The Birth of the 31st Infantry Regiment and Beyond - Philippine ...

THE BIRTH OF THE 31 sT
INFANTRY REGIMENT AND
BEYOND
WORLD WAR I]
HISTORICAL DATA RELEVANT
ITS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
IN DEFENDING THE
PHILIPINE ISLANDS
DECEMBER 8, 1941-MAY 10,1942
DEDICATED TO ABlE ABRAHAM AND HIS SERVICE
WITH THE 31' INFANTRY REGIMENT IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF THE BROOKE COUNTY LIBRARY'S
MUSEUM BRANCH

BATAAN PENINSULA AND MANILA BAY

INDEX
1. Abie Abraham's biography and photo.
2. Chapter 1 The Birth of A Regiment Manila 1916-
1918.
3. Chapter 2-Siberia 1918-1920.
4. Chapter 3-Return to Manila 1920-1932.
5. Chapter 4-Shanghai 1932.
6. Chapter 5-Manila again-1921-1941.
7. Chapter 7-1942-1945.
8. 31 t Infantry Regiment campaigns.
9. 31 t Duty stations.
10. Shanghai bowl-regiments treasure recovered.
11. 31 t Infantry Regiment Unit Awards.
12. Artist drawing of "Death March" brutality.
13. Photos of Abie Abraham in uniform and civilian
garb.

I
bapter 1
H BIRTH OF GIM T
IL 1916-1918
The 31 t Infantry Regtment'
In Ignia, a polar bear, wa approved
by the War Department In 1924 to
reflect ervice in Iberia from 191
to 1920. The 31 '/ never en'ed In the
United late a a regiment, earning
1/ the unoffiCial nickname
''American' Foreign LegiOn." After
mfantry regiment were di continued
a tactical organization. in /957,
everal of the 31 " ucce or battle
group and baltalions en'ed In Ihe
Umted lale, but it Headquarter:
and 1 t Battalion have 111/ never
"been home." The regiment' only
actl\'e uml, the Ilh Balla"on, en'e
with the 10th MOllnlain D,v, ion at
Fort Drum, New York at the Lime of
Llu . wntlng .
At left IS the regImental shIeld, a sea hon from the PhJltppme Department's shoulder inSIgnia,
commemoratmg the regunent's buth and long seTVlce 10 the Phil1ppmes. 111 regml ntal crest 1S a
polar bear, commemorating the regunent's earlIest combat exp nence during the ibenan Expedition
of 1918-1920 The reglffient's LatIn motto, Pro Patna, means' For ountry'
Two earlier 31 st Infantry Regiments wcre fonned In 1813 and 1 866 but were later Incorporated Into other
reglffients Their lIneages are camed by the reglffients Into which they were absorbed and are therefore
unrelated to the present 31 st Infantry.) Today's 31 st Infantry R giment was authonzed by the ational
Defense ct of 1916 and was formed m the PhilippInes that year to strengthen the forces protectmg U
Interests in the Phlltppincs follOWing its capture from pain to 18982 Filtplnos, although gen rally
inclined toward fhendshlp, dId not seek or accept the occupatIon of therr country by another colomal
power, prompting a series of guerilla wars agamst U forces, the last of wh ich ended In 1911 In 1916,
there were st1l1 SI reglffients of infantry and a reglffient of cavalry In the Islands, concentrated matnly on
Luzon and Mmdanao where Mushm "Insurrectos" wer a threat to order
I The onglnal31st Infantry RegIment was formed in 1813 for service In the War of 1812. It was consohdated with
the Regiment of Light Artillery In 1815 and its numeral dl ppeared from the active rolls untIl 1866 when Ii new
315t Infantry Regtment was formed from the 3d Battalion 13th Infantry In) 869, that regiment was consohdated
with toda ' 22d Infantry.
2 The ahona! Defense ct of 1916 appropnated fund for the Army's emergency expansion amId a cr IS brewmg
worldwide, It expanded the Anny by seven mfantry regiments, one each in the Philippines (31st), Hawaii (32d),
and Panama Canal Zone (33d), and four on the Mexican border (34th through 37th).

Commander
Deputy
AdJutant CPT
HQCo
MGCo
upply Co
IstBn Cdr
CoA
oB
Co
CoD
2d Bn dr
CoE
CoF
CoG
oL
CoM
COL Wm H. Gordon
L T Fredenc H. argent
harl Weeks
1 LT EmIle V Cutrer
ILT Max A Iser
lLT John P dams
MAJ Robert HAllen
CPT Thomas L. Brewer
2LTJ P WII on
1 L T R G Caldwell
CPT Walter Harvey
CPT olin H Ball
CPT Wm R Kendnck
1 L T Clark Lynn
I T E erett Bowman
I LT Jacob E, FIshel
MAJ Ben W Field
I L T George W Maddox
1 L T verett D Barlow
1 L T RIchard H. Jacob
lLT A EllicottBrown
Reaction to the ational Defense Act of 1916 was
not as orderly as ongress might have intended. ince the
required manpower for new regiments would take at least a
year to recruit, the Army transferred men and equipment
from existing regiments, diluting them all. In compliance
With the order, the Phlhppine Department fonned the 31 st
Infantry Regiment's Headquarters Machinegun, and upply
Companies and 3d Battalion on August 13, 1916 at Fort
William McKinley (Rizal), with personnel and equipment
from the 8th and 27th Infantry 1 st Battalion was formed at
Regan Barracks (Albay) from the 2d Battalion 15th
Infantry. 2d Battalion was fonned at amp McGrath
(Batangas) With personnel and equIpment from the 13th
Infantry. As B ompany's First ergeant Joe Dundas put it"
"men went to bed on the night of July 3) , 1916 as members
of B ompany 15th Infantry Regiment and awoke the next
morning in B ompany 31 st Infantry Regiment." On Its
first consolidated morning report, the regunent totaled 35
officers and 1350 enlisted men,
Fonned only 18 years after the pamsh-American
War most of the 31st Infantry's emor officers and COs
had erved in that war, gaming msight int expediti nary warfare lonel Wtlham H Gord n, the
Regimental ommander, and Lieutenant Colonel Frederic H. argent, his Deputy, had seen action during
the closing years of the Indtan Wars in the American West, had fought against pain in 1898 and against
insurgents during the Philippine Insurrection, and bad seen their Army transfonncd from a pitifully small
internal security force to a modem Army that would grow to a force of over 4 milhon men over th next
two years.
Bottom ide Barr c and Officer Hou in2 at Ft Mill ,Corre,;dor, een from Malinta Hill
In December 1916, the 1st Battalion moved to Camp Eldndge (Los Banos) where it wasjomed
by the 2d Battalion in February 1917. During February and March 1917, the regiment underwent its ftrSt
mstruct!on practice, combat firing, and proficiency tests and there were frequent inspections to assure
companies attained a common standard. In June, Lieutenant Colonel argent, the regiment's deputy
2

