Talk:Wendell Fertig

Bernay citation
The Bernay citation used several times in the article is no longer there. However, when I wrote the text it was, so please leave it in place.Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 01:10, 18 August 2010 (UTC)

Boy meets hero
In addition to being a great hero to the Filipino people and to Americans trapped by the Japanese on Mindanao, Colonel Fertig was a gentleman. He was a kind man who, long after the end of the War, treated those he met with dignity and respect.

In 1965 my family moved to the Philippines and while we were residents of the Manila Hotel we met Col. Fertig. My father and I fell into the habit joining Col. Fertig in the hotel dining room for breakfast on a regular basis, and the Colonel always invited me--a seven year old kid--to sit next to him. He laughed when I ordered oatmeal and said, "You're a smart boy, son. Eat your oatmeal--it will stick to your ribs and make you strong." During those breakfasts and on visits in our home over the next couple of years Col.Fertig related the story of his struggle in World War II. When the Colonel was talking I never wanted to be any where other than next to him so I could hear every word. There was never a hint of self aggrandizement or arrogance, only modesty and great respect for the brave Americans and Filipinos who fought alongside him.

As a Naval Officer years later I thought of Col. Fertig each time I put on my uniform and sought to carry myself with the same honor and dignity that I'd seen in the Colonel years before. And, yes, I still eat my oatmeal.

Work needed
I cleaned up this article as best as I could, but there is still a LOT that could be improved. Notably, sources need to be added, and from what I can tell, it probably needs a dose of NPOV as well - some sites I found did not agree with Fertig's methods, but that is not mentioned. It could also use better chronological organization. I think it's an article with a lot of potential if some WWII experts spent some time on it. -Big Smooth 22:54, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

Birthdate correction
I am the eldest granddaughter of this true American hero.


 * Then you may know that "fertig" in German means "ready," & ready he was. BubbleDine (talk) 19:54, 26 August 2012 (UTC)

They Fought Alone
I read American Guerrilla in the Philippines which is about Ensign Richardson's struggle on Cebu and his fight against the Japanese. A movie of the same name, which I have seen, starred Tyrone Power, with many facts altered. As a result of reading the book, I looked up Fertig on WP. When I saw the book They Fought Alone mentioned, I seemed to remember reading it also. Yep, I had a 1965 paperback copy that I hadn't read in over 30 years. I will use material from the book to enhance the WP page on Fertig. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 16:17, 15 August 2009 (UTC)


 * In the Preface to the book, Keats states that his discussion of the events with Colonel Fertig covered hundreds of hours of interviews. Keats and Fertig also journeyed together to the Philippines to revisit the area where "Brigadier General" Fertig campaigned and to speak to many of the Filipino guerrillas who fought under his command. Keats states in the book that the spoken dialogue was related to him by Colonel Fertig, and that the only words "made up" for the book were a supposed conversation between Japanese officers at a Japanese command headquarters. So, any quotes on the Fertig WP page will be based on Keats interviews with Colonel Fertig. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 16:55, 26 August 2009 (UTC)


 * finding other sources for Fertig's experiences is difficult. Searching the Web usually leads right back to the book They Fought Alone or personal pages (blogs and the like) that reference the book. However, I accessed a U.S. Army unclassified report on American Resistance in the Philippines. The report is over 250 pages long. I will be using this report for further citations to support the information I have been adding from They Fought Alone. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 15:08, 28 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I started reading the 272 page M.S. thesis from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (which is the "report" mentioned immediately above), and used some of it to pin point some important dates in Fertig's activities. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 20:55, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * IMAGES - I identified three images of Colonel Fertig on the Web. One shows him posing with a bolo and his book in his later years. Another shows him after the war ('50s '60s?) in full uniform. A third shows him wearing a woven hat often seen in the countryside of Southeast Asia and the southwestern Pacific islands (Where I also spent a lot of time thanks to Uncle Sam.) and may be from the war years. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 20:54, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Lead
Hi, the article lacks a lead that properly summarizes the article. The lead is the most important thing in an article as it is something everyone reads from it (sometimes the only thing). Please check out WP:LEAD and expand it. Regards Hekerui (talk) 08:18, 11 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I guess I never really even thought about the purpose of the Lead section. I just spent some time creating one that I hope meets that purpose. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 16:16, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

Military experience
Excellent article. However, I don't think you should describe him as having little or no military training without more research. Early in the article you mention taking classes in college, so he probably did something with the Army to maintain that reserve commission & started as a Captain so its illogical to me he learned nothing military prior to the guerrilla campaign. A lot of officers in World War II had 6 months or less of military training and that was kind of normal at the time and quite a few biographies about these officers say the same thing about them not knowing anything, must be a way to sell books. Anyways, something to ponder for your A/FA reviews.

