolate soda.”
Well, in January 1946, Irving Strobing and Arnold Lappert got that chocolate soda. It was part of a news conference arranged by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States. The two soldiers shared 1 soda with two straws. To me, Strobing looks slightly annoyed in the photo, but maybe it’s just the angle or the odd posture and awkwardness of having to sip from a straw near a stranger’s face -- while being photographed for a newspaper.
The photo appeared in the Brooklyn newspaper, which also stated that the photo shoot,
[Newspaper] “was a prelude to their re-enacting their wartime roles at a Madison Square Garden pageant telling of the contributions American Jews had made in all the nation’s wars.”
[Narrator] Irving Strobing re-enlisted in the US Army in January 1946, and planned to make the military his long-term career. Here’s niece Stephanie:
[Stephanie] “He worked in military intelligence. And was sent to Paris and worked out of the U S embassy in Paris for a couple of years.
“He said, during 1948, I was stationed in Arlington, Virginia. The station commander was Lieutenant Colonel Barrows who, like myself, had served in The Philippines prior to World War Two. We had both spent more than three years as POWs.
“I met Lieutenant Colonel burrows on my way to my office one day and we exchanged, salutes as required. After I had gone just a few paces, I heard Lieutenant Colonel Burrows call my name. When I turned, he remarked that I was not wearing ribbons on my jacket. And he thought it would be more appropriate if I did.
“I of course responded with, yes, sir.
“The next time I met Lieutenant Colonel Burrows, he again stopped me and said: I remember suggesting that you wear your ribbons. My reply was: Sir, I'm wearing the one that means the most. Pinned to my jacket was the World War II Victory ribbon.
“And then he was going to be sent to Iraq. Again, with army intelligence. And he came down with tuberculosis, of which they attribute to his state in the prison camps for all those months. He had to go out to Denver for a while to a VA hospital out there. And then after that he was sent to Tupper Lake Veterans' hospital in upstate New York.
[Narrator] Due to the disease, Strobing was discharged from service in May 1949.
Irving was unable to work for a couple of years, but by April 1951, the disease had abated and he planned to go get a job or go back to college – unless the Army would consider letting him back in.
Sadly, that didn’t happen, but he went on to have a successful career, first at the Federal Aviation Agency in New York.
[Stephanie] “He worked at Kennedy airport (it was Idlewild at the time) as someone who interpreted the weather for the pilots. So he was not an air traffic controller, but worked with them and the pilots as far as the weather. He also did that in Paducah, Kentucky.”
[Narrator] He also spent time working for the Department of Agriculture in New Jersey.
And despite the tuberculosis – the result of his years in POW camps – derailing his hoped-for career, Irving seemed not to have negative feelings toward his Japanese captors:
[Stephanie] “Over the years, I said to him, How do you feel about it? He said, you know, the longer I live, the lesser percentage of my life it is. So I think he made his peace with it, with having been a POW. He bought a Toyota car. So, no animosity there.”

[Narrator] After retiring in 1980, Irving moved to North Carolina.
[Stephanie] “He went there because he liked the area. It was a little bit rural. He got really involved with the radio club there, just got in with a really nice group of people.
“Once they found out his history, for their 4th of July parade, they wanted him to ride in a convertible. And if you ever knew my uncle, he was not … I won't say shy, but he never was boastful. Never. If you met him, you could know him for years and never know his story.
“But they really wanted him to do it. And he did. Because it was important to them.
“And that's another part of who he was. Putting his feelings aside to do something that would mean a lot to other people.”

[Narrator] 77-year-old Irving Strobing passed away of pancreatic cancer on July 8, 1997.
[Stephanie] “We knew that he wanted to be buried in Arlington. They were limiting burials then because it's getting very crowded. But he qualified for burial there. We had a visitation in North Carolina with him, for his friends. The funeral director pulled me aside and he said, I know you're flying back and you have to fly through Atlanta. And your uncle will be on your flight. I wanted to let you know. Because it might bother you and we can make other arrangements. And I said, Nope, he was always fun to travel with and I'll be happy to travel with him one last time.”
[Narrator] Today, Irving Strobing rests in Arlington National Cemetery.
And I think it’s only appropriate to let Stephanie’s words conclude the life story of her Uncle:
[Stephanie] “I never really thought of him as a war hero when I was growing up. I just knew he was my favorite uncle. He was smart. He was witty. He was caring. And he didn't harbor animosity at the Japanese government. I mean, he said it's war. That's what you do in war. When we started talking about it, he was 20 years away from it. But that's who he was. He really didn't hold grudges. And he had a sense of fairness that informs me.

[Narrator] Back on May 6, 1942, when Irving Strobing was tapping out those last telegraph messages, a group of American sailors were in a small boat out on Manila Bay – and decided to try to escape the Philippine Islands and make their way to Australia. And guess what? They made it.
So be sure to hit the follow button because there will be more on that in 2 weeks.
This is Left Behind.