commander, was promoted to succeed Colonel Gordon. To guard agamst a possible surprise attack by
Germany to seize the Philippmes, the 2d and 3d Battalions moved to Fort Mills on orregldor, an Island
near the mouth of antla Sa . They were followed a month later by Headquarters, Machmegun, and
upply ompanies. 10 August and eptember, all but the 3d Battalion returned to Fort McKinley
After the United tates entered World War I in pril 1917, few addItIonal troops were sent to the
Philippines, causing the regunent's strength to plunge as e perienced men were promoted or sent to
trainmg camps in the to help expand the Army for wartIme servIce. Those left behind feared they
would Sit out the war in the PhIlippines while others went to France to win the glory, the medals and th
glfls back home. By January 1918, the regiment had dwindled to 55 officers and 865 enlIsted men, just
enough to fully man one battalion. In February and March of that year, the regiment underwent its
second round of record practIce, combat fInng and proficiency tests, showmg tmpresslve results despIte
Its low strength.
Regan Bk (Albay)
1 st Bn Aug-Dec 1916
Bano)
p McGrath (Batanga
2dBn Aug 1916-Feb 1917
3

With one of the last contingents of new troops to join the regiment in 1917 was a remarkable 21-
-..-.-...-... year old who would remain associated with the Army and his
regiment to th end of his life at age 1 DO. Private Alf
Thompson joined the Army at Fort Collins, olorado m the
fall of 1917 and was promptly sent to the Philippines.
Although disappomted that he was not going to war,
Thompson was excited to see a part of the world that he had
previously known only in school books Assigned to the
31 st's Machmegun Company on his arrival m Marula.,
Thompson demonstrated uncommon attention to detail and
was soon appointed company clerk a corporal's position A
year later, following his promotion to sergeant and his return
to a machinegun section, Thompson appl ied for Officer
Candidate chool (0 ) at the urging of hiS company
commander. In those days, OC was taken mainly by
AlfThompson
FtMcKmley
1917
correspondence, supplemented by local mstruction and
testing at the candidate's home statlon. 3 Although
Thompson passed every test with ease, pubhcatton of orders
making him a second lieutenant had not yet arrived when the
regiment departed the Philippines m 1918
During the spring of 1918, the regiment's strength grew abruptly. Among the replacements
arriving at Pier 7 m Manila was esar Pares, a paniard by buth, who had
been sent to the ntted tates by hiS wealthy parents to study in ew York.
Eager to see the American west, be abandoned his studies to work on a
ranch m ew MeXICO. When he turned 18, he and a friend journeyed to
Denver by train to see more of the west After a wild night on the town,
they wandered the streets penniless On a whim. they walked into the Arm
recruiting statton at Fort Logan and enlisted. Pares expected that he would
soon be returnmg to his native Europe to fight the Gennans Instead, he was
sent to the Phllippines and assigned to the 31 Infantry's Headquarters
ompany.
When the 8 th and 13 th Infantry Regunents departed the Phlhppmes to fonn part of the 8 th DiVIsion
at Camp Fremont, CalifornIa., members of the 31 51 assumed it was only a matter of time before their
regtment received stmllar orders They would walt m vain. By April 1918, the 31

he would be returning to Califorrua afterwards. He hastily departed Camp Fremont by train, meeting the
Secretary in Kansas City as ordered. Baker conveyed the President's orders that Graves take two infantry
regiments then stationed in the Philippines (the 27th and 31st) to Vladivostok. Most of his staff and 5000
ftllers would be drawn from the 8th Division 1.
SffiERIA
On Augu t 10, the d Battalion 31 t Tnfantry was withdrawn from Corregidor to the Cuartet de
Espafia in Manila to prepare for departure. The remainder of the regiment moved by barge on the Pasig
River from Fort McKinJey to Manila. The regiment's main body and 115 tons of baggage, ammunition,
and regimental property left Manila on August 12 aboard the USAT2 herman, while the USA T Crook
took the regiment's horses and a 50-man caretaker
detachment. 3 The remainder of the regiment was
transported aboard the USAT Logan. Among the
passengers on the Logan were several young
lieutenants who had served long enough in France to
earn an inverted gold chevron signifying combat
service. An excerpt from" The Log of the Logan." a
newsletter published aboard ship enroute to
Vladivostok, gives some indication of the men's light-hearted spirit as they headed into the unknown.
"One by one these gallant youths explained and expounded 10 a gaping and credulous audience
of admirers in the first cabin saloon just how we fit (fought) and won the econd battle of the Marne. On
the first night oul. they informed all and sundry among the pas engers, prllng from a less valiant race,
ju t how fortunate General Graves was in having this turdy group of gold triper ordered to the Far
East to tell 'em how it i done. The tmthlill historian will have to admit that to none oflhe peakers did it
occur that to undertake to teach the Yankee how to fight. anywhere on the planet, is all the same as
undertaking 10 teach a Kentuckian 10 like whi key. Be that as it may. the hull brigade performed
entertainingly and prodigioll 1)1 until the econd night Ollt. when Major Lay broke up the .feminary in a
riot with the mild inquiry: 'Lieutenanl, don't YOll think the War Department i making an awful mistake in
risking you in iberia? In view of the fact that every officer and en!i ted man in the 32d Divi ion wa
humped off but yourself, don't you think the government ought to stuff and mount you, and exhihit you as
a curiosity, or at least subsidize a lecture tour for you?"
Enroute to Vladivostok, the transports stopped to refuel in agasaki, Japan, giving the 31 st a twoday
opportunity to see the city a later generation of Americans would destroy ill a thundering atomic
blast. Landing at Vladivostok on
August 21 , the 31 st Infantry set up
a tent camp east of the city in the
Gomastaya Valley. Several days
later, four companies were sent
north to establish strongpoints
along the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
Regimental headquarters and the
1 The 8 th Division was organized around the 8 th , 12th, 13 th , and 62d Infantry Regiments.
2 USAT is the abbreviation for U. S. Anny Transport
3 Even in infantry regiments, officers and couriers still rode horses and heavy weapons and supplies were still drawn
by horses until after tbe First World War.
2

