June 2010 - Philippine Defenders Main

Volume 66 Wellsburg, West Virginia - June 2010 Number 1
Inside
Inside
This
This
Issue
Issue
The Descendants Group of the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor
All Agree: 2010 Reunion/Convention Big Success
PNC Harold Bergbower was
Master of Ceremonies par
excellance.
Kris Dahlstrom kept things
computerized and organized with
a smile.
NEXT REUNION -
June 21-26, 2011 - information
will be published
in an upcoming
Quan.
Above, members of the Board of Directors, elected in Reno in May, are (Left - Right): Kristin Dahlstrom,
Linda McDavitt, Jim Erickson, Jan Thompson, Judy Pruitt, Nancy Kragh, Caroline Burkhart.
Picture by Marydee Donnan
Attendance Great in Reno
The welcome mat was out in Reno and the Grand Sierra staff was
waiting with a smile as the 2010 ADBC/DG Reunion/ Convention got
under way May 7. A packed agenda kept those in attendance busy
with a smorgasbord of fascinating and informative activities.
The Descendants Group demonstrated its ability to put on a great
reunion/convention from quick and efficient registration to the final
festivities at the Saturday night banquet.
Plans are already under way for the 2011 gathering at the Pittsburgh
Airport Marriott. One item already on the agenda will be a visit
to the ADBC museum in nearby Wellsburg, WV.
Invitation to Japan Received - Page 2
President’s Message - Page 3
Museum News - Page 19
Reunion Photos, Reports - Page 2, 10, 11
DG Application Form - Page 8
Books Available - Page 9
Reunion Attendees List - Page 12, 13
PNC Everett Reamer, dapper in
his jogging suit at the Quan
Party.
June 21-26, 2011
Pittsburgh!

POWs and Descendants
Invitation is Extended for VIsitation Trip to Japan
From Dr. Lester Tenney, PNC
Dear friends,
I have been asked by the Japanese Embassy and members of the State Department, to
locate and invite 6 former POWs of the Japanese, (and a member of the DG) to be guests of
the Japanese Government this year for a visitation program to Japan.
As you are no doubt aware, we have been fighting for this recognition for many years,
and now the “The Peace, Remembrance, and Exchange Program for American POWs” has
been launched. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved funds for this year
to send seven former POWs (a member of the DG may be included) and their spouse or care
giver to Japan for eight days all expenses paid by the Japanese, including business class air
transportation to and from Japan. This equals fourteen people total. Past National Commander
Alexander and Jackfert have agreed to be a part of this year’s visitation program as
has Jan Thompson, DG President.
If, after you view the planned program, and you are willing and able to travel and are
interested in being considered a participant for this years visitation program. (If the program
this year proves successful it may continue for next year) please call me at 760-704-
1106 or write me at tenspot@lcglen.com as soon as possible.
The Anticipated Program:
Early part of September, for 8 days fully paid for by the Japanese Government, includes
round trip air (Business Class). All hotel and food items, and any other transportation. You
and a caregiver, spouse, family member or other helper is to be included. The program
includes, but not limited to, meeting the Press at the Foreign Correspondents Club in
Tokyo, meeting and welcome by the Japanese Diet, visit the Cemetery in Yokohama, visit
Museum in Kyoto, (all records of POWs captured by the Japanese), and in addition, a visit
to the city of your choice. That could be the location of your POW camp, or any other city
you choose.
All names submitted will be included in a random drawing for the open visitation spots.
Names not chosen will be placed on a wait list for the next visitation program or as a
replacement if one already chosen is unable to make the trip.
Sincerely,
Lester Tenney, Past National Commander ADBC
1963 Silverleaf Circle, Carlsbad, CA 92009-8407
The QUAN
Official publication of the
Descendants Group of
The The American American Defenders Defenders of
of
Bataan Bataan and and Corregidor
Corregidor
J.W. George Wallace
Editor, The Quan
319 Charles St.
Wellsburg, WV 26070-0591
Phone 304-737-0946
thequan@comcast.net
Page 2 - The Quan
‘My Buddy’
Life is a book that we study
Some of its leaves bring a sigh
There it was written by a buddy
That we must part, you and I
Nights are long since you went away
I think about you all through the day
My buddy, my buddy
Nobody quite so true
Miss your voice, the touch of your hand
Just long to know that you understand
My buddy, my buddy
Your buddy misses you
Miss your voice, the touch of your hand
Just long to know that you understand
My buddy, my buddy
Your buddy misses you
Your buddy misses you, yes I do
PNC Tenney Recovering
From Heart Surgery
PNC Lester Tenney underwent successful
heart surgery Wednesday, April 21, 2010,
in Scripps Green Hospital, San Diego County,
CA.
The minimally invasive procedure replaced
an aorrtic valve by way of entering
the artery between the ribs.
His doctors reported good success and
he was recovering as we went to press.
Cards and letters may be sent to him at
1963 Silverleaf Circle, Carlsbad, CA, 92009-
8407
A BIG
‘THANK-YOU’
One of the very first lessons we learn as
toddlers is to say “thank you” for a gift or
kindness. Where would we be without that
expression of gratitude?
The Descendants Group’s first standalone
convention went off without a hitch
and one area in which that was apparent
was during the registration process. Many
people worked together to achieve that
success and are acknowledged here.
Thank you to everyone and if your name
is missing, please accept the apology.
Carrie Collier
Linda Dahl
Lee Dahlstrom
Adrienne DuSell
Gail Ferrell
Debra Grunwald
Linda G. Holmes
Sara Leonard
Robert Hudson
John Lewis
Doug Northam
Hazel Northam
Patricia Northam
Gayle Ropp
Gloria Szczepanski
Rick Szczepanski
Glenda Sutton
Joe Vater, Jr.
John Whitehurst
Reminder for DG
Membership dues of $25 per year
per member are due the first of each
calendar year. If you are not paid for
the year, please send to:
Judy Pruitt
25 Windsor Road,
Brookline, MA 02445-2110

The Descendants
Group
of of the
the
American
American
Defenders Defenders of
of
Bataan Bataan Bataan &
&
Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor
Ms. Jan Thompson
President
3156 Myers Lane
Makanda, IL 62958-5200
janithompson@gmail.com
Jim Erickson
Vice President
1102 Santa Rita Ct
College Station, TX 77845-
6427
jwerickson@gmail.com
Davis Ferrell
Chaplain
515 Nursery St.
Nevada City, CA 95959-2329
xcpodave@sbcglobal.net
Ms. Nancy Kragh
Secretary
51 Windrose Dr
Ludlow, WA 98365
nkragh@hotmail.com
Mrs. Judy Pruitt
Treasurer
25 Windsor Road,
Brookline, MA 02445-2110
Cel: 617-851-4387
pruittja13@aol.com
Ms. Linda McDavitt
Board Member-Fund Raising
5201 McCormick Mtn
Austin, TX 78734-1815
bandboat@yahoo.com
James & Ruth Wright
Board Member-Fund Raising
118 Scenic Drive,
Madison, AL 35758-8785
jwwright@knology.net
Caroline Burkhart
Communications
2804 Elliott Street
Baltimore, MD 21224
carolineburkhart@yahoo.com
Descendants’ Group President’s Message
Dear Friends,
I am happy to report that the first annual Descendants Group
Convention in Reno was a success. Of 257 registered, we had 38
former POWs/Scouts attend.
Our convention’s theme was shaped by our mission statement:
education.
We had three separate POW Panels where 22 former-prisoners-of
war participated. These panels gave our warriors the opportunity to
share their experiences with our membership. Naturally, the rooms
were packed with our members eager to learn more.
Another very popular session was The Wives Tales. Twelve
former POW wives and widows shared their stories, giving us a
unique glimpse into being married to former prisoners-of-war. When
Moderator Linda McDavitt informed the packed room that “time
was up” you could hear a large disappointing groan as the audience
wanted more. Another highlight was the Ben Steele Art Exhibit where
we had over 25 of his Drawings and Oils of prisoner-of war- life.
These were quite moving and meaningful to all.
The Basic Research Seminar, written and presented by board
member Caroline Burkhart, was attended by almost 70 people who
were interested in improving their research skills. Using as an example
her search for a Manila woman who had food smuggled to her
father, Lt. Thomas F. Burkhart of the 45th Infantry ` PS), Caroline
showed how to analyze a document for leads that might not be
immediately apparent. There was a handout that suggested important
websites and books. At the end of the seminar Roger Mansell
was introduced to the group and he answered a few questions about
his work and his wonderful website.We were also successful in
getting media coverage in the local Reno newspaper. As a result, we
had several Reno residents attend the Saturday night banquet which
lasted a quick two hours.
We had many first timers and one wrote on their Orange Conven-
Board of Directors
tion Survey: “loved the opportunity
to interact with living history” it was
noted with three stars and a smiley
face. And I think that is what is special
about all of our conventions: it
gives everyone a chance to mingle
and learn more and be the in the presence
of those who really define The
Greatest Generation.
“Thank yous” are extended to:
Ralph and Kathy Levenberg for their
help in Reno; Gail Ferrell, graciously
accepted all packages and material
that were sent to Reno; Rick
Szczepanski and Robert Hudson for their assistance of the Memorial
Service; and Sarah Leonard who was our point person for hospital
emergency room visits.
All in all, every session was packed and received high praise on
the Orange Survey. This give us a clear signal of how to proceed at
our Pittsburgh Convention in 2011 and we will fine-tune these sessions.
But a major reason why the 2010 Reno Convention was successful
was because of those who attended, those who participated
and those who volunteered. This was a Convention for all of us.
For those who did not attend this year’s convention we missed you
and hope to see you at our 2011 Convention in Pittsburgh next year.
Jan Thompson
President
Descendants Group
Yours,
Jan
June 2010 - Page 3