Outro
Thanks for listening! You can find pictures, maps, and sources about Irving Strobing’s story on the Left Behind Facebook page and website and on Instagram @leftbehindpodcast. The links are in the show description.
If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe so you’ll know when I drop a new episode and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts.
Left Behind is researched, written, and produced by me, Anastasia Harman.
- Voice overs by: Paul Sutherland and Tyler Harman
- Special thanks to: Stephanie Wolkin for her time and for sharing about her Uncle Irving.
And remember to subscribe to left behind because you won't want to miss the daring, impossible escape of the men of the USS Quail.

Sources
“Brooklyn Boy Sent Last Message from Corregidor,” 01 Jun 1942, page 122, Daily News, New York, New York, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 24 January 2024.
“Gen. Wainwright to Open Victory Loan,” 22 Oct 1945, page 4, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 25 January 2024.
“Hero of Corregidor Asks War Memorial,” 11 Oct 1945, page 776, Daily News, New York, New York, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 24 January 2024.
“His Last Message from Corregidor Stirred U.S. 8 Years Ago,” 06 May 1950, page 2, Buffalo Courier Express, Buffalo, New York, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 24 January 2024.
“HST Right in Row, Say Corregidor Vet,” 17 Apr 1951, Page 3, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 29 January 2024.
I Kaufman, “Sends Mom First Word Since “Rock” Radio Plea,” 10 Sep 1945, Page 1, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 29 January 2024.
Irving Strobing entry, “U.S., World War II Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2010, original data: National Archives and Records Administration, World War II Prisoners of the Japanese File, 2007 Update, 1941-1945. ARC ID: 212383, World War II Prisoners of the Japanese Data Files, 4/2005 - 10/2007, ARC ID: 731002, Records of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Collection ADBC, ARC: 718969, National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing entry, “US, World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2005, original data: National Archives and Records Administration, Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database], ARC: 1263923, “World War II Army Enlistment Records,” Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64, National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland, accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing entry, “U.S., World War II American and Allied Prisoners of War, 1941-1946,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2005, original data: World War II Prisoners of War Data File [Archival Database], Records of World War II Prisoners of War, 1942-1947, Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, Record Group 389, National Archives at College Park, College Park, Md., accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing entry, “U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca. 17725-2019,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2006, original data: National Cemetery Administration, Nationwide Gravesite Locator, accessed 22 January 2024;
Irving Strobing entry, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2015, original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007, accessed 22 January 2024;
Irving Strobing, “New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965,” database online: Ancestry.com, Lehi, Utah, 2017, original data: New York City Department of Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com, Digital Images, accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing entry, “U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2011, original data: Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing, Sausalito, Marin, California, “1940 United States Federal Census,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2012, Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940, T627, 4,643 roll, accessed 23 January 2024.
Irving Strobing Obituary, from the New York Times, Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/25/nyregion/irving-strobing-77-a-hero-on-corregidor-dies.html, transcript online at Irving Strobing (1920-1997) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing Obituary, from the New York Times, Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/25/nyregion/irving-strobing-77-a-hero-on-corregidor-dies.html, transcript online at Irving Strobing (1920-1997) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed 22 January 2024.
Irving Strobing, 8 July 1997, “North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2007, original data: North Carolina Deaths, 1997-2004. North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. North Carolina Death Records, 1968-1996. North Carolina Vital Records, Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolin a Archives and Records Section. North Carolina County Records, 1908-1967. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina, accessed 22 January 2024.
“It’s Gooood News Tonight!” 26 Sep 1945, page 452, Daily News, New York, New York, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 25 January 2024.
Louis Morton, “Chapter 32: The End of Resistance,” The War in the Pacific: The Fall of The Philippines, (Washington, DC: Center for Military History, 1953), found online at https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/5-2/5-2_29.htm, accessed 2 June 1942.
Minnie Strobing family, New York, Kings, New York, ”1950 United States Federal Census,” database online, Ancestry.com, Lehi, Utah, 2022, original data: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950, Washington, DC: National Archives, Washington, DC., Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, Record Group 29, accessed 23 January 2024.
“Recalls Last War Message,” 06 Jul 1950, page 7, Pike County Dispatch, Milford, Pennsylvania, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 25 January 2024.
Richard Goldstein, “Arnold Lappert, 86, Who Heard Corregidor Fall, Is Dead,” The New York Times (nytimes.com), 7 June 2007, accessed 26 January 2024.
Sam Strobing family, Assembly District 22, Brooklyn, Kings, “New York, U.S., State Census, 1925,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2012, original data: State population census schedules, 1925, Albany, New York: New York State Archives, accessed 22 January 2024.
Samuel Strobing family, Brooklyn (Districts 501-750), Kings, New York, “1930 US Federal Census Records,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2002, original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930, T626, 2,667 rolls, accessed 23 January 2024.
Samuel Strobing obituary, 08 Jan 1945, Page 4, The Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 22 January 2024.
“Strobing Gets His Soda,” 12 Jan 1946, page 25, Daily News, New York, New York, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 25 January 2024.
“Valiant Years Shows Earl Jap Victories,” 18 Feb 1961, Page 12, The Oneonta Star, Oneonta, New York, online at Newspapers.com, accessed 29 January 2024.