The Canadian contmgent included a company of orthwest Canadian Mounted Police. Among
therr Olnnber was a gunnery officer named Raymond Massey who would later become famous as an
Amencan movie actor In the first group of American reinforcements was Major idney C. Graves, son
of the American commander Major Graves had earned the Distinguished ervlce ross, Bntam's
Dlstmgwshed ervlce Order, and the rench rolX de uerre wrule servmg as a captam With the 16th
Infantry Regtment in France. He was assigned as Executive Officer of the 3d Battahon 31 st Infantry
The 31 st grew steadily during the summer, fall, and wmter of 1918, swelled mainly by ftIlcrs
from the 8th DiVision Ironically, two of the same regiments (8th and 13th) that had formed the 31 st
Infantry in 1916 were agam depleted to bnng the 31st up to wartune strength. From a strength of 1562
when It reached ladlvostok, the 31 st Infantry grew to 3589 by December 31 , 1918. ew troops were
81 en a heavy dose of mdlvldual and squad trammg, marksmansrup, and forced tactIcal marches 10 a
replacement battalion before being asSIgned to their companies. One of the early replacements was
Private Forrest Moore of Los Angeles, who was asSigned to H Company m October 1918 In a letter to
his mother, Moore de cribes the barracks and food a good, the locals as friendl , and the men of H
Company as "men who really know how to soldier" Moore later served at the Suchan mInes where the
Bolsheviks captured him ot everyone shared his view of the barracks and food
,.
"
The first three months of 1919 were extremely cold but Army
wmter clothing was surpnsmgly SUitable for Iberia's chmate. It
conSisted of a woolen shirt and trousers, a woolen Jacket, a threeo
quarter length sheep lined overcoat, muskrat cap, muskrat glo es, and
heavy four-buckle overshoes. Troops were equipped With an M 1903
pnngfteld nile, an M] 918 Browning Automatic RIfle (BAR), or an
M 191 1 45 caliber pistol, dependmg on their duties A 11 of those
weapons, as shown by the year of fieldmg m thetr model deSIgnators,
were still fairly new at the time, representing the state of the art in
• Infantry weapons. oldiers who fought In Korea 30 years later would
stIll be usmg the BAR and the trusty 45 caliber pistol would remam m
service for over 70 years The regunent's heaViest weapons were 3
horse-drawn 37mm guns With a range of up to 2500 yards Each was
served by a two-man crew
Dnnkmg water for the VladIvostok gamson was drawn by cuttmg Ice blocks from a quarry In the
mountams, shdlng the Ice down the mountainsIde, and hauling it to the kitchens where It was melted and
boIled Barracks hfe left much to be desITed Before the bwld10gs could be occupied, squatters had to be
evicted and the mcredible filth left b the prevIous inhabItants had to be cleaned out. Although barracks
butldmgs were substantial bnck tructures, wmdows were t.ll fittmg and pot-belhed sto es heated little
more than their immedIate surroundings. Mattresses were straw-ftiled, creatmg a home for bugs of every
descnptlOn and a serious health hazard They were also a fire hazard, causmg the Replacement
BattalIOn's barracks to bum down when sparks from a coal stove caught a mattress on fITe and spread
throughout the building before anyone could fmd water that was not frozen Latrmes were outdoors
makmg every morrung a new challenge Depending on the time of year, Ice, mud, or powdery dust
co ered the barracks' exterior grounds. Yet despIte the 1ITltants, soldiers m Vladi ostok and other
gamson towns lived as comfortably as their counterparts in barracks back home.
In the early 1900s the sources of contagious diseases were becoming better understood, but WIde
gaps 10 medical and sanItation knowledge snH left soldIers vulnerable to a vanety of deadly germs
TWice in the early months of 1919, Headquarters Company was quarantined due to outbreaks of spinal
menmgttls Among the ViCtimS was Carl Bolmg, the regunent's ergeant Major Influenza was
4

particularly feared in such cramped quarters. An influenza epidemic swept the world in 1918, killing over
twenty million people, including thousands of American soldiers on their way home from the war. Every
time a case of influenza occurred in Vladivostok, everyone feared the worst. During the regiment's
service in Siberia, 135 of its members would succumb to diseases or non-battle injuries.
While Harbin, Manchuria and some of the small Russian towns along the Trans-Siberian railway
offered little opportunity for entertainment due to the ever-present danger posed by marauding groups of
armed bandits, Vladivostok was like port cities anywhere. Off-duty life was reasonably pleasant because
most locals were friendly to Americans. ighthfe in Vladivostok was a mix of seedy bars and brothels
near the docks and some elegant entertainment establishments at the city's better hotels. Men could stroll
the streets of Vladlvostok Wlarmed but It was best that they stayed together m groups at OIght m some of
the more "entertaining" districts. Perhaps just a little more than in most overseas duty stations, the
medical staff had its hands full with the consequences of being stationed in a relatively small city with a
large international military presence-dnmkenness, fights, and venereal disease. The environment
fostered an atmosphere in which men who were inclined toward indiscipline or were overtaken by
loneliness could easily stray from the fold. During the regiment's two years in Siberia, 50 of its members
deserted. Some sunply melted mto the polyglot international community where they could conceal theIr
identities while others managed to sign on to the crews of departing commercial cargo ships or whalers.
A poem by Private Frank Zanfagna of Headquarters Company reveals the depths of some men's
loathing for the part of the world into which they had been cast.
When the Lord was de igning creation,
And laying the ocean and land,
With never an hOltr of relaxation
Nor a moment to spit on his hands.
A anyone will in a hurry,
He lets things go by and then,
In all/he excitement and worry,
He failed to do them over again.
So rather {han mess up the outfit,
He aved every blunder and blob,
and laid them aside in a corner,
to u e at the end of the job.
And on the ixth day ofhis contract,
His bonus expired that day,
He bailed out the dreg. of creation
And shoveled the IlIter away.
He scraped all the wreckage and tailing
And the sewage and scum of the slump,
And he made on the shores of the Arctic,
A great international dump.
He nl hed the thing through in a hurry
And becau e 0/ the rush he was in,
he dubbed the locality Siberia
5

