<p>
<em>Clyde Andrew Selleck</em> was born on July 29, 1888 and died on January 9, 1973. His 84 years of life included service in both world wars, 37 years of active duty, and an experience late in his career that is among the most harrowing an Army officer could imagine.</p>
<p>
He was the son of Andrew and Jennie Selleck and grew up on a farm in Vermont. His father died when he was quite young, making his childhood challenging.</p>
<p>
Clyde arrived at West Point in July 1906 after a year at Norwich. He was a guard on the Army Football Team and was elected president of the Class of 1910. He returned to West Point as an assistant football coach prior to World War I.</p>
<p>
He served in Europe in the horse-drawn Field Artillery and as a staff officer for General John J. Pershing, Class of 1886, during World War I.</p>
<p>
He married Gertrude Troth, a nurse, in 1923 at Governors Island, NY, and they had three children: Mary Jane, Jo Anne, and Clyde Jr.</p>
<p>
In late October 1941, Clyde arrived in the Philippines and took command of the 71st Philippine Army Division. He discovered to his horror the remarkable lack of combat readiness of his division. Only five weeks later, Japan attacked U.S. forces throughout the Pacific, and the invasion of the Philippines was underway.</p>
<p>
By early 1942, Douglas MacArthur ordered the retreat of all U.S. and Philippine forces to the Bataan Peninsula, as he set up his command on the island of Corregidor. On January 6, Clyde commanded U.S. forces in the first battle pitting U.S. and Japanese ground forces against each other during World War II. The defense of Bataan began at Layac Junction, delaying but ultimately failing to stop the better trained Japanese force.</p>
<p>
In April 1942, Clyde was among the 70,000 Americans and Filipinos captured in the largest surrender in U.S. military history. The ensuing Bataan Death March and imprisonment of the survivors is well documented as brutal and vicious. Clyde was one of the oldest survivors of this horrific episode, enduring a journey from the Philippines to Taiwan to Japan and finally to a prison camp in Manchuria, where the Japanese detained senior Allied officers.</p>
<p>
Just days following liberation from three and a half years of captivity, he wrote to his family:</p>
<p>
<em>Mukden, 23 August 1945</em></p>
<p>
<em>Dear Mother and All:</em></p>
<p>
<em>Just a line from a very happy ex-prisoner of war to tell you that I am well and hoping that in a few days we will start for home.</em></p>
<p>
<em>We got word of the armistice on the 17th—were told by the Russians that we were free and such a cheer as went up! Later we saw the Japanese guards parade, put down their arms and march off to the guard house under our men using their rifles. It was a long awaited occasion. We have had little information as to outside happenings, nothing but newspapers smuggled in by outside workers translated from Japanese. That enabled us to learn of Germany’s fall and the wonderful actions of our troops out there, finally Russian entry and then we knew it wouldn't be long.</em></p>
<p>
<em>It’s a great thing to be free, if you don’t believe me just go through what we have since April 1942. It’s great also to be an American; it’s the greatest country in the world. Don’t we sing God Bless America with vim?</em></p>
<p>
<em>By thoroughly beating Japan, America has performed a great service to the world. We know them to be brutal people, hated by all in the occupied countries—Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Manchurians. Of course they have some virtues, frugality, work hard, and make good soldiers but not good neighbors. I believe that under the terms which will be made known, they will never be a menace again.</em></p>
<p>
<em>Have had very little mail, except in the last few days I got a letter written in March 1945. How wonderful it was to get a letter—even a short one—and know that all was well, and that everyone was so kind to my family.</em></p>
<p>
<em>Have thought of you millions of times and can hardly wait to get started home.</em></p>
<p>
<em>Heaps of love,</em></p>
<p>
<em>Clyde</em></p>
<p>
He returned home a few weeks later and was hospitalized for many months as he slowly regained his health. He retired from the Army in early 1947. He lived the remainder of his life in the Washington, DC area, remaining in close contact with many with whom he served in the Pacific Theater. The survivors of Bataan were a tight-knit group who shared a close comradery but who rarely spoke publicly about their terrible ordeal.</p>
<p>
Clyde started a family tradition of military service, as he was followed at West Point by his son (Clyde A. Selleck Jr, USMA 1952), his grandson (Clyde A. Selleck III, USMA 1977), and his great-grandson (Christopher A. Selleck, USMA 2007). When seeing his son off to combat service in Korea, he famously counseled him, “Don’t get captured!”</p>
<p>
Clyde Andrew Selleck served his nation during World War II under the most difficult of circumstances, reminding us of the strategic and human cost of failing to adequately prepare for the next war.</p>
<p align="left">
<em>— Clyde A. Selleck III ’77, grandson</em></p>