Gracious Librarian Takes Time to
Salvage Precious Documents for ADBC
Can you imagine the excitement we felt to receive the following
email? Rather than discard the Quan and “Chit-Chat” issues, she
took the time to get them to us. They are an invaluable addition
and we are eternally grateful to the library and the thoughtful
librarian. (The newsletter "Chit-Chat," was edited by Ray N... O'Day
in Seattle) At right is a copy of the cover of what is the first or one
of the first issues of he Quan.
From: llassleb@library.berkeley.edu
To: TheQUAN@comcast.net
Cc: llassleb@library.berkeley.edu
Sent: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:55:46 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Offer to donate back copies of "The QUAN"
Dear Mr. Wallace--
Our library has recently been given a number of issues of "The
QUAN" dating from the late 1940's until the mid-2000's. This
publication is out of field by scope and subject for our collection.
I am writing to you in hopes of finding an appropriate archives or
other home for them. Perhaps your organization itself would like
to have these returned?
Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely yours,
Lauren Lassleben
Appraisal and Accessioning Archivist
The Bancroft Library U.C. Berkeley
66th Anniversary Leyte Landing
Day Tour to the Philippines
October 11 to 22, 2010 - From San Francisco to MANILA -
CORREGIDOR - BATAAN - LEYTE $3350.00 per person, twin
share
Ghost Soldiers of Bataan & Hellships
Memorial Tour to the Philippines
April 3 to 13, 2011 - From San Francisco - To MANILA -
CORREGIDOR - BA'fAAN -- SUBIC - CLARK - CABANATUAN
$3150.00 per person, twin share
Valor Tours, Ltd.
10 Liberty Ship Way Sausalito, Calif. 94965
Tele: 415-332-7850 Fax: 415-332-6971
CST #2075156-50
Call 1-800-842-4504 for descriptive brochures
We’ll Meet Again - words & music Ross Parker & Hughie Charles
We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Keep smiling through, just like you always do
Till the blue skies chase the dark clouds far away
Now, won’t you please say “Hello” to the folks that I know
Tell them it won’t be long
‘cause they’d be happy to know that when you saw me go
I was singing this song
We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day
Page 4- The Quan
The QUAN - 1948
First Issue? Above is a (reduced) copy of the cover of the hand
drawn and mimeographed Quan which was among those sent by the
UC Berkeley Library. Fund raising was a topic at the time as this
issue contained information on the sale of raffle tickets on a brand
new 1948 Plymouth to be awarded December 20, 1948. Tickets were 25
cents each and proceeds were to defray the cost to “back the passage
of the Japanese Claims Bill” and the $300 per month cost of
publishing the Quan. We don’t know who won the car.
Rosters, current and back issues of the
Quan, and biographies, a full first
person report on the reunion, and
thousands of other items of information,
research and data on the ADBC
Museum web site:
http://philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us/

Editor’s Notes.... By By George
George
Forgotten Heroes...... and the Future of the Quan
They called from the library where the Museum is located to tell
me I needed to talk to this lady who was very "upset."
When I called and asked for "Margie", she took off letting me
know she was highly offended that we were doing publicity on
local "heroes" at the Museum and leaving her grandfather out. "They
never mention his name!" she assrted, testily.
I asked if he had been a World War II POW; she said "yes".
"Our museum is for those on the Bataan Death March , hell ships
and prisoners of war in Japan".
"He was!"
When I asked where he lived, she answered "Winndsor Heights,
West Virginia."
I was increduluous. "Windsor Heights?"
"Yes. He's lived here for over 50 years."
To my great surprise, I realized we had a Bataan Death March
survivor within eight miles of the museum and didn't know it.
Alex Sabo who had been attached to the 803rd Engineers, Joe
Vater's outfit, had lived and worked in the area since being released
from the hospital a year after the war. He was drawing no compensation
or benefits and had little or no recollection of where he had
been.
We were able to get him to the museum and talk with him and on
Veterans Day he was honored along with a dozen other World War
Two veterans, including Abie Abaham.
Sadly, Alex was stricken with pneumonia early this year and never
fully recovered. The point of all this about Alex is to see the reality
that our cities and towns are full of heroes who are never acknowledged
and never thanked for their service. As a newspaperman, I
can't imagine not seeking out their fascinating stories.
The Chaplain’s Corner -
Dad turned 34 and I turned 5 while he was
fighting on Corregidor. Before he was shipped
to Shanghai he gave me three directives. I was
to take care of mom, pray at least twice a day,
and if I cussed I could not say anything but
“son of a gun” or “dog gone it.” I must admit
that there were times I when I did not do very
well on #3. I was also a little lax on #2. I was
sure I did a great job on #1.
At our reunion this year, dad’s advice on
prayer suddenly came to me during the Memorial Service. Sitting at
the head table I had a different view of those gathered. Among
other things, I could see Everett Reamer who I started praying for on
Thursday night when he told me he would be on dialysis the next
morning. Of course, he wound up in the hospital for a while. I began
praying again as I noticed him starting to have problems and especially
when I saw him arguing that he was OK. I was also praying for
Lester Tenney who was scheduled for surgery on the 15 th . On
Wednesday, I prayed with Rosie Christie who is having trouble
sleeping more than two hours at a time.
As Dett and I drove over Donner summit on our way back home
On another topic, many have asked what is
going to happen with the Quan; how long can
we publish.
As most of you know, in April 2009, the ADBC
was closed as an organization with the distribution
of $52,000 to assure continued publication
for three more years.
This is the fourth issue since then; we should Alex Sabo
be able to finance issues through the 2012 reunion/convention.
Many booksellers and others have inquired into advertising rates
and I am in the process of studying the possibility of supplementing
the cost of publication with advertising income.
Another step to be taken is to set a subscription rate which is
easily affordable by all since we do not want to reduce the number
of supporters and DG members. Anything we do will be non-profit.
A third cost cutting approach is to persuade as many as possible
to download the Quan from the musuem internet web site (possible
today for current and back issues). This can result in considerable
savings since mailing costs are almost more than printing.
I will make recommendations to the DG board of Directors at the
Pittsburgh reunion and any steps taken will be in conjunction with
the DG membership.
The musuem will continue to play a major role, and I expect to
groom someone to assist in editing the Quan with the potential for
taking over, if and when I decide to retire.
At this point I cannot imagine retiring.
Davis Ferrell
Sunday morning, dad seemed to be trying to
communicate with me again. It was like he
was saying to me, “Davy you need to be
more consistent about praying.” I am establishing
a prayer list for ADBC members,
wives, widows, and even descendants.
What I am asking of you is that if there is
someone you know I should be praying for,
please let me know and I will put them on the
list. You do not have to include why. I may
be curious, but God knows. You can email
me at xcpodave@sbcglobal.net. My promise to you, per dad’s instructions,
is that I will pray for you at least twice a day.
I am also the necrology chairman and I need you to help me in
ensuring that information on ADBC members who die is sent to the
Freedom Foundation. If you know of someone who has died please
send me the information. Do not assume that some else has sent it
in to me. I would rather get 10 different messages on the same person
than to miss one.
Dave+
June2010- Page5

Correspondence
Department of Defense Seeks to Identify Men Who Died in Cabanatuan
The Department of Defense is attempting to identify these
men who died in Cabanatuan through DNA. Each is buried in
a grave marked "Unknown". The DOD will exhume all the
graves. They are looking for relatives to get DNA. The DOD
Seeking Albert
I am trying to find information
on my father's experiences as a
defender of Bataan and POW.
His name was Philip Albert and
he was a Marine. Thank you.
Mark, Irvine, CA
ABBAOF5@aol.com
Wanted: POW
Memorabelia, Life Stories
The ADBC Museum in
Wellsburg is accepting POW
memorabilia including letters,
documents, maps and other
items for digitizing, archiving
and display.
The museum has the goal of
housing as many life stories of
POWs as possible. Books, oral
history recordings newspaper
clippings, obituaries memories
and manuscripts, both published
and unpublished accepted.
Copies will be accepted.
Physical items such as canteens,
uniforms, etc. also are
accepted for exhibits.
Send to:
ADBC Museum
945 Main St.,
Wellsburg, WV 26070
Page 6 - The Quan
Honor Flight
Aid Offered
HELP!! There are many
"Honor Flights" from our
area (Quad Cities, Rock Island,
IL & Davenport, IA)
taking WWII guys to the
monuments in Washington
DC. I would very much like
to accompany one of them
as a guardian; however, because
of a family relationship,
I would prefer to go
with a Veteran who survived
the Bataan march.
Can anyone in the Quan organization
identify a vet
from my area that would fall
into this category? I know
that your group would
have better records than
anyone else regarding the
vets in this category.
I am really looking forward
to your help in this
matter; thank you very
much.
Donald E. Cooksey
2606 W. 67th St.
Davenport, IA 52806-1528
(563) 391 2874
tick1@mediacombb.ne
wants to identify as many of the men as possible. These men all died on
the same date. If you are a relative of one of these men or if you know any
of their relatives, please respond to this e-mail. Attached is the roster of
names they are currently working on. (Federico Baldassarre.)
Seeking Info on
Donald P. Knisley
I am trying to find the remains of
my cousin, Donald P. Knisley. Taken
prisoner on Corregidor and moved to
Mukdon, Manchuria where he died (
11/23/42 ). The phone number to contact
per this website (PNC Andrew
Miller) is disconnected. Is there someone
else who can help? His POW #
was 874.
Thank you,
Bernadine Denenberg
bbdenenberg@comcast.net
Please Please Note:
Note:
Items for publication in
the
Quan may be sent to
Editor, the Quan, 319
Charles St,
Wellsburg, WV,
26070.
OR email to
thequan@comcast.net
Items May Be Edited
James Harvey
Info Wanted
Dear Editor,
I am seeking anyone who
knew my father, Sgt. James
Harvey, 2nd Battalion 60th AA,
captured at the fall of Corregidor
and survivor of the Bataan Death
March. He retired a Tech Sgt
from the USAF, and died in Massachusetts
in 1962. He was captured
along with ADBC PNC
James McEvoy (USN), and
George Garside (US Army), with
whom he became life-long friends
(both are now deceased). He was
eventually transported to Japan
on a “hell ship” and worked in a
coal mine (I don’t know which
one). My father NEVER spoke
of his experience, and as he
passed away before I was 12 I
never had the opportunity to ask
questions. Please print this in the
QUAN – hopefully, there will be
someone who knew him. Thank
you, and WE WILL NEVER
FORGET…Sincerely
Ramona Harvey Preston
Proud daughter of Tech Sgt
James J. Harvey, USAF, Dec.
Ramona.A.Preston@l-3com.com