wire and loops of rope that were used around the men's wrists were still hanging from the ceiling, covered
with blood. I also found that some of these men had been scalded with boiling water and burned with hot
rrons, heated 10 a little stove 1 found 10 the room. 1 VISIted the spot where the men were shot Each body
had at least three bullets in it, and some had six or more. They were apparently shot in the feet frrst and
then higher in the body. " In reaction, General Graves ordered his men to stop such acts wherever they
were encountered. Representatives of Admiral Kolchak's "government" protested to U.s. Ambassador
Morris, who in turn instructed General Graves to avoid any mterference with Kolchak. Graves refused,
saying he was under War Department, not State Department, orders. Secretary of War ewton D. Baker
and Army Chief of Staff Peyton C. March supported Graves. General March wrote Graves a letter saying
"Keep a stiff upper) ip, I am going to stand by you until hell freezes over. "
INTOBAITLE
For a time the Bolsheviks, impressed by Graves' even-handedness, avoided provoking the
Americans. That changed in March 1919,
when a Red ideologue, Yakov Ivanovitch
Triapitsyn demanded the withdrawal of all
all jed soldiers from the Suchan mines. The
mineworkers were openly sympathetic to the
Red cause while their managers were
sympathetic to the Whites. Major William
N. Joiner, the 1st Battalion's Executive
Officer, led C, D, E, and L Companies from
nearby Shkotovo to bolster the mine guard.
H and K Companies and detachments of the
Machinegun and Headquarters Companies
were sent to reinforce them. Among the
reinforcements was 23 year-old Second
Lieutenant Alf Thompson, the regiment's signal platoon leader. His task was to lead patrols along the
railway to repair telegraph lines cut by Russian partisans. Alf arrived in Siberia as a sergeant in charge of
a machinegun section. When he was commissioned at Vladivostok in October, there were no officers'
uniforms available and he had to borrow his rank insignia. He bought his frrst set of boots (enlisted men
wore cloth wrapped leggings) in Vladivostok only to fmd they were made partly of paper and came apart
on his fITst march, leaving him shoeless in the arctic cold.
In April 1919, reacting to increasing Bolshevik assertiveness and general lawlessness along the
Trans-Siberian Railroad, the Al1ies agreed to assume responsibility for the rail line's security and
operation Bolsheviks interpreted the agreement as pro-Kolchak. Their view was reinforced when on
May 21 , troops of the 31 st Infantry began rousting an ill-disciplined band of Bolshevik partisans out of
the town of Marne on the Suchan spur. The three-day action resulted in several exchanges of frre, but no
American casuaLties.
On June 21 , 1919, a warm summer day, three enhsted men from H Company, Corporal Harlan S
Daly, Private Harold Bullard, and Private Forrest Moore (mentioned earlier) were captured by a
contingent of Reds while fly-fishing in the shallow Suchan River. They were being marched to
ovitskaya when the parti an came acros two other Americans, Lieutenant Custer Fribley of the
Quartermaster Corps, and Private Eastland W. Reed of H Company. Lieutenant Fribley' s mule was
captured as well. The men were not reported missing until the next morning. At around 11 AM a patrol
was sent out and found that the men had been taken to ovitskaya. Outraged, Colonel Gideon H.
8

Williams, commander of the Allied Mine Guard, dispatched a detachment of the 31 st Infantry to
recapture them.
On entering the village of Novitskaya at around 8 PM, a IlO-man detachment from M Company
led by LIeutenant Gllpm Rumans was ambushed by a larger force of Reds. The Amencans had to cross a
wooden fence to react. The first and third soldiers across, Privates Jesse M. Reed and Charles R. Flake,
were killed, forcing the detachment to ground where they remained pinned down under constant fire.
Entering the town from another direction to relieve pressure on M Company, Lieutenant Albert F. Ward
and PFC Dee P. Craig of H Company were killed by a sudden outburst of fire from buildings on both
sides of the street. Furious at their losses and intent on recapturing their comrades, H Company pressed
the attack. Pressed from two Sides, the Red force tled as darkness descended to cover thelf departure.
Sergei Samushenko, the Red leader, was captured during H Company's assault. The Reds took the
American captives, on whose behalf the assault had been launched, away. Red prisoners reported the
men were taken to the nearby village of Frolovka during the battle. Colonel Williams did not allow his
men to pursue, fearing the captives might be tortured and killed.
The two compames' sIx-roue return march to Suchan that mght was worse than mIserable. A
heavy downpour began around 10 PM, drenching the troops and turning their route of march into a sea of
mud. One soldier recalled, "The ambulance could hold no more so two dead men were placed on our
ammo cart used for the machineguns and ammo. They were tied on, so I held one man's leg to keep up
with the droskie (Russian for cart) because of the mud." The soaked, exhausted column reached Suchan
around 1 AM on June 23.
Just after dark on June 24, Lieutenant Lawrence D. Butler of A Company reached Romanovka
with 21 men to reinforce Lieutenant Harry Krieger' s 51-man 3d Platoon of the same company. Butler
was to take command of the combined force because Krieger had allegedly soured relations with the
locals. Krieger's platoon pitched their tents in a shallow depression at the edge of town. An adjacent
steep bluff offered a commanding view of the 3d Platoon's positions. Krieger's men outposted the bluff
by day but wlthdrew before dark because the area was known to host large numbers of Reds and an
isolated outpost would stand no chance if attacked. Passing through Romanovka that night, Lieutenant
Colonel Robert L. Eichelberger, the Siberian AEFs G-2 (Intelligence Officer) admonished Lieutenant
Butler that his unit was poorly positioned. Butler's troops had arrived after dark, however, offering no
opportunity for his COs to reconnoIter better positions. The reinforcements simply pitched their tents
alongside the 3d Platoon's.
The night passed without incident, giving sentries the false impression that this was just another
peaceful summer night. Occasionally a dog barked in the village as they always did, but there was
nothing out of the ordinary to observe. Atop the bluff, however, danger approached in the darkness. Just
before dawn on June 25, two companies of Reds led by Sergei Lazo positioned themselves among high
grass and brush at the top of the bluff to fire down Butler's detachment. Lazo's intent was to cut the
detachment's commurucatlOns, wIpe out the Ameneans, seize thelr weapons and ammunitton, and recrwt
Red sympathizers in the town. At 5 AM, the Reds opened fife with deadly effect as the early morning
light illuminated the somnolent encampment below. Thc opening volley hit scores of men in their sleep,
along with most of the sentries posted at the edges of the little camp. Lieutenant Butler was among the
first men hit. A bullet tore away part of his lower jaw but he remained in command, directing his men
with arm and hand signals to withdraw to a nearby woodpile and then to a cluster of log houses at the
edge of town.
To reach the village, the survivors would have to cross an open area under constant heavy fire,
risking many more casualties. Seeing the their duty clearly, PFCs Emmit Lunsford of Claremore,
9

