Winfield S . Cunningham Winfield Scott Cunningham ( February 16 , 1900 – March 3 , 1986 ) was the Officer in Charge , Naval Activities , Wake Island when the tiny island was attacked by the Japanese on December 8 , 1941 . Cunningham commanded the defense of the island against the massive Japanese attack . After 15 days , the island was surrendered to the Japanese . Cunningham was taken prisoner and held as a POW in Japan . He was awarded the Navy Cross for his leadership at Wake Island . Biography . Winfield Cunningham was born on February 16 , 1900 in Rockbridge , Wisconsin . He was the son of Frederick Michael and Ruth Ella ( Moore ) Cunningham . Cunningham attended high school at Camp Douglas . In 1916 , at the age of 16 and after completing his junior year in high school , he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy . Because of World War I , his Class of 1920 was graduated early – on June 6 , 1919 . Cunningham was commissioned an ensign and his first assignment was on the naval transport , which brought troops home from France . He would then spend the next two years on ships off the coast of Turkey . In January 1922 , aboard the , he sailed for China where he would spend the next year and a half . Returning to the U . S . , on May 3 , 1923 , he was promoted to lieutenant ( jg ) , with his promotion backdated to June 7 , 1922 . While serving in China , Cunningham applied to enter aviation training . Though turned down in this first request , he put in requests several times and was finally accepted in 1924 . On February 14 , 1925 , he reported as a student naval aviator to Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida . While in training he was promoted to lieutenant on June 7 , 1925 , and was designated a naval aviator on September 11 , 1925 , becoming an aviator qualified in both fighters and flying boats . Wake Island . On November 28 , 1941 , Cunningham , by now a commander , reported for duty as Officer in Charge , All Naval Activities , Wake Island . His command briefing gave top priority to completing the naval air station , over any attention to improving the island ' s defenses . On December 8 , 1941 , news of the attack on Pearl Harbor reached Wake Island at 07 : 00 , less than 2 - 1 / 2 hours after the Japanese struck . Cunningham ordered all personnel to battle stations ; at the same time Major James Devereux , commanding officer of the Wake Detachment of the 1st Marine Defense Battalion , ordered a " Call to Arms " . Cunningham recalled the " Philippine Clipper " ( Martin 130 flying boat ) and set in motion plans for a scouting patrol . It was to take off at 13 : 00 . However , a bombing attack by the Japanese began at 1157 . The bombing continued for days . On December 11 , Japanese warships approached the Island . CDR Cunningham ordered the Marine commander , Major Devereux , to hold their fire until the ships were in easy range . The small U . S . force on the island repulsed the initial landing attempt , but they were in serious need of additional supplies and support – including gunsights , spare parts and fire - control radar – which Cunningham requested from the Commandant , 14th Naval District . But no reinforcements were to come . Wake remained under attack by the Japanese . After 15 days , with Japanese marines finally swarming over the island , on December 23 , 1941 , CDR Cunningham finally gave the order for surrender . Cunningham , along with surviving personnel and contractors , were taken captive . Prisoner of War . Cunningham and his fellow prisoners were taken aboard the Japanese transport " Nitta Maru " to Shanghai , China by way of Yokohama , Japan . Treatment was harsh – five POWs were executed on board , and some of the imprisoned contractors left on Wake were later executed . Twice during his captivity , Cunningham attempted to escape and was later recaptured by the Japanese . During his captivity , he lost over 70 pounds . On August 18 , 1945 , after 1330 days of confinement , the Japanese prison commander announced the end of the war . On August 24 , 1945 , Cunningham left China aboard a U . S . Army aircraft . He finally arrived in the U . S . on September 4 , 1945 , the same day Wake Island was formally surrendered by the Japanese . Return to the U . S . . On September 10 , 1945 , Cunningham underwent a complete physical examination at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda , Maryland . He was found fit to return to duty . On December 4 , 1945 , he received notice of his promotion to captain , effective June 20 , 1942 . In January 1946 , he began a period of retraining , beginning with refresher aviation training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola , Florida . In May 1946 , Captain Cunningham returned to sea duty as the commanding officer of the . Cunningham ' s final duty was as Commanding Officer , Naval Technical Training Center , Memphis , Tennessee from June 23 , 1947 until his retirement on June 30 , 1950 at the rank of rear admiral . Retirement . After retirement , Rear Admiral Cunningham lived in Memphis , Tennessee . He wrote a book , " Wake Island Command " ( 1961 ) , about the historic battle . He died on March 3 , 1986 at age 86 and was buried in the Memphis National Cemetery .