Charles Morehead
Info is Sought
Sir,
I wondered if you could help
me find information regarding my
uncle. I know very little, as his
siblings are dead. I did not know
my dad, and he has been dead a
long time so I could not get the
information from him. All I know
of my uncle is what is on his
tombstone, Charles Morehead,
Pvt, 59 Coast Arty Gp. 11-2-1919,
to 3-30-1945 and what his sister
told me before she died. He was
captured by the Japanese and
she thought he may have been a
POW for a while, possibly
worked in a mine, and it may be
that injuries killed him. I don't
know if that part true or not. But
I would appreciate any help you
could give me.
Susan Reichert
901-853-4470
2400 Linkenholt Dr Collierville,Tn
38017 tnlms44@aol.com
Seeking Bilibid
Recipes Book
Dear Mr. Wallace,
I'm a French documentary
film-maker based in Paris and I
am trying to locate the original
manuscript of "Recipes out of
Bilibid" written by Halstead
Fowler during his time in this
prison as POW. I have tried all
the ways I could think of via the
publishing house, which is long
gone, library of Congres, etc., to
no result at this stage. I was advised
by Al Young (Al Young's
studios) to get in touch with you
as you might have hints or advice
regarding that quest. If you
can direct me to information regarding
where he was from,
where he went on after the war,
which army corp he belonged to
etc it would be of tremendous
help.
I thank you in advance for it.
Best regards,
Anne Georget
www.annegeorget.info
Please Help WIth Info on ‘U.D. Walker
Dear Mr. Wallace,
I am seeking help in locating anyone who served with my grandfather.
His name was Uzelle Derwood Walker, called "U.D." He was
a Staff Sgt. in the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 270767. He was captured
6 May 1942 on Corregidor with two bullet wounds at the time
of his capture. He hiked as a POW from Manila to Cabanatuan with
a broken leg and the bullet wounds He fell out of line and was
bayoneted, but still made it to Cabanatuan.
He was placed on a ship bound for Japan, and was interned in
Concentration/POW Camp #3, which I think was in Osaka; then
Nagoya #10. Upon his release, his leg was amputated due to nerve
paralysis.
After the war he married and had a son, born 10 October 1950
who was my dad. My father was diagnosed with a rare neurological
disorder called Parsonage Turner Syndrom from whch he died in
2006 at age 55.
I wanted to ask someone who served with my grandfather if his
nerve paralysis could have been due to a broken leg or other trauma
since this si a symptom of Parsonage Turner Syndrome. Since the
disease is hereditary, I want all the information I can get before I
consider having children. Before it's too late, I want to talk to the
men who served with him, in case they might remember him.
Will you please publish my request in The Quan? I would be so
grateful if you could help me this way. Here is my contact information:
Darcy Justine Baker (b. 20 Feb 1979)
Granddaughter of Uzelle Derwood (U.D.) Walker
1045 Nevada Street
Reno, NV 89503
775-622-1867 (Home) 775-850-6140 (Office) 775-544-2078 (Cellular)
MtnCity79@live.com (E-Mail)
Wants Info on Lt. William Snyder
Hello Mr. Wallace,
I am attempting to compile
information on my Great Uncle
Lt. William A. Snyder. He was
from Cairo, WV. He enlisted in
the U.S. Army/AirCorps in 1940.
He was captured and escaped
several times during the war. A
prisoner of war for 3 1/2 years, I
believe he was in Kokura when
the bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki and worked in the
Yawata Steel Mill and often as a
cook camps. Bill whittled a chess
set out of a rosebush branch. He
was in a Manilla prison camp.
He was in the Phillipines installing
radar on the island of Corregidor
when the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor and escaped
from the Baatan Death
Marchand rode one of the Hell
ships to Japan. He received a
red tag at Bilibid. I believe the
last time he was captured it was
with a Major Praeger. I think he
was transported to Fort
Santiago in a boxcar and was
also held in the Cabanatuan
camp in the Phillipines. He remained
with the Air Force for 22
years. He was stationed at
Victoria, TX; Spokane, WA, and
Portland, OR. His wife's name
was Phoebe. Uncle Bill was
born 4/4/1911 and passed away
at the home of his son, William
Snyder Jr., in Oregon City in
2003. If anyone has any additional
information or details on
his life I would appreciate you
contacting me. I would like to
record this information for future
family members. Thank you.
Melissa Nichols
minnienmouse2000@yahoo.com
304-684-2569
Seeking Pearsall
Family
Hello! I need some assistance
and hopefully you or someone
you may know can help me. Today
(April 10th 2010) my family
and I were driving through the
Chickamauga Battlefield and we
saw a 'junk store'...being ME...we
stopped! After buying random
things my husband noticed what
we think or called a 'foot locker.'
Its old and worn so that was
more reason for us to buy it!
And-it was only 15.00! On the
top of the wooden box was the
name J E PEARSALL CAPTAIN
USMC painted on top.
When we returned
home...immediately I 'googled'
the name. The name led me to
your website as being a POW. I
don't know if you are able to give
me any information or if I even
have the correct person but I
would be honored to return this
'box' to this person or a family
member (after conformation) or
research.
My brother serves in the
252nd MP out of Cleveland, TN
and is currently in Iraq. I know
that any belongings I have from
him, I hold dear.
Please help if possible!
Sincerely,
Brandi L. Roden
Broden@peopleshomeequity.com
Peoples Home Equity, Inc.
4704 Hixson Pike
Hixson, TN 37343
423-648-4585 (o)
423-400-6739 (c)
877-507-5382 (f)
June 2010 - Page 7

Father Phillips Expresses Concerns
Hello, all of you, I feel I must weigh in here about the words
"atrocity "and "apology" and their uses. I never expected an apology
at any level for the Japanese' atrocities in the Pacific war. There
was a pseudo-apology offered at the last ADBC convention, but I
know of nobody who took it seriously. Japan's real purposes of
even "talking the talk" is to keep alive in the minds of people the
notion that they were victims of the war.
By making "pseudo-apologies", they can pretend to be the good
guys in the white hats; they hope to make the U.S. into the bad guy
image. That's why they have rewritten their history of the period
1937-1945 for their schools.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not events; they are cities which
were offered up as sacrifices by Japanese leadership, who should
have thought through all the possible consequences of attacking
the U.S. forces in December1941. When they awakened the bear, the
rest was a logical outcome.
Let's look at the psychology of the PR campaign which has been
fought for many years: when you say "Hiroshima and Nagasaki
mayors are not denying the atrocities at all", you are playing right
into their PR/victim mentality game. If they can't deny the horror
(" every year in August, they mention and ask us to remember the
horror we created in Pacific stage. (they lose their post if they deny
it!" )) They should consider leaving their jobs since they are unable
to speak the truth. They are either a part of the problem or are being
used under duress of losing their jobs. Thus they have a moral
dilemma and have made their choice: keep their jobs rather that tell
the truth. We can see their choice.
There are several examples of Japan's seeking the high moral
ground by use of half truths; they want to be seen as victims so we
(U.S.A.) can be blamed for successfully bringing WW II to an end
with minimum loss of life.
Remember, too, that we didn't start it all; they did. And they lost
the war but won the peace big time, to everybody's benefit
As a POW from the Philippines I don't paint myself to be a victim
for being used as a slave labor; rather, I count my blessings that
Japan needed my services to pursue their own self-interests in the
Pacific. Otherwise I would have no market value for them and would
not have been taken prisoner at all. I have long since dealt with my
own emotions about Japanese atrocities. Is it too much to ask for
them to not fan those flames again, using their own warped version
of the events of the war?
There is so much more to say, but you get my drift, I hope.
In the Faith,
Fr. Robert W. Phillips, SSC
frphillips@sprintmail.com
PLEASE NOTE
Pins, decals, hats and other items for sale will no longer
be available from Jean Pruitt. They will be offered by the
ADBC Museum. Profit from sales will be divided betwen
the mueum and the Descendants Group. If there is
suficient demand, a line on similar items with the new DG
Logo will be offered.
Page 8 - The Quan
Our group is now official. We need your participation
to make this a viable organization. Please consider
joining today by completing this form and mailing in
with your dues.
Membership Form
the Descendants’ Group
an Auxiliary of the American Defenders
of Bataan & Corregidor
Please complete this form and submit to become a member of the Descendants’
Group
Name (Please print)__________________________________
Address ________________________________________
City ___ _______________State _____ Zip code _________
Telephone _______________________________________
eemail ____________________________________
POW/ Relative//Friend & Rank ________________________
Service Unit (if known)
______________________________________________
Do you want to be included on DG email list? Yes No
Annual dues: $25 (made payable to Descendants’ Group)
Send dues to: Judy Pruitt, 25 Windsor Road, Brookline, MA
02445-2110
Mark Your Calendar!
June 21-26, 2011 -
Pittsburgh Airport Marriott
History of of the Defenders of the Philippines, Guam and Wake
Islands, 1941-1945 - Volume II - By PNC Ed Jackfert.
Includes biographies of ADBC Veterans - Hard bound, 160 pages.
Published by Turner Publishing Co. - 1998.
Available from ADBC Museum, 945 Main St., Wellsburg, WV,
26070
Hardbound - $30.00; Leather bound - $45.00 - Add $7.50 S & H.
Judith Heisinger to Donate Books
In coordaination with the
purpose of the Descendant's
Group to foster the education
of the POW experience I will
do the following:- Any public
library, private or public
school who will request the
book, FATHER FOUND, Life
and Death as a Prisoner of
the Japanese in World War II
by Duane Heisinger (ISBN 1-
591604-98-2) shall be sent the
book free of charge by writing:
Judith Heisinger
7401 Bull Run Drive
Centreville, VA 20121