wounds dressed Sulfate and morphine were admmistered to ase their suffenng Those able to eat were
gIVen coffee and crackers When the last of the wounded were aboard, the dead were taken aboard as
well On the return to Vladtvostok, a blown bndge stopped the hospital tram, causing the wounded to be
carried 10 great pain to another train waitmg at the other side of the gorge. They had to complete the
Journey to Vladivostok m boxcars, addmg to thelI agony 'everal days later, when vIsited by his men m
Vladlvostok's military hOSPital, Lieutenant Butler was found smokmg a cigarette A twisted rag tied over
his head and beneath the remams of ius Jaw took the place of a missing lower lip
A Company had lost 19 killed and 25 wounded during the action, most of them hit during the
enemy' s attack on the tent camp early that morning. Many of those shot 10 their tents were hit repeatedly
and either died on thelI bullet nddled cots or were shot agam as they attempted to crawl away. Three of
the wounded succumbed to their wounds that night and two more would die over the next two weeks A
Company's losses were by far the grcatest of any during the campaign.
Although the Reds retreated, they had drawn Amencan blood and wanted more While attention
focused on Romanovka, a platoon of E Company under ergeant James Gardner was the only force
remammg at ovo ezhmo, guardtng ItS telegraph connectIOn at the ratlroad statton Worned about the
gamson's senously dumrushed strength and detennmed not to allow a repeat of what happened at
Romano ka. Gardner's platoon bUilt a log and railroad tie berm around the station to gi e themselves
cover The precaution patd off Reds, assummg the platoon would be easy prey, attacked at flIst light on
June 26 Although outnumbered, the Amencans held therr ground and signaled Lieutenant Lorirnar for
help Lonmar hustled ius men at Romanovka onto a train and rushed to the rescue but It would take over
an hour to reach ovo ezhmo. Meanwhtle, several attempts to rush the Amencan bamcade were
repulsed, each leaving more dead and wounded Reds in thelI wake. When Lorirnar's platoon reached
ovo ezhino, the Reds' morale seemed to crumble. Thc exchange of frre had already dlIDlDlshcd to
sporadic potshots and it appeared the Reds were abandonmg buildmgs nearest the Americans At least
ten of their dead lay twisted m the street ill front of the statIOn ensmg opportunity, Lorirnar ordered an
attack. HIS 58 men sprang over therr barricade and charged down the street firing wildJy at Reds fleeing
ill paruc. When It was over, 30 Reds had been killed agamst only one Am en can wounded.
Perhaps recognizing they had stirred up a hornet's nest. the Red RevolutIOnary Headquart rs at
Frolovka sent an emissary to Suchan They offered to release their five Amencan captives If the
Americans would release several partisans they held, tnc1udmg therr leader, Sergei Samuschenko
Colonel Wilhams tnlhally refused When a second note amved with a message from LIeutenant Fribley,
the SItuatIOn began to ease. At least Wtlhams knew the captives were stili alive and well Williams asked
Lieutenant ColoneJ Eichelberger to negotiate an exchange of captives Eichelberger, who spoke Russian,
went alone ill the dark to meet With a group of RUSSians belund their Imes. He knew his opponents might
decide he was a greater pnze than those he was trying to free. After negotiating all night, Eichelberger
secured the captives' release, mcludmg Lieutenant Fribley's mule, and brought them out With hlID at
dawn. In exchange, Colonel Wilhams released Samushenko as Eichelberger had promised
earer the uchan mines, C and D Companies were attacked by a larger force near Sitsa on June
26 Sergeant Ralph Cranford of Frankhn, Pennsylvarua. actmg as a platoon leader, won the DSC for
defeating a numencally superior foe without a smgle loss to hiS own men. Corporal Arthur Vogel of
Heber, Caltforrua, ran a rauway locomotIVe past a Red-held cliff three times to draw the enemy's frre so
they could be Identified and destroyed by D Company's supporting macluneguns Vogel repeatedly
exposed lumselfto heavy tire and hIS RUSSian assiStant was wounded dunng the achon.
Unable to defeat an Am en can unit by direct attack, the Reds embarked on a campaign of
dlSfuption Over the next few days, they cut telegraph lines and blew up bndges all along the rat! spur
11

along a well-traveled path toward the town, Joiner's column madc good t.ime, reaching his planned attack
position behind a wooded ridge before dawn. A larger column, led by Colonel Williams, left Suchan after
Joiner's departure, intending to converge on Kazanka from the southeast. The plan was for Williams'
group to initiate the attack from a woodline fairly close to the town. Joiner's group would key on the
sound of WIlliams' guns, attacking near-simultaneously from a slightly greater distance. After traveling
just over half the distance to their objective, Williams' group became bogged down in a thick, waist-deep
swamp north of ovitskaya Getting through the swampy tangle with cwnbersome 37mm guns and
machineguns proved more difficult and time-conswning than anyone had expected Williams sent scouts
to find a way around the bog but the guns were mired and would have to be extracted. Bypassing the
extensive swamp would add several more hours to the trip because steep gorges flanked the approach.
With no communications between the two columns (field radios did not yet exist), Williams had
no way of telling Joiner what had happened. As the locals awoke and began doing their daily business
around the town, Joiner feared someone would encounter his men and sound the alarm. He waited
nervously, unsure of what to do. At around 8:30 AM, he decided he could wait no longer and initiated
the attack. He began by shelling key buildings with his lone 37mm gun and exploited the resulting
confusion Wlth a brisk mfantry assault supported by the machineguns. Although the partIsans were
unprepared, they put up a stiff fight; clinging desperately to hasty positions they took up around the
town's edge. Private Peter Bernal of C Company was cut down by a partisan's bullet as his platoon
maneuvered across an open field.
Throughout the hour-long battle, C Company's runner, Private John Martens of Anaheim,
Cahforrua, carried orders back and forth between platoons under constant tire. Tlfed of bemg shot at,
Martens turned and single-handedly attacked a group of enemy troops flfing at hUn from a patch of scrub,
kil1ing one and driving the rest from the field For his exemplary bravery under flfe. he was awarded the
DSC. By about 9:30 AM, the fighting was over. The surviving Reds fled the town, leaving their dead
and wounded behind. Major Joiner rested his men while they awaited Colonel WilIams' column.
Williams arrived near noon, his men exhausted after their arduous hike. In late afternoon, the entire
command marched back to Suchan, taking the easiest route available.
Despite Joiner's success at Kazanka things were far from quiet around Suchan On July 4. the
Reds tried and executed a local schoolteacher, a lady who had cooked for the local police, along with an
electrician and a telegrapber. The executions happened practically under the noses of the allied mine
guard detachment. The next day, Sergeant James Canney of Dorchester, MA was on patrol in the lower
uchan Yalley with two other men from D Company when they encountered a 50-man enemy force.
Seeing no other alternative, Canney promptly led his patrol in an attack, flfing from the hip as they
charged The assault killed one Bolshevik and routed the remainder who were stunned by Canney's bold
attack. Canney earned the DSC for his quick thinking, exemplary leadership, and exceptional personal
bravery under flfe.
On July 5, Colonel Wtlliams took D and M Companies, a machinegun, a medical detachment,
and a Japanese rifle company to pick up supplies at Vladimiro on America Bay, a distance of nearly 25
miles from Suchan D Company's PFC Alphia Schurter of Hilltop. KS was seriously wounded along
with five others as his company neared the village of Piryatina in the lower valley. AlthoUgll the firing
came from several bundred yards away, D Company immediately went into the attack from the march.
Unwilling to be left behind for treatment, Schurter ignored his blood-gushing wound and attacked
alongslde rus comrades, firing steadtly and reloadmg hIS BAR to suppress enemy flfe as he struggled
forward. Seeing Schurter struggling to keep up, his platoon sergeant ordered a medic to stop him and
treat his wound Schurter angrily brushed the man off and had to be physically restrained from continuing
13