Once you add that infobox you are good to go for B.Kirk (talk) 19:50, 16 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the advice. I checked the article to see where the "military training" phrase was. I finally found a sentence that stated, "All this was done despite Fertig having no formal military training." I don't remember adding that, and when you look at where it was in the article, it didn't make any sense. I suspect that it was added over the month or so while I was editing the article, and I didn't catch it as someone else (or I) must have made another edit afterward and therefore it didn't show up on my watchlist when I checked. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 00:54, 17 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Added the info box. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 00:12, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Image permission
I read all the help files about uploading the images and selecting permission, but I guess I just didn't get it as I was told that the permission was not properly filled out. I appreciate the notices I was given and the help offered by Joe Daly. I once again sent the e-mail I received from the owner of the image to the address given online. I told Joe I was confused by the procedure. It looks like someone (Joe?) went in and added the permission. Thanks. There was a previous comment that the image was tinged with green and therefore of poor quality. I learned today how to eliminate this and just uploaded a new copy without the green tint. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 02:06, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Evacuation
Fertig's family had to have been evacuated before January 1942 because by that time the Philippines were completely cut off. Military dependents were evacuated in the summer of 1941.


 * Probably so, which is why I included text on an earlier date. However, I took the January 1942 date from an interview with Fertig's daughter posted on a Web site that is apparently no longer there. I did a search for "The Tribble Time" and was unable to find it. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 17:00, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

Also, if you want to be truly objective, you need to mention that Fertig was not seen in a favorable light by other military personnel who were serving as guerrillas, and particularly not by the ten Americans who escaped from the POW camp at Davao. Fertig deliberately prevented their evacuation to Australia and when they left, he sent messages advising that they were "stir-crazy" and not to be believed. The POWs and Navy commander Chick Parsons, who had been sent to Mindanao on personal orders from MacArthur to evaluate the guerrillas, despised him. John Lucaks's recent book Escape from Davao gives an accurate description of how the POWs and Parsons felt about him. SamMcGowan (talk) 15:54, 20 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Yet there are many others, including thousands of Filipinos, who felt that he was an effective, popular leader. I have read a number of books about American and British soldiers who became guerrilla fighters for a time or for the rest of the war. A number of them felt that they should rejoin the formal military units and not serve as guerrillas. As a result, they did not like having to stay behind and serve as military leaders to the inexperienced guerrillas. Some were rather upset at being kept in the Philippines. (For an example, see Jock Mclaren.) Fertig needed experienced military personnel for this purpose. As the guerrillas gained experienced, more Filipinos emerged as leaders and Fertig was able to let some Americans and British go to Australia on submarines. Others understood that that they were having a more significant effect on the war staying and leading guerrilla bands. My personal communication with Peter Parsons, Chick's son, disclosed that Fertig was not Chick Parsons' favorite guerrilla leader, although Peter was mature enough not to make an issue of it. The Douglas MacArthur Web site has nothing good to say about Fertig, but my many readings about MacArthur disclose that Doug wasn't happy with anyone stealing his thunder. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 17:00, 21 July 2010 (UTC)


 * As I redo all the citations, I will include text stating that some military personnel were not happy with Fertig, giving as one reason that many of them wanted to return to Allied lines so they could rejoin regular forces, whereas Fertig wanted them to stay on as guerrilla leaders. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 01:18, 18 August 2010 (UTC)

"Tai Tai" nickname
I just want to point out that the word "tai" in Mindanao means feces. I believe that this is "Tatay" and not "Tai tai". "Tatay" means "father", it could also mean "grandfather" or "old man". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.55.62.2 (talk) 06:46, 2 August 2010 (UTC)


 * I got the "Tai Tai" from the book "They Fought Alone". If you are correct, and I am not saying you aren't, then the American author may have heard "Tatay" as "Tai Tai." I looked up "Tatay" on the web and I found "tatay, itay, - lower classes of society or those in the province". I'll make the change. Thanks. Thomas R. Fasulo (talk) 23:33, 2 August 2010 (UTC)