“Caged Dragons: An American
Pow in W.W. II Japan” (Hardcover)
by Robert E. Haney (Author)
Foreword By Sen. John
McCain Published by Sabre
Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Available at Amazon and other
booksellers.
“Escape From Davao: The
Forgotten Story of the Most
Daring Prison Break of the Pacific
War” - By John D. Lukacs.
Published by Simon & Schuster,
448 pages/10 pages of b/w photos.
Called "the greatest story
of the Pacific war" by the War
Dept. in 1944, little-known, yet
true tale of the only large group
of American POWs to escape
from the Japanese and their fight
to tell the world of the horrors of
the Bataan Death March and
other atrocities committed
against the defenders of the Philippines.
Available on
A m a z o n . c o m ,
Simonandschuster.com and at all
booksellers. See
www.johndlukacs.com for unpublished
photos, videos and
more information.
“Father Found, Life and Death
as a prisoner of the Japanese in
World War II” - by Duane
Heisinger available for $20 from
Judith Heisinger, 7401 Bull Run
Drive, Centreville, VA 20121
"Hell's Guest" by Col. Glenn D.
Frazier - Published by Rojon, Inc.
2008 As featured in Ken Burns
Documentary, "The War" Available
at $24.95 per copy and $2.77
shipping cost Checks made payable
to Hell's Guest, Inc. 6845
Hwy. 90 E. Suite 105 Daphne, AL,
36526 - 251-625-6716 or
www.hellsguest.com or National
POW Museum, Andersonville,
GA, USS Alabama Battleship
Park, Mobile, AL, Strategic Air
& Space Museum, Ashland, NE\
“Too Dead to Die” - by Steve
Raymond & Mike Pride, story of
the Death March and Japanese
POW. $24.95 plus $3.00 S&H.
Marie Raymond, 3355 W. Susan
Ln., Lecanto, FL 34461.
“Conduct Under Fire” by John
A, Glusman - Published by Viking
May 2005
588 pages | 16 pages of b&w
photos |Amazon.com, Barnes
andNoble.com, Booksense.com
(local independents)
“Oh, God, Where Are You?”-
($22.95 inc. S & H) - by Abie
Abraham. Order from Abie
Abraham, 142 Hoffman Lane,
Renfrew, PA 26053-6136
http://ghostofbataan.com/
bataan/book.html
“POW 152”- Andy Andrews
by Austin Andrews & Austin
Andrews, Jr. Availble at
Xlibris. com or from Andy
Andrews, 531 Flotilla Road,
North Palm Beach Florida 33408
561-848-1190. Book is $25.00
plus $6.00 S&H. Total coming to
$31.00 even.
“Tears In The Darkness: The
Story of The Bataan Death
March and Its Aftermath” - by
Michael Norman and Elizabeth
M. Norman, illustrated by the
artwork of Ben Steele
Published by Farrar, Straus and
Giroux - available at Barnes &
Nobles and Amazon or online at
http://www.tearsinthedarkness.com/
“Silent Tears.” by Stanley R.
Tokarz - Available at $25.00 per
copy form Stanley R. Tokarz, 70
Braiarwod Circle, Worcester, MA
01616
“The Footlocker Fifth” by
Dwight Shaw - Available from E.
Susan Shaw, 1155 N Maple
Grove, Boise, ID 83704 - Book is
$15.50 postage paid.
“Undaunted Valor: the Men of
Mukden” - by Shelley Zimbler
Book published here in
Kingston, NY, 09/ 20/ 08. It retails
for $29.00 + $3.50 USPOavailable
on Amazon.com, Sword
and Gift Shop Museum - DC, The
Nimitz Museum and many other
military museums and gift shops
through out our great nation or
by contacting the author. 845-
339-9960
Books Books Available
Available
"Zero Ward" A Survivor's
Nightmare by 2nd Lieutenant
Murray M. Sneddon. In paper
back at $9.95. The book was published
in 1999. Can be ordered
from any bookstore as well as
Barnes & Noble or i.universe
.com.
“The Last Voyage of the Arisan
Maru“- By Dale Wilber
The story of Pvt. Avery Wilber,
Battery A, 60th Coast Artillery -
PublishAmerica of Baltimore and
available through Amazon.Com
and Barnes and Noble.Com. The
price -$24.95.
“Code Name: High Pockets”,
by Edna Binkowski. Several
used on bookfinder.com - $50 to
$55.00 -Also Available for $20
from Judith Heisinger, 7401 Bull
Run Drive, Centreville, VA 20121
“Unjust Enrichment” How
Japan's Companies Built Postwar
Fortunes Using American
POWs by Linda Goetz Holmes
Available from Barnes & Noble
bookstores, or W.S.Konecky
Assoc., Inc. 72 Ryers Point Rd.
Old Saybrook, CT86475 860-
388-8878 FAX 860-388-0273
“When Men Must Live”,
byJames T. Murphy and Kenneth
B. Murphy. First Edition (paperback
and hardback) from the
publisher, S & H Regular
(ground) $4.00 per book. Add
$2.00 for each additional book
shipped to the same address.
1 West Publications - 6789 Quail
Hill #715 - Irvine, CA 92603
Tel: 925.858.9064 The website is
www.whenmenmustlive
Book also to be sold through
bookstores, online retailers, museums
and other specialty retail
stores and outlets.
" Letters Home a reflection of a
man's survival"by Maxwell
Andler Jr. M.D. and Valeda
Andler. price $17.95 including
postage. Amazon.com ---or mail
check to Valeda Andler 1103
Benedict Canyon Dr. Beverly
Hills .CA 90210. inquiries -vandler@aol.com
“Claw of the Tiger” - by G.
Thomson Fraser - Story of
Franklin "Porky" LaCoste
Available through Xlibris.com,
Amazon.com, Barnes &
Noble.com and your local bookseller.
(ISBN (Paperback)
978-1-4257-7483-7 and (Hardback)
978-1-4257-7492-9)
“Guerrilla Daughter” by Ginger
Hansen Holmes Available
from the Kent State University
Press. 1118 Library, Kent, OH,
44242 web site is
" H o l m e s "
“Operation PLUM” by Adrian
R. Martin & Larry W.
Stephenson, M.D. Available at a
number of fine bookstores, including:
Barnes & Nobles,
Amazon.com , Buy.com; and
Texas A&M University Press -
Use Discount code 2A for 20%
discount.
“Dawn of Darkness: A Novel”
(Paperback) by Lee Brandenburg
(Author), Matt Isaacs (Contributor)
Termed “A Higher Form of
Killing” it tells the hidden story
behind the greatest scandal of
the Second World War. Available
at new and used from
Amazon.com; and for download
to Kindle.
"Life as an American Prisoner
of War of the Japanese" by
Charles Balaza. Personal memoirs
of being captured on Corregidor
and the 3 1/2 years spent
as a prisoner of war.
Available through
www.authorhouse.com
“An Angel’s Illustrated Journal”
by Floramund Fellmeth
Difford – published by Gorham.
Available at $25.00 per copy from
Floramund Difford, 5340 W
Eagle Lane SW, Tumwater, WA
98512. The last Army nurse out
of Manila who left aboard the
hospital ship “Mactan.”
June 2010 - Page 9

Page 10- The Quan
ADBC Members at First Annual Descenda
Mark Your Calendar!
June 21-26, 2011 - Pittsburgh
Airport Marriott-PA

nts Group Conference - 2010, Reno, NV
Marine Sgt. Jack Ernest of Wintersville, OH, Memorial Day
speaker at the ADBC Museum, checks the ‘03 Springfield
rifle similar to those supplied in the Phillippines. The rifle
was donated by Tony Bilek of Rantoul, IL, and supplied by
Collectors Firearms of Houston, TX. The owner of the firm
provided the rifle at cost when informed it was for the ADBC.
June 2010 - Page 11