at Shkotovo. executing most of their officers and appropriating stores of weapons and ammunition, which
they took with them to the Bolshevtk side. A Red victory in Siberia was imminent.
On January 8, 1920, the AEF was ordered withdrawn from Siberia. On receipt of the withdrawal
order, the 31st Infantry began its departure from the Shkotovo District. In bitter cold amid a blowing
snowstorm, the evacuation was completed despite two partisan attacks. Between January 25 and
February 3, General Rozonov's Whites were overcome in Aruur Province by a combined force of Social
Democrats and Bolsheviks,
ending White opposition in
Siberia. Rioting and looting
broke out in Vladivostok in
antIcIpation of the Reds'
takeover. A, C, I, and L
Companies of the 31st
Infantry established police
patrols in the city while E and
H Companies patrolled
outside the city. A Bolshevik
government was formed in
Vladivostok on January 31. A
large parade was held to
celebrate the conflict's end
and on February 3, American
patrols in and around the city
were discontinued. On February 6, Admiral Kolchak was apprehended by Czech troops who turned bim
over to the Bolsheviks at Yakutsk. He was shot and his body was thrown into a nearby river.
On February 15, the fIrst units of the 31st Infantry left Vladivostok.
For the next 45 days, the Transports Crook, Du, ollih Bend, and Great
Northern would carry the "Polar Bears" back to Manila where their odyssey
began. In the last contingent departing Vladivostok was a young
Pennsylvanian named William G. Hartman. Eager to participate in the Great
War as a pilot, he enlisted in the fall of 1918 at the age of 16. When he
arrived at the Army's east coast port of embarkation at Hoboken, ew Jersey,
he was put on a train headed west with hundreds of similarly bewildered
troops who thought they had enlisted to fight the Germans in Europe. They
had no idea where the train was going, except that it was headed in the wrong
direction if their destination was Europe. Arriving at Fort McDowell (Angel
Island, California), the recruits were issued winter uniforms and put aboard a
ship headed for Vladivostok, but were not told their destination. Because
Hartman was literate and exhibited an aptitude for mechanical things, he was
assigned to AEF Headquarters as a radio operator. In late 1919, Hartman was
sent to G Company 31 st Infantry as a replacement near the Suchan Mines. He
became the company's clerk on its return to Manila. 7
7 Hartman left the Army in 1922, but rejoined in World War n, serving with the 16th Armored Division in the fmal
push from Germany into Czechoslovakia. He retired in 1959 as a master sergeant, 41 years after his military service
began. He died in 1997 at his residence in the Soldier's and Airmen's Home in Washington, DC.
16

The 11

AMERICAN TROOPS PARADING IN V ALADlVOSTOK 1918

Cuartel d'Espaiia
J!. tado Mayor
When the 27th Infantry departed for Hawaii in December 1920, the 45th and 57th
Philippine Scout Infantry Regiments (American officers and Filipino enlisted personnel) were
formed at Fort McKinley. To make room for the new units, the 31 st Infantry moved its
rr --dqua.""t-rs '"'vi11pa.1Y, Dand, eul.d tst Diittali n to th '"'u

Fort Santiago
Man l. 1 a Army-Navy Club
MANILA
Infantrymen caught guard duty every 12 days. The regiment's guard force was formed
from details drawn from every company. Men stationed at Estado Mayor had to march a
considerable distance in the afternoon heat to the regimental guard mount on Cuartel de Espana's
parade field Among the most dreaded guard posts was Headquarters. Philippine Department at
Ft Santiago. This detail had a long, hot (or wet, depending on the season) march down General
Luna Street, past the Cathedral and Fire Station #4, through the Philippine Ordnance Depot, to the
guard room at the foot of the stairs leading to topside, the office of the Philippine Department
Commander. A welcome break from the routine of garrison life was annual firing practice at Fort
McKinley's B Range.

Kong and Malaya and American troops from the Philippines were soon sent to reinforce the
garrison. On Monday, February 1, 1932, Colonel Lorenzo D. Gasser, Commander of the 31 $I
Infantry Regiment in Manila, received the following orders:
"Washington, D.C., Jan 31, 1932
1932
From the Chief of tafr,
(Rec'd) A.M. February 1,
To Commanding General
Philippine Department
On the request of tbe American Consul General, Shanghai, to furnish further protection for
American lives and property in International Settlement, President directs that the 31st Infantry be
dispatched to Shangbai at once. Navy will furni b transportation using ChaumonJ or other craft.
Equip troops for indefinite stay and every emergency. Leave animals behind for present. On
arrival have Commanding Officer report to enior American Officer ashore for instructions and
duty.
MacArthur
Officers of the regiment were assembled at Manila's Cuartel de Espana at 8:30 AM to
receive a verbal movement order. The move required transferring the post of Manila, its
property, installations, and records to the 45 th Infantry (Philippine Scouts). Detachments of
Medical, Signal, Quartermaster, Finance, Ordnance, and Chemical Warfare troops were attached
from other installations in Manila. Officers from other units were reassigned to the 31 I to bring it
up to us i uli authonzanon. in iess than i 2 hours, th regun nt, which had be n 10 til same
barracks for nearly 12 years, made a complete transition from garrison duty in the tropics to
preparation for battle under winter conditions in China. After dark on February 1, the 31 51 began
boarding the USAT Chaumont, which got underway early the next moming.
Aboard ship, COL Gasser assembled his officers to stress the mission's international character,
emphasizing the importance of orderliness and discipline. British, French, Chinese, Russian, and
Japanese troops ot the . would observe the I " closely and draw conclUSIOns about the
American Army's quality. The 31 st Infantry would not give them reason to doubt the ability and
dedication of American soldiers. Heading north, the regiment changed from tropical khakis to
winter wool olive drab. Cholera inoculations were administered to all . There was little
infonnation about the situation in Shanghai, but a contingency plan was formulated to make a
forced landing under cover of machinegun and howitzer fire from the hal/mont. 0 detail was
overlooked in preparing for the miSSIOn.
At daybreak on February 4,
debarkation orders were published,
directing the issue of two sandwiches
per man, filling canteens, and
establishing ammunition issue points
aboard ship. The Chaumont dropped
anchor on the morning of February 5
near the mouth of the Whangpoo River,
pending instructions from the senior
American officer ashore, the 4th Marine
Regiment's Commander. Japanese dive
bombers could be seen attacking Shanghai and a steady exchange of artillery could be heard in
the distance. Tension ran high as the men awaited instructions. Early that afternoon, the

Chaumont resumed its journey up the Wbangpoo, sailing between Chinese forts and Japanese
warships which been firing furiously at each other only minutes before. All held their fire as the
Chaumont passed.
In late afternoon. the Chaumont berthed at
the China Merchants dock and unloading parties
promptly went to work. F Company debarked to
guard supplies that would be stored in the New
World Building that night. The remainder of the
regiment remained aboard ship, debarking the next
morning. The regimental band played at the head of
the column as the 31 51 marched 3 miles from the
dock to the New World Building at the intersection
of anking and Tibet Roads. Here and there
clusters of Chinese civilians watched pensively, not
knowing what to expect from the newcomers.
Heavily armed Chinese and Sikhs (Indians) of the
Settlement Police Force guarded every intersection.
Explosions echoed in the distance and shook the ground as Japanese and Chinese guns resumed
their thundering exchange along the river.
Headquarters and Machinegun Companies and
the 2 nd and 3 n1 Battalions took quarters in the
ew World Building. The 1 st Battalion spent its
frrst night ashore under the Shanghai Race
Track's main grandstand, moving later to an
abandoned library on nearby Bubbling Well
Road. The 31 51
Infantry and 4th Marine
Regiments formed a task force under the latters
commander. On February 7, a sergeant of the
31 Infantry raised the American garrison flag in
front of the regimental headquarters.
The International Settlement's perimeter was lined with strong concrete blockhouses topped with
steel observation turrets. They had heavy steel doors, telephone connections, windows for 2
macbineguns, rifle ports for 8 men, and a searchlight mounted in a parapet above. Living
conditions were hospitable since each blockhouse had its own urinal, electric heater, and folding
cots for use between guard shifts. On the outside, blockhouses were fortified with triple layers of
sandbags to absorb shrapnel and reduce the risk of penetration by antitank ammunition. Only a
direct hit by artillery posed a threat Medics were attached to each company, ensuring prompt
treatment of injuries if they occurred. Hot meals were brought forward by truck and a Salvation
Anny car made regular rounds with cans of hot coffee to help keep men awake on guard duty.
The regiment's area of responsibility
faced the suburb of Chapei where Chinese
Communists had halted the Japanese assault.
COL Gasser, his battalion commanders, and
members of the regimental staff reconnoitered
the perimeter that afternoon. Over the next two
days, the 2 nd Battalion relieved the Royal Scots
Fusiliers along Soocbow Creek while the 1 st

Toward evening on February 20, an armored car armed with a 37rnm cannon and two
machineguns, accompanied by a platoon of Japanese
Marines, halted ten feet from Blockhouse B. Members of
the 31 st Infantry's Howitzer Platoon and a squad from I
Company manned the outpost. Across the intersection, a
Chinese Communist machinegun poked from a second
story window. The weapon's operator, a friendly sort
who exchanged daily greetings with the Americans, was
nicknamed
"Charlie
Chan" by the troops. "Charlie" operated his gun
well and periodically threw small "potato masher"
grenades at the armored car, seeking to roll them
underneath where there was no armor. After a brisk
fight that resulted in no casualties on either side, the
Japanese withdrew, leaving "Charlie" in fum. control
of his intersection. During the exchange,
Blockhouse B took munerous hits meant for the
Japanese. Fragments from "Charlie Chan's" grenades sprung hundreds of small leaks in the
outpost's sandbag face. From then on, the site became known as "windy comer."
On February 22, a Chmese civilian, acting as an emissary for the Communist commander
in Chapei, approached the 3rd Battalion Commander, Major
Leonard T. Gerow] He asked if any Japanese troops were
in his sector. Major Gerow noticed the man looking
nervously at a group of Americans wearing blue denim
fatigue uniforms, the color worn by Japanese Marines.
Gerow instantly recognized the problem and banned denims
from the perimeter. On February 25, Britain's Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders relieved the 31 st Infantry throughout
its sector. Fighting ceased in the city during the night of
March 1, when the Chinese Communists withdrew into the
Mis to escape a double envelopment by Japanese troops.
On March 3, the 1 51 Battalion relieved the Highlanders opposite Chapei. On March 8, the
1 st Battalion dispersed a mob of Chinese beating Japanese civilians who lived in the settlement.
The next day, the Japanese naval landing force Chief of Staff called on the 1 st Battalion
Commander, Major Robert O. Baldwin, to convey his admiral's appreciation. On March 7, the
USA T Grant docked at Shanghai with 159 rep] acements from Manila All were given a period of
orientation training before being integrated into line
companies. On March 18, the Woosung forts fell to the
Japanese and Shanghai's commercial life began returning
to normal, although under Japanese rule. With little left
to do, contingents of the international force paid respects
to each other with a series of parades, reviews, and
sporting events at the Shanghai Racetrack.
I Leonard T. Gerow later became a lieutenant general, commanding V Corps in Europe during World War
U.

a abor Day celebration at Crane. Missouri. he expected. eople would honor veterans What he
got instead was jeers from a group of Civilian Conservation Corps jerks, driving their girls around
in a new, olive drab 1935 Chevy pickup with USA in blocked white letters on the hood. How's
that for gratitude?
at much has changed in that respect It was no different for most men returning home
in 1945. 1953. or 1971 We're heroes and the apple of every girl's eye when a war starts. but
instant outcasts when war ends or goes badly. It has been the same for soldiers of every country,
win or lose, since the dawn of time. We do what we must and get on with our lives, quietly
feeling sorry for the unfortunates who never felt the comradeship of a soldier'S life and who will
never experience the excitement of being whisked from boyhood to manhood to the tune of
bullets passing by or through.