Abraham Abie
Abraham Christine W.
Albitz Karen
Alexander Joseph L.
Alm-Stecklein Judith
Amos Malcolm
Amos, Jr. Mick
Anderson David
Ayres Cecelia C.
Bagby Gloria R.
Bagby Roy
Beauvais Gloria
Beauvais David C.
Bechler Cordis
Bergbower Michael
Bergbower Harold A.
Bergbower-Grunwald Debra
Bertucci Tara L.
Bigley Nina
Blankman Candie L.
Blankman Drew W.
Bortot Terri A.
Boswell Paula
Bowden Judith A.
Bowden Gene
Bradley Don W.
Braham Darren A.
Braham Denah
Breneman Betty
Brenner Carlotta
Brenner William R.
Brenner Katherine
Bridges Rose H.
Brown Nancy T.
Brown Robert G.
Brown Ann
Burkhart Caroline
Chapman James K.
Chapman Kathryn G
Chapman Gerry S.
Christie Rosie T.
Clark Katy
Clucas Larry
Collier Carrie L.
Collier James C.
Cooper John L.
Cooper Sharon A.
Corral Mauro B.
Craig Gail Sirois
Cross Russell G.
Cummins Lora M.
Dahl Linda V
Dahlstrom Kristin E.
Dahlstrom Baesley I.
Davis Kenneth A.
Dean Harvey N.
Page 12 - The Quan
Reno 2010 Attendance List
Diaz Jerry
Diaz Carolyn
Dodich Nicholas A.
Donnan MaryDee
Doughty Margaret L.
DuSell Adrienne E.
Eckert Carol A.
Edwards James Thomas
Eldridge Bill L.
Entines Fr. Prisco E.
Erickson James W.
Erickson Lawrence
Erickson Leah
Erlanger Deborah Stahl
Erlanger Joseph
Ferrell Davis M.
Ferrell Gail
Ferrell Dett
Fish Nancy
Forbis Peggy Szwabo
Forbis John
Freeman Heidi
Friese Lauretta R.
Friese Ed E.
Fry Kenneth
Fry Douglas C.
Gallaway Phyllis
Ganyon James R.
Gates Cynthia
Goettler John G.
Goode Linda A.
Goode James G
Graham Victoria
Hansen Nora
Harless Kim
Heer Robert B.
Heer Karen C.
Heimbuch Ray C.
Hendriz Jane
Hogue Jalaine
Holmes Linda G.
Hudson Travis
Hudson Robert L.
Jennings Esther B
Johnson Erwin R.
Jorgenson Julie S.
Jorgenson Gary
Jorgenson Larry
Jorgenson Warren G.
King Richard H.
Kingsley-Anderson Sheryl A.
Kinkead Peggy
Kopach David
Kopach Jody
Kragh Loren
Kragh Nancy
Kraina Jane
Krempa Patrick C.
Krempa Andrea
Krempa Roxanne
Krempa Tom
Kurowski Cynthia
Kuskie Glen E.
Ladd Julie C.
Lamkins Ann
Leonard Oscar L.
Leonard Mary Ida
Leonard Sarah
Lerche Gail K.
Levenberg Kathie
Levenberg Ralph
Lew Sandra
Lewis Fran
Lewis John B.
Leyva Dominique
Mansell Roger
Maravillas Lorenzo Joseph
Maravillas Anthony R.
Maravillas Ricardo R.
Maravillas Josoeph R.
Martin Adrian R.
Martin James L.
Maselski Frank W.
McArdle Dorothy C.
McBride Kathryn A.
McCorts-Blaine Mary Jane
McDavitt Jan
McDavitt Jordan A.
McDavitt Linda
McGrew Marjean
Mefford Pauline
Miller Laura
Mills Charlie M.
Molesevich Mary V.
Montoya Efercinia
Montoya Andres A.
Morris Emily J.
Mullen Edith
Norman Elizabeth
Norman Michael
Northam Hazel
Northam Doug
Northam Patricia C.
Northern Janet Mefford
Oerding Julie A.
Oerding Jeffrey M.
Oliver John H.
Oliver Dawn
Overmier Alan C
Overmier Bill C.
Overmier Anna Lee
Pangaeli Lolita
Perkowski John
Prickett Patricia A.
Pruitt Judy
Pruitt Doris J.
Ramsey Linda G.
Reamer Everett D.
Reamer Bernice
Rinas Bruno S.
Robinson Harry A.
Roessler Penni A.
Roessler, Jr. Paul A.
Ropp Gayle P.
Ropp Paul W.
Rosendahl Elizabeth
Rosendahl Robert D.
Roslansky Marvin A.
Roslansky Rosie
Ruff Ruth M.
Scandrani Patricia C.
Schroeder Phyllis V.
Schurtz Mary L.
Schurtz Gerald P.
Sheeley Charles A.
Shively Blythe
Shively John
Slocomb Eugene R.
Smith Tammi N.
Smith John R.
Sofranoff Katheryn
Stagner Frank H.
Stahl Ruth R.
Stecklein Frank C.
Steele Shirley E.
Steele Rosemarie
Steele Benjamin C.
Sutton Glenda C.
Szczepanski Richard A
Szczepanski Gloria
Szwabo Mary E.
Szwabo Earl M.
Tennant Dorie
Thompson Jan
Tipton Wilhelmine
Tokudone Kinue
Topping David A.
Topping, Jr. David A.
Traub Sylvie
Traub Dan
Trout Wilma A.
Turner Jack
Turner Georgia A.
Turner Houston E.
Turner Elton B.
Turner Mary L.
Vater, Jr. Joseph A.
Vater, Sr. Joe A.

Attendance List -
continued
Wallace George
Wallace Mary Kay
West Alison K.
West Judith
West William R.
Whitehurst John
Wilkin Mike
Williams Mark
Willis Joseph S.
Wilson Donald
Wilson Jane E.
Winter Richard
Winter Theodore
Woodring Mona B.
Wright Ruth E.
Wright James W.
Wynn Matthew S.
Zeitziff Al
Zeitziff Lily
Zendejas Margot L.
Zendejas Anthony
Zobel James
Normans Headline
Convention
Banquet
Michael and Elizabeth
Norman, authors of a best selling
2009 book about the Death
March and the POW experience.
were the keynote speakers at the
convention banquet on April 11
in Reno, NV.
“Tears in the Darkness, The
Story of the Bataan Death March
and Its Aftermath” follows the
life of noted POW artist, Ben
Steele from his Montana home,
through the fighting and the
Death March, and on to the
POW camps where he spent the
rest of the war.
The Normans addressed the
subject of family and memory and
its importance in keeping history
alive.
In addition to “Tears in the
Darkness, The Story of the
Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath”
, Elizabeth Norman also
wrote “We Band of Angels”
which tells the story of the
Bataan Survivors Spark AP Correction on Photo
(The Associated Press) At the time of
its release, this photo was identified as
dead and wounded being carried by
fellow prisoners during the Bataan
Death March in April 1942. Research
now strongly suggests that this photo
may actually depict a burial detail at
Camp O’Donnell, the Japanese POW
camp where allied prisoners were held
after the Bataan Death March.
“There’s no way the Japanese let us
carry our comrades, dead or alive."
Editors Note: The following based
on reports by AP National Writer
Adam Geller and Bob Richter, San
Antonio (TX) Express-News.
A few weeks ago, the Associated
Press changed the caption
on a photo, purportedly of the
Bataan Death March, after it had
been circulating for 65 years. The
news service amended the caption
after some feisty Bataan survivors
- including retired Army
Col. John E. Olson and John E.
Love challenged the AP to correct
the record.
The photo, released by the
U.S. Military in 1945, now carries
a caption that "strongly suggests
that this photo may actually depict
a burial detail at Camp
O'Donnell, the Japanese POW
camp where allied prisoners were
held" after the march.
"I knew that photo wasn't from
the march of death," Olson said
last week. "The Japanese
wouldn't have let us carry our
comrades, dead or alive."
Love, of Albuquerque, N.M,
agrees, saying, "That picture is
not of the Death March," he
stated. "The Japanese would not
have tolerated a bunch of slowmarching
guys carrying their own
dead. They wouldn't have tolerated
it just one New York minute."
Sixty-eight years ago this
weekend, Olson and Love were
among the estimated 10,000
Americans and 60,000 Filipinos
forced on the infamous six day,
60 mile march. Already exhausted,
wounded, sick and starving from
more than three months of bat-
tling Japanese invaders on
Bataan, the Allied forced were
surrendered on April 9, 1942.
Historians acknowledge that the
prolonged and gallant resistance,
despite intolerable conditions
and a lack of equipment
and supplies, helped the Allies
regroup to mount a successful
counter offensive ultimately resulting
in victory.
Then they were forcemarched
to Camp O'Donnell. It
was like going from the frying
pan into the fire.
Col. Olson, 92, of San Antonio,
TX, was a commander in the
famed Philippine Scouts. He became
the POW camp's adjutant
and kept meticulous records as
if his life depended on it (it did).
He says 1,565 Americans and
more than 26,000
Filipinos - "all in the prime of
their life" - died there "ignominiously
and needlessly."
Love, now 87, said, "We
rounded up bamboo poles ... and
we confiscated what blankets we
could from the incoming prisoners.
We told them we had to have
them. The guys were dying
faster than we could dig graves
or carry them," Love said. "We
carried them 1,000 yards and we
would just unload the blankets
there and the guys would fall out
into the graves. I did that every
day until the late hours of the
evening for six weeks."
After discussing the evidence,
AP decided to correct the
caption. It now reads, in part,
"At the time of its release, this
photo was identified as dead and
wounded being carried by fellow
prisoners during the Bataan
Death March in April 1942 ...
Subsequent information from
military archivists, the National
Archives and Records Administration,
and surviving prisoners,
strongly suggests that this
photo may actually depict a
burial detail at Camp O'Donnell."
The new caption does not
change history. It merely revises
a footnote, 68 long years after
the fact.
Col. Olson and Love are
among those who are grateful
that the record has been set
straight.
When Love recalled his experience
at Bataan and his insistence
that it be recorded correctly,
his voice broke and his
eyes welled with tears.
"I did it for the guys that I
buried," he said. "We owed it to
them."
June 2010 - Page 13

DEATHS-
DEATHS-
This This Issue
Issue
Augustine, Harold C.
Base, Frank
Cabellon, Silverio “Bill”
Corriveau, Orval J.
Curtis, Louis Newton
Dunlavy, Harry C.
Graham, Charles Hale
Hatch, Claude
Herzog, Linda Kay
Lovato, Frank
Morris , Everette Maxie ‘Dick’
Osecky, Benny Dan
Padilla, Leo J.
Sabo, Alex
Augustine, Harold C.
Harold C. Augustine, 88, died August 3,
2009. He was born June 16, 1921 in Kenosha,
WI. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; two
sons, William and Joseph; 4 grandchildren
and four great grandchildren. He served in
the Navy during WWII and the Korean War.
Harold retired from the Navy after 21 years
and relocated to Phoenix with his family in
1960. He worked at Sperry Rand and retired
in 1978. Internment with Military Honors took
place August 10th the National Cemetery of
Phoenix, AZ.
Base, Frank
Frank Base, 90, a survivor of the Bataan
Death March, died on January 23, 2010, in
Fort Lauderdale, FL, of cardiac and respiratory
failure. Base was a medic with the U.S.
Army Air Corps in the Philippines in 1942
when Japanese invaders overcame a force
of approximately 70,000 American and Filipino
defenders. After months of batteling in
the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor,
the outgunned and starving defenders were
overtaken on the Bataan Peninsula. Base
and his comrades were forced to walk 60
miles to a Japanese POW camp. He and his
fellow POW’s were liberated by 6th Army
Rangers in 1945. Base was awarded several
service medals, including the Bronze Star.
He treated sick and dying comrades in make-
Page 14 - The Quan
shift hospital wards that Army doctors refused
to enter because of fear of communicable
diseases. Part of the citation submitted
with his Bronze Star by Secretary of War
Robert P. Patterson stated: “Serving with a
hospital in Military Prison Camp No. 1,
Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, Staff Sgt.
Base rendered outstanding service to his fellow
soldiers over a prolonged period despite
the most difficult conditions. During the first
few months, the death rate assumed alarming
proportions due to a diphtheria epidemic
as well as frequent outbreaks of dysentery,
malaria, beriberi and pneumonia, yet Sergeant
Base repeatedly exposed himself to the ravages
of these diseases and by his unflinching
loyalty to the patients prevented what
might have become a wholesale decimation
of America Prisoners of War.“ Following his
service, he received his degree from pharmacy
school in South Dakota and eventually
bought his own drug store which he ran
with his wife Bonnie in South Dakota. The
couple moved to Florida in 1955 and lived in
Fort Lauderdale for 37 years. Frank Base is
survived by his wife of 64 years, Bonnie; two
daughters, Sherry Savage (James) and Debbie
Garr (Rick), both of Fort Lauderdale. He is
also survived by nieces and nephews Valerie
(Base) Fryda, Gery Base, and Peggy (Base)
Jurrens. He was preceded in death by his
brothers, Joseph, Laddie and Jim Base and
sister, Lillian Welf
Cabellon, Silverio “Bill”
Silverio “Bill” Cabellon died Feb. 17, 2010 at
the age of 93. He was born July 8, 1916 in
Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines to Gregorio
and Francisca Cabellon. He joined the Philippine
Scouts at age 22 and was assigned to
the 26th Cavalry (PS) in Fort Stotsenberg,
Pampanga. During WWII he was assigned
as a telegraph operator and survived the infamous
Bataan Death March. After the war
he remained in the U.S. Army, serving with
honors for 28 years. After the war he continued
his military career with the US Armed
Forces which included service in Korea. He
retired in 1966. After his retirement from the
US Army he worked at Fort Lewis as a military
personnel specialist until 1985. On Dec.
29, 1943, he married Alicia Buenafe who survives
him along with their children, Silverio
Jr., Jessie, George, and Elizabeth; also two
sisters, Magdalena, and Victoria, and a
brother, Maximino; 14 grandchildren and four
great grandchildren. Two sisters, Leonarda
and Emilia predeceased him. Memorial mass
service were held at St. John Bosco (Lakewood)
on Feb. 22 with Rosary held prior to
the funeral service. He was laid to rest with
full military honors in Lakewood, Washington.
Corriveau, Orval J.
Orval J. Corriveau died February of 2005. He
enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to
World War II and was a survivor of three
brutal years as a P.O.W. in the Philippines
and in the lead mines of Hokkaido. He was
with the 4th Battalion, 4th Marines. He was
stationed at Olongapo and evacuated to
Mariveles on Dec. 25, 1941; and then to Corregidor
on Dec. 28, 1941. He was captured
and sent to Cabanatuan prison camp. In August,
1944 taken on board Nisyo Maru to
Japan and Liberated Sept. 5, 1945 from the
prison camp at Kamioka, Japan.
He pursued an honorable career in the Marine
Corps, including active dutyin both the
Korean War (promoted to an officer) and the
Vietnam War. He dedicated his life to the
defense of freedom through military service
culminating in his retirement in 1970 as a Lt.
Colonel in the Marine Corps. He is buried at
the Barrancas National Cemetery on the
Pensacola NAS
Curtis, Louis Newton
Louis Newton Curtis, died Feb. 10, 2010, at
his home in Eagle, Florida, in the company
of his family. Lou was born Feb. 22, 1919, in
Seattle, Wash., to Louis Newton Curtis and
Gladys Claire Ward. He was just shy of 91.
Lou joined the Marine Corps in 1938 as a
bandsman, playing the saxophone and clarinet.
Lou had the pleasure of serving in the
Embassy Guard Band in Peiping (now
Beijing), China, from May 1940 until November
1941. After his time in China, Lou was
stationed in the Philippines, which was captured
by the Japanese in April 1942. Lou survived
many hardships as a Japanese POW
during the extent of the war, including the
infamous “Bataan Death March.” In total,
Lou survived 42 months as a POW until his
rescue at Sondhi, Japan in the fall of 1945.
Lou retired from the Marine Corps in 1968 at
Camp LeJeune, N.C., as an assistant band-

Deceased - continued
master, attaining the rank of master sergeant.
Lou retired to Florida to relax and enjoy life
with his partner of 30 years, Martha Starling.
His former wife, Marion Curtis Tuttle, and
their children, John, William, David, and
Mona, survive him. The memorial service for
Louis Newton Curtis was held at Calvary
Chapel in Edwards, Florida.
Dunlavy, Harry C.
Harry C. Dunlavy, SgtMaj., USMC (Ret) died
Oct. 5, 2009 in Fresno, CA at the age of 88.
He served with the Fourth Marines in Shanghai
in 1940 until Nov 1941 when he was transferred
to Corregidor, PI. After the U.S. had
surrendered the Island he was sent to
Mukden, Manchuria where he remained until
Japan surrendered in August 1945. He
retired from the Marine Corps in Oct. 1968
after seeing duty in Korea and Viet Nam.
He was a Past Master of his Masonic Lodge,
Scottish Rite, 33rd degree mason and a
Shriner. He volunteered as a docent at the
Legion of Valor Museum and also served as
the Commander of the Fresno Chapter of the
American Ex-Prisoners of War for fifteen
years. He is survived by Betty, his wife of 64
years, daughters, Julie Fox and her husband
Dennis of Bellingham, WA; Peggy Dunlavy
of Fresno; and Susan Fine and her husband
Glenn of Weed, CA. He also leaves five
grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Graham, Charles Hale
Charles Hale Graham, age 91 of Beaver Dam,
died peacefully on Wednesday, March 10,
2010 . Charles was born on July 28, 1918 in
Grayson County, VA, to Charles Polk and
Olive (nee Delp) Graham. After graduating
from high school, Charles honorably served
his country in the United States Air Force
and had a military career of 28 years. During
his service to his country during World War
II, he was a P.O.W. in Japan for 3 ½ years.
Following his military career, he owned a
hotel in Sterling, Virginia and later retired to
Fairfield Bay, AR, before coming to Beaver
Dam. On October 26, 1991 he was married to
Shirley Marshall in Rogers, AR. Charles was
a lifelong member of the V.F.W., American
Legion, Lions Club, Rotary Club and American
Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.
Charles is survived by his wife, Shirley of
Beaver Dam; four children, John (Judy) Graham
of Virginia, Elizabeth Graham of North
Carolina, Robert Graham of Pennsylvania,
Charlotte Graham of North Carolina, 3 stepchildren;
Jackie (John) Vujnovich of Beaver
Dam, John (Sherie) Marshall of Ohio and
Mark Marshall of Florida. He is further
survived by his grandchildren, great-grandchildren,
brothers, sisters, other relatives and
friends. Charles is preceded in death by his
parents, his first wife Patricia and other relatives.
A Memorial Service for Charles took place
in Fairfield Bay, and inurement was to take
place at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
VA.
Hatch, Claude
Claude Hatch, a World War II veteran, Death
March survivor, and lifelong resident of
Fruitland, NM, died on April 23, 2010. He
was 30 when he was captured in 1942, forced
to walk 60 miles in the Bataan Death March
and held prisoner in various camps. Hatch
did not share many of his war stories with
his family, a daughter , Rachel, said. He was
inducted into the Army in 1941 and became
a member of the 200th Coast Artillery Headquarters
Battery 2nd Battalion. After surviving
the death march and nearly three years
in captivity, he was awarded the Bronze Star
for Valor. Hatch a worked on pottery while
in captivity and taught Navajo words to
some of the Japanese guards. After returning
home, Hatch worked as a trader for various
trading posts. He also was a historian
and helped establish the Southern San Juan
Paiute tribe.
Claude is survived by his wife of 50 years,
Virginia (Hoskie) Hatch, daughters Myrtle
Lelia Hatch, Rachel Hatch, Nora Hatch; his
son Michael Hatch; younger brother Steward
Hatch; and numerous grandchildren,
nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were on April 28 in Kirtland,
NM. Day services were held at the National
POW Museum at Andersonville, and the
National Convention of the American EX-
Prisoners of War in Greenville, SC and in
Arlington, TX.
Herzog, Linda Kay
Linda Kay Herzog died Friday, January 15,
2010 at the age of 68. Linda was the youngest
of two girls and was born in San Antonio,
TX. She is survived by her husband
Richard E. Herzog: three children, Gregory
Marbach, EricMarbach, Laura Marbach
and three grandchildren, Robert Marbach,
Julia Marbach and Jackson Powell. Linda
brought loving care to countless patients
through her nursing profession and through
the many nurses she educated. Memorial
services were held in Phoenix at Hansen
Chapel on Monday, January 18, 2010. Interment
was on Thursday, January 21 in Fort
Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio,
TX. Donations in her honor can be
made to Hospice of the Valley, Gardiner Home.
1522 W. Myrtle, Phoenix, AZ 85021.
Lovato, Frank
Frank Lovato Died April 20, 2010, at the Albuquerque
(NM) VA Medical Center. Lovato
was born in Albuquerque, NM, October 31,
1921, to WWI Army veteran Atanacio Lovato
and Anita Sanchez. He was named after his
famous great uncle, Congressman Francisco
Perea who was a personal friend of Abraham
Lincoln. Frank joined the New Mexico National
Guard while in high school and received
training at Fort Bliss, Texas prior to
being activated in January 1941. His unit was
designated the 200th Coast Artillery and was
shipped to Fort Stotsenberg/Clark Air Field,
Philippine Islands in September 1941 to shore
up the joint American/Filipino forces of General
Douglas MacArthur. He was among the
very first Americans to engage the Japanese
land invasion forces on the beach at
Lingayen Gulf. He and his American/Filipino,
27 man mechanized-artillery, halftrack
battery sunk over 30 Japanese landing craft
and later destroyed four enemy tanks before
they were ordered to surrender and endure
the infamous Bataan Death March, POW
camps, “Hell Ships”, and “Slave Camps”.
While in a POW camp near Nagasaki, Japan,
he also witnessed the flash and sound
of the Last bomb dropped in WWII. Frank
returned home, received his promised field
promotion, started a family, and served his
country that had liberated him. He was
among the first Amy Sergeants to join the
newly formed Air Force, fulfilling his promise
to see that the conditions that led to the
fall of the Philippines would never happen
again. Frank lived in his home in Albuquerque
for 60 years, helping others less fortunate
than himself, surrounded by great
grandchildren and enjoying local sports and
veterans events. He is survived by children
Francisco Lovato, Marie Lovato, Debbie
Humphreys, Patrick Lovato; 16 grandchildren
and 11 great-great children, including
Disney acting and singing star Demi Lovato.
June 2010- Page 15

Deceased Deceased - - Continued
Continued
Morris , Everette Maxie ‘Dick’
Everette Maxie “Dick” Morris, 85, died Saturday,
May 1, 2010, He was born Oct. 15,
1924, in Stuart, OK. He joined the 200th Coast
Artillery anti-aircraft division of the New
Mexico National Guard. A month later, the
16-year-old National Guardsman and about
150 of Carlsbad’s Battery F were on a ship
bound for Manila. Dick survived the ordeal
known as the “Bataan Death March” and
went first to a Manila POW camp and later
to Japan. Dick spent the rest of the war at a
prisoner camp in Kobe, Japan, loading
and unloading ships. He remembered the
day Hirohito announced Japan’s full surrender.
With five buddies he fled the compound,
went to the docks and stole enough supplies
to trade for money. For his service, Dick
was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the
POW Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation
with two olc’s, the Philippine Presidential
Unit Citation, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign
Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the Honorable
Service Lapel Pin and the American
Defense Service Medal. When he returned
to Carlsbad in September 1945, he wasn’t
quite 21. Dick is survived by his wife of 64
years, Bennie; daughter, Rita (Benny)
Baldwin of Hobbs; sons: Keith (Helene) of
Hobbs, Max of Monument, Colo., Charles of
Monument, Colo., Jody of Houston, Texas,
Bobby (Karen) of Monument, Colo., and
Shawn (Mary) of Monument, Colo.; 17
grandchildren; and 26 great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held May 7 at St.
Helena’s Catholic Church followed by burial
at Carlsbad Cemetery. Memorial contributions
may be made to the Wounded Warrior
Project, 7020 AC Skinner Pkwy, Ste. 100,
Jacksonville,FL, 32256 or
www.woundedwarrior.org.
Osecky, Benny Dan
Benny Dan Osecky, 90, retired Air Force senior
master sergeant who survived theBataan
Death March and later was a flight crew member
on presidential airplanes for nine years,
died March 7 in Springfield, VA. Sgt. Osecky
was serving at Clark Field in the Philippines
when the United States entered World War
II. He was among those ordered to surrender
April 9, 1942, when the U.S. commander
deterniined that they could no longer hold
off the Japanese. The next day, 12,000 U.S.
and 66,000 Filipino prisoners began a brutal
six-day, 65mile mach to a POW camp. Sgt.
Page 16 The Quan
Osecky survived 42 months in POW camps
O’Donnell, Cabanatuan, Las Pinas and
Bilibid on Luzon Island. He was among thousands
sent in “hell ships” to Japan at the
end of the war. U.S. bombers, not realizing
POWs were aboard, sank at least one of the
ships Sgt. Osecky was on, but he was recaptured
and shipped to Japan. U.S. Marines
freed him in September 1945. He resumed
his service with theAir Force andwas
assignedt to the presidential aircraft squadron
at National Airport in 1949. He was the
flight engineer under President Harry S.
Truman and was a member of the security
detail under President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. In 1958, Sgt. Osecky was assigned
to the U.S.· Embassy in South Africa
and later served at a Strategic Air Command
base in Columbus, Ohio. He retired from the
Air Force in 1962. His military decorations
included the Bronze Star Medal. After settling
in Annandale, Sgt. Osecky became a
police officer at National Airport and worked
for the Federal Aviation Administration as a
mechanic, scheduler and inspector until his
second retirement in1983.
Bom in Eckman, WV, to immigrant Ukrainian
parents, Sgt. Osecky left home amid the
Great Depression to work in the Civilian
Conservation Corps in Arizona and
Califomia. He joined the Army in 1938 and
volunteered for the Army Air Corps. He was
a volunteer with the Boy Scouts and a member
ofseveral veterans and military organizations.
His wife of 62 years, Helen
ModzikOseck:y, died in January. Survivors
include three children, Benjamin Daniel
Oseck:y of Fort Collins, CO, Elaine Wade of
Annandale and Thomas Osecky of Aldie;
three sisters, I Mary Hughes, Helen
Selensky and Christine Godfrey, all of
Morgantown, WV; a· brother, Samuel
Osecky of Leonardtown; and four grandchildren.
Padilla, Leo J.
Leo J. Padilla, 88, died on 9 March 2010 at
his Albuquerque home. A survivor of the
Bataan Death March, Padilla was a member
of the 200th Coast Artillery Anti Aircraft
Unit. He returned home to New Mexico in
1945 after the war ended and was active in
the Albuquerque Chapter of the Bataan Veterans
Organization and lobbied for compensation
for former POWs. Funeral services
was on 15 March in Albuquerque with burial
at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.
Sabo, Alex
Alex Sabo, 90, resident of Windsor Heights,
WV, died Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at home.
He was born January 26, 1920 in Cedar Grove,
PA., the son of the late Charles and Susan
Szanyi Sabo. He was a retired steelworker
with US Steel; a WWII Army POW veteran
where he survived the Bataan Death March
in the Philippines. He was a Christian. In
addition to his parents, he was preceded in
death by his wife, Margaret Sabo, and his
daughter, Rose Marie Sabo. Surviving are
his grand children, Margaret Rihaly, James
Lilley, and Michael Wolf; great-grandchildren,
Chad Thompson, Jennifer Frey, Justin
Lilley, Gregory Layton, Rosemarie Wolf,
Michaeline Norwood, and Bruce Wolf;
brothers, Joseph and Mildred Sabo and family,
and John and Margaret Sabo and family.
Interment in Oakland Cemetery, Mingo Junction,
OH. Full military graveside services
were conducted by the Ohio Valley Veterans
Memorial Squad.
Keep the memories alive
- send pictures, stories,
maps and other materials
you would like to see
digitized, archived and
displayed to the ADBC
Museum, 945 Main St.,
Wellsburg, WV, 26070.
Copies are accepted and
you are always welcome
to visit our web site:
http://philippinedefenders.lib.wv.us/

Remembered at the Memorial
Service During the Reno Reunion
Alcaraz, Ramon
Andora, Martin
Banks, Bert
Base, Frank
Benzel, David
Cabiao, Lorie
Cabellon, Silvero “Bill”
Castaneda, Floriano
Cid, Morio
Corineau, Orgaval J.
Curtis, Louis Newton
Davis, Curtis Gordon
DeLaney, Bill
Dunlavy, Harry G.
Emerick, John “Swede”
Giantonio, B. Lauriel
Hale, Charlie
Ilies, Alfred
E-Mail Addresses Needed
Honoring Our POWs
Kirsch, Raymond S.
Lozado, Nick
McDole, Glen
McIntrye, Neal Waldo Jr.
Monument, Geoffrey
Ortega, Okey Dant
Pavone, Louis Dominie
Ramos,, Greg
Redshaw, Ward
Riedel, Frank
Sumerall, Clyde S.
Vaillagracia, Sr. Lauro
Walker, John
Wallace, Henry
Wallisch, Lewis
Williams, Ted R.
Wilson, Wilmes Leroy
Wilayto, Henry J.
Widows’ Luncheon is Well Attended
Reno Nevada and the Grand
Sierra Hotel was a fabulous setting
for the 1st Descendents
Group ADBC Convention. We
had good weather, exciting visits
with marvelous friends, interesting
meetings and celebrations.
Jan, the board, and all the
extraordinary volunteers did a
wonderful job putting together
the first Descendents Group
Convention.
The ADBC widows attending
the Widow’s Luncheon were;
Paula Boswell, Rose Bridges,
Rose Christie, Lora Cummins,
Carol Eckert, Ester Jennings,
Dorothy Mc Ardle, Jean Mc
Grew, Pauling Medford, Charlie
Mills, Jean Pruitt, Phyllis
Schroeder, Katherine Scfranoff,
Ruth Stahl, Wilma Trout and
Mary Turner. An additional 15,
guests of the widows, attended
the luncheon. The menu was
salad, chicken and a fabulous
chocolate desert. Everyone
agreed that it was one of the best
lunches that we have been
served.
The guest speaker for the
Widow’s Luncheon was Anthony
Zendejas. This is the
young man that has performed
his marvelous one man skit about
the atrocities inflected upon our
men during the Death March .
He has been a busy winning the,
second place, in the VFW National
Voice of Democracy Essay
contest. (From Glenda Sutton)
The Descendants Group is in the process of formulating an easy
way to communicate with its members in a cost effective way. The
most obvious method is e-mail.
If you are not sure that the DG has your e-mail address and you are
a current member please send an e-mail to Judy Pruitt at:
PAST NATIONAL COMMANDERS
* Harold Spooner
* Rev. Albert 0. Talbot
* James McEvoy
* M/Gen.E. P. King Jr.
* Simme Pickman
Albert J. Senna
* Maurice Mazer
Joseph A. Vater
* Lewis Goldstein
* Albert C. Cimini
* Samuel M. Bloom,M.D.
* Kenneth J.Stull
* Harhy P.Menozzi
* John F. Ray
* Samuel B. Moody
* Arthur A. Bressi
* John H. LeClair
* James K Cavanaugh
* Thomas A. Hackett
* Bernard A. Grill
Louis Sachwald
* Jerome A. McDavitt
Arthur Beale
* John M. Emerick
* Joseph I Poster
* John Bennett
* James D. Cantwell
Ralph Levenberg
* Elmer E. Long, Jr.
* Philip Arslania
* John Rowland
* John Crago
Edward Jackfert
* John R. Lyons
* Ken Curley
* Henry J. Wilayto
* Charles Bloskis
Arthur Beale
* Andy Miller
* Joseph Matheny
* George Wonneman
* Frank Bigelow
* Charles L. Pruitt
* Melvin L. Routt
James R. Flaitz
* John Koot
* Roy Y. Gentry
Edward Jackfert
Joseph L. Alexander
* Joseph Ward
Omar McGuire
John H. Oliver
* Agapito E. Silva
Harold A. Beregbower
Joseph L. Alexander
Everett D. Reamer
Dr. Lester I. Tenney
* Asterick Indicates Deceased
Never Forget
Special Notice
Address corrections should be mailed to:
Nancy T. Brown
14 Diplomat Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45215-2073
pruitja13@aol.com
If you are a DG member NOT currently using the internet please
make sure that you have supplied your mailing address to us.
Call Judy at 617-739-0290 or send a note to her at 25 Windsor Rd.
- Brookline, MA 02445-2110.
June 2010 Page 17

POWs & Descendants
At Memorial March
On March 29th the 20th Bataan Memorial
March was held at White Sands Missile
Range in New Mexico. Over 5300 people
ran, walked or marched, with or without
heavy packs. There were 15 or more ExPOWs
to send them on their way, to sign books
and to talk about their prisoner of war experience.
After years of not having anyone
who knew about their trial or could relate to
their experiences here were soldiers, marines
and youngsters who were knowledgeable
and respectful who just wanted to listen to
them
It was very impressive to hear the applause
of honor that rang out at the opening
and closing ceremonies.
Among the ExPOWs there from ADBC
were Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Ortega, Mr. & Mrs.
Ben Steele, Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Montoya,
and Mr. & Mrs. Oscar Leonard . A number
of ADBC Descendents were there, some participating
in the March.
LasCruces, NM ,nearby, has been selected
as the site of the state Veterans Museum
largely due to the efforts of March Organizer
and ADBC Descendent Jerry Schurtz.
Next Bataan Memorial
March - March 27, 2011
Registrations dates and fees are
pending - please check
www.bataanmarch.com for updates as
they become available.
ALL Marchers (Individuals, teams,
& honorary) receive a T-shirt, a commemorative
dog tag, a certificate of participation,
a Bataan Memorial Death
March timing chip (the timing chip is
yours to keep as a souvenir -- you do
not have to turn it in at the end of the
race), continental breakfast and post
event meal.
Please mark your calendar and plan
to participate in what Runners World
said was the most memorable race
around. Honor our Bataan Survivors -
more than 5000 participated in 2010.
Page 18 - The Quan
Virginia Woman Honors Grandfather at Bataan
Memorial Death March at White Sands, NM
Louis B. Marchetti, who survived the
Bataan Death March and years of captivity
as a Japanese prisoner of war, was recently
remembered and honored by his granddaughter,
Laura Topping, 24, of Fairfax Station,
VA, during the 21st Bataan Memorial
Death March at the White Sands Missile
Range in New Mexico.
Held each spring, the march honors those
American servicemen and others who were
captured in the Philippines at the beginning
of WWII. The course in New Mexico is a
combination of rough terrain, dirt trails, deep
sand pits, and a six-mile portion that took
participants from an elevation of 1250 feet to
1650 feet and back again. Over 5,000 military
personnel and civilians from several countries
participated. Like Laura, who wore a
picture of her grandfather on her rucksack,
many were descendants or family members
of the captive soldiers. Some were disabled
veterans who had lost limbs serving in the
Middle East. All were there to help keep the
memory of the Bataan Death March alive.
“I never got to know my grandfather, who
died in 1971 from the long-term effects of the
Death March and years in a Japanese prisoner
of war camp,” said Laura. “As soon as
I heard of this march, I wanted to do it in his
memory and for all of the soldiers who were
in the march but didn’t make it back.” Laura,
a December graduate of George Mason University,
wrote her last college research paper
about Bataan.
Laura completed the 26.2 mile march in
just over seven hours, carrying a 41-pound
rucksack.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my
life,” said Laura, who is no stranger to hard
physical training, having completed Army
airborne parachute training and air assault
helicopter training. “Our march was nothing
compared with the horrors my grandfather
endured during the Bataan Death
March: dysentery, malaria, starvation, and
the threat of death at any moment.”
At the end of the march, Laura met a number
of the Bataan Death March survivors,
who greeted the participants as they came
off the course. “There are fewer and fewer
survivors,” Laura said. “They read the names
of fifteen survivors who died since the last
march.”
The late “Lou” Marchetti, of Altoona, PA,
was freed at the end of WWII and awarded
the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and other service
medals. During the Vietnam War, he
worked tirelessly to help raise awareness of
the plight of American POWs, speaking to
various organizations and collecting thousands
of signatures petitioning their release.
A longtime member of the Defenders of
Bataan and Corregidor, he returned to the
Philippines in 1967 with the group to mark
the 25th anniversary of the Bataan Death
March. At that time, he was quoted as saying
how much the soldiers owed to the Filipino
people, who smuggled food to them
along the route, at great risk to themselves
and their families. He is survived by his
wife, Dorothy Marchetti, and daughters Barbara
Sicola and Lynn Heverly of Altoona,
and Grace Topping, Laura’s mother, of Fairfax
Station, VA.
The day following the race, Laura Topping,
an ROTC graduate and newly commissioned
second lieutenant, drove to Fort
Huachuca, AZ, and reported for active duty
in the Army.
Submitted by Grace Topping
of Fairfax Station, VA

Fund Raising Campaign Evaluated
ADBC Museum Cotinues to Grow; Plans Advance for Addition
Contributions of photos, documents and
other unique and precious items from Philippine
Defender Prisoners of War continue to
flow into the Brooke County Public library
which now is bursting at the seams with the
important collection.
The Brooke County Public Library Foundation,
Inc., is the fund raising division of
the plans for an expanded museum and research
center and it's 501 C 3 status in the
IRS code means contributions are tax deductible.
As the foundation board of directors is
being recruited and developed, George Wallace
has been named interim chairman.
While no formal fund raising has begun,
the firm of Goettler and Associates of Columbus,
OH, has been retained to conduct a
precampaign study and numerous contacts
were made by the CEO, John Goettler, in
Reno and in the local area. Future contacts
will be made as the feasibility of raising funds
to construct a 10,000 square foot addition
to the existing facility. The feasibility study
also includes contacts with foundations and
known sources of funding for similar
projects.
The Design-Build firm of JD&E Inc. in
Wheeling, WV, had earlier been brought in
to develop preliminary drawings and site
studies and a beautiful addition with space
for exhibits, research, digitization, archinving
and storage is to be available in the twostory
facility.
It is anticipated that through on-site cataloged
and easily retrievable data on individual
defenders of the Philippines, one will
be able to track information and history on
any unit, individual or camp. The goal is to
have the life story of every member of the
American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor,
both on-site and on-line.
Area colleges and universities have
shown an interest in the ADBC Museum
and four interns from nearby West Liberty
University just completed their internship
under the watchful care of the staff. The in-
Never
Forget
terns and volunteers have proven invaluable
since funding so far is limited to digitization
and seeding a fund raising campaign.
Items in that collection number more than
150,000 - believed to be the world's largest
of its kind. The exhibit got its start when
Wellsburg native and former POW Ed Jackfert
donated numerous books, videos and
firsthand accounts from POWs in 2002.
Since then, BCPL Director Mary Kay
Wallace said, the collection has grown almost
daily. She said she's excited at the prospect
of having an entire building capable of
doing justice to a treasure of American history.
"They truly are the greatest generation,"
Wallace said of those who lived through
World War II. "One has to reflect upon the
brave deeds of our men in uniform and the
great sacrifices they made. We were a proud,
patriotic nation with men and women who
always rise to the occasion to serve their
country in war time." Museum plans include
a 108-seat auditorium, gift shop and coffee
bar, with a large exhibit area on the third floor.
Second floor plans allow for office space,
a research area and a digitalization room
where all new materials can quickly be
scanned and posted to the museum's Web
site, Philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us.
The construction project will be put out
to bid, Wallace said, and an "international
fund-raising drive" is anticipated. The addition
has been estimated to cost $2.5 million,
with hopes of eventually securing a $2.5 million
research endowment. Wallace said the
library can only contribute $150,000 of its
own funds, but she believes there is a broad
range of potential givers out there with
former POWs and their descendants living
worldwide.
Credits This Issue
She believes the planned museum will be
a valuable asset for generations to come.
"We encourage all age groups to view
our collection. ... We want students in the
region to realize that freedom isn't free, and
there's a price to pay for the freedoms we
enjoy today," she said.
Her husband added, "Our commitment is
to establish an institutional stewardship
which will carry on the names of these heroes
long after we're gone."
Special Note
I thank those sending in obituaries, death
notices and beautifully written tributes to
our deceased members. Space limitations
require that we edit, however, every
message, tribute, poem and other
contribution received is sent to be
digitized by the staff of the ADBC Museum
here in Wellsburg, WV. As the staff
proceeds with digitization, items will
appear on the website, http://philippinedefenders.lib.wv.us/
Readers are invited to visit the site.
Photographs Contributed by - Dan Traub, Linda Dahl,
Robert Hudson, Mary Kay Wallace, George Wallace
Typesetting & Proofreading - Mary Kay Wallace, Kim Harless,
Printing & Mailing -TypeCraft Press
Returned Mail Processing - Nancy Brown
June 2010- Page 19

MOVING SOON?
Please let us know six weeks before
you move what your new address will
be. Be sure to supply us with both your
old and new address, including the address
label from your current issue. Copies
we mail to your old address will not
be delivered by the Post Office and we
must pay 75 cents for each returned
Quan.
PLEASE ATTACH OLD ADDRESS
HERE FROM PREVIOUS QUAN
My New Address is:
Name_______________________________________
Address ________________________________
City, State, ZIp ____________________________
Mail to:
Nancy T. Brown
14 Diplomat Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45215-2073
Interns Assist
Three of the four interns from West
Liberty University assist with the
opening and organizing of materials
donated to the ADBC Museum in
Wellsburg, WV. At right, students of
Dr.Richard Lizza are Phillip Hardwick,
Louis Gallo and Kenneth Powell, III,
examining scrapbooks, documents,
photos and other items received in
four large containers from Tom Esber,
nephew of Col. Edward Fisher who
died in July 2009.
Interns have worked 40 hours each
week in assisting the staff and
volunteers at the museum and research
center, located in the Brooke County
Public Library. Mary Kay Wallace,
library director, supervises the interns
along with other staff members Jane
Kraina, Kim Harless, and Dorie Tennant.
Not depicted is intern Alesha Jordan.
Page 20- The Quan
Descendants Group of
American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor, Inc.
14 Diplomat Dr. - Cincinnati, OH 45215-2073
*Change Service Requested*
Please Use Form 3547