Farrell remembers the regiment's COs as true professionals, dedicated to the ervice and to
each other. When one of his First Sergeants was about to retire in 1935, Sergeant Major James Screan
ul uOlarily took a on -gmde reduction ro TechnK:a.l Stlrgeam fur a munth su thaI his friend could retir at
the higher grade. At the time, sergeant major was a duty position held by a master sergeant E-7 (3
chevrons and 3 rockers), then the highest enlisted grade. When the man retired at the end of the month,
Screan got his rank back and lost no pay. His friend got the honor, though without additional pay, of
retiring as a master sergeant, a grade befitting the duty he had perfonned as a company frrst sergeant.
In 1935, a law was passed promoting officers to frrst
lieutenant after 3 years of service and to captain after 10 years of
service. Until that time, it was not unusual for a man to serve 18
to 20 years as a lieutenant. In contrast to the uncomfortable return
from Siberia in 1920, arrival in the Philippines was particularly
gracious, with all military transport ships greeted by the Philippine
Department band and a welcoming committee. When Lieutenant
Arthur G. Christensen 2 arrived to Manila on March 24, 1939, his
compan commander who was also his sponsor, met him at Pier
7. He was driven frrst to the Chinese tailor, Ah Wong, who had a post exchange (PX) concession. Ah
Wong fitted aU new arrivals for khaki tropical work uniforms and a white mess uniform to be ready in
time for the Bienvenida-De :pidida 3 always scheduled two days after a ship arrived to give Ah Wong time
to work rus magic with silk and cotton. Tailored khaki work uniforms cost PI5 ($7.50) with rank insignia
embroidered on at no extra charge. Silk-lined white mess uniforms cost P25 ($12.50).
From Ah Wong's, Lieutenant Christensen was driven to the Army-Navy Club on Manila Bay to have
drinks with the officers he would serve with and to take a furnished room that became his home for the
next year. Room service was provided to tenants as part of the
rental fee. The Army- avy Club bad its own restaurant,
several bars, a reading room, bowling alley, swimming pool,
and tennis courts, a stark contrast to the bare frontier posts
back home. The family of a sponsor accommodated mamed
officers who arrived with their families until private quarters
could be rented. If an officer brought a car with him, he turned
its papers over to the Quartermaster, who would have it picked
up at the dock, taken through Philippine customs, and delivered to his quarters with a full tank of gas.
Receptions were less regal for enlisted personnel. A leased civilian bus took enlisted men from
Pier 7 to regimental headquarters for in-processing. At headquarters, an CO from each company
marched new arrivals to their barracks where a less fonnal system of sponsorship was arranged by squad
members eager to show off their "old timers" knowledge of the post and city. Each battalion was housed
in a quartel, four company-size barracks enclosing an open area. Barracks each had an orderly room
(company beadquarters), day room (recreation hall), mess hall (dining room), kitchen, arms room, supply
room, and latrine on the first floor. Rooms on the ground floor were screened, but the second floor where
the troops slept wasn't screened because mosquitoes can' t fly that high. To take advantage of evening
2 Arthur hri ten n was commi ioned in 19 6 through ROTC at North Oakota Agricultural College. and came on
active duty in J937, joining a company of the 17 th Infantry at Ft Lincoln, ND where he remained until sent to the
Philippines in 1939.
3 In Spanish, the colonial language of the Philippines, the tenn bienvenida-despidida means hail and farewell, a
formal ceremony usually conducted the night before a ship sailed away with those being replaced. The Shanghai
Bowl ceremony, with its traditional passing of the cups to newcomers, was the event's central feature.
2

eezes, the second floor was open to a covered porch that ran armmd the entire building. Men
contributed a dollar or two from their monthly pay to hire servants who performed kitchen detail, shined
shoes, made beds, and kept the barracks clean, relieving soldiers of the most distasteful aspects of
barracks living. The contrast to hfe in garrisons in the US made Manila one of the most sought-after duty
stations in the world.
Manila had its own daily English-language newspaper, the Manila Tribune. 4 On May 1, 1941 ,
for example, the paper reported British fears of a Gennan airborne and glider invasion of Egypt from the
Medlterranean Island of Crete. The Germans had not yet invaded RUSSIa but had overrun France and the
Balkans and had just captured Crete in their costliest military operation yet. There were two stories about
men of the 31 $1 Infantry in the Tribune that day. The first reported the belated award of the Soldier's
Medal to Private Boyle O. Inman who risked his life to save a fellow soldier from a rampaging carabao
(water buffalo) during maneuvers near Cavite in January 1940. The carabao had trapped the soldier in a
ditch and was goring him. Disregarding his own safety, Inman began beating the animal with his
Brownmg AutomatIc Rille, causmg 1t to flee and saving his comrade's life.
Another article in the Tribune that day reported the retirement of First Sergeant David D. Crouse
of L Company 31 iii Infantry. Crouse had been in the Army since 1908, serving on the Mexican border and
in France during World War I before joining the 31 I Infantry in Manila in 1925. He then remained with
L Company for the next 16 years. A soldIer could "bomestead" as long as he wished in those days- it
was cheaper for the Army not to move people and it fostered unit cohesion. But getting assigned to the
31 st Infantry was not easy. Men in the flrst three enlisted grades who reenlisted from other duty stations
had to voluntarily take a reduction to private to be reassigned 5 Assignments to regiments stationed in the
Philippines (31 st ) , Hawaii (19 th , 21 st, 27 th , and 35 th ) , Panama {J 4th and 33"'), and China (15 th ) were prized
because duty was much more pleasant for soldiers stationed overseas than in the US . The Philippine
people were friendly, attractive girls were abundant, the cost of everything was far below stateslde prices,
and duty still ended at 1:00 PM each day, althougb training took on a more serious tone from the spring of
1941 onward.
By today's standards, the regiment's
readiness for combat was abysmally low. In the late
1930s, the 31 st Infantry's rifle companies normally
had only two officers and an average enlisted strength
of 70 men. 6 When cooks, clerks, supply personnel,
orderlies, guard details, and personnel on leave, pass,
sick call, in the hospital, or in confmement were
subtracted from a company's strength, most could
muster only around 20 men for training.
Headquarters, Service, and Machinegun Companies
were all larger, although they too were below
authorized strength. Infantry regiments were
reorganized in 1939 with a wartime authorization of 2542 men. An antitank company and three heavy
4 Courtesy of Professor Richard Meixsel.
5 In the pre-war Army, enlisted men in the top four grades (sergeant, staff sergeant, technical sergeant, and master
sergeant) transferred in grade to new assignments. Corporals and PFCs automatically reverted to the grade of
pnvate when they joined a new umt because promotions through corporal were reserved to urnt commanders.
6 In 1939, there were only 10,000 US troops in the Philippines. In addition, there were 6000 Philippine
Constabulary (lightly anned police force) and a Philippine Army of 20,000 (formed in January 1936), backed by a
nominal reserve of 4800 officers and 104,000 enljsted men.
3

weapons comparues D H, and replaced the regunental howitzer platoon and three machinegun
companies. AntItank ompany was authonzed eight 37mm truck-drawn guns and heavy weapons
companies were each authorized two .50 caliber machmeguns, two 81rom mortars and sixteen watercooled
.30 caliber machineguns Each of the nme nfle companies included a weapons platoon with four
air-cooled .30 caliber machineguns and two 60mm mortars. At least that was the wayan tnfantry regiment
look d on paper ctual distnbution of heavy weapons lagged behind the change in structure by at least
two years At least the reorgaruzation plan showed that someone was actuall begmrung to tlunk. about
the infantry's need for more firepower In 1940 the 31 st Infantry traded m its M-1903 pnngfield nfles
for Garand M-1 s 7 Men who clauned they could "shoot the wings off a gnat" at 750 yards With the
pringfield did not like the new Garand with Its more modest 550 yard accuracy, but its durability in mud
and rain and Its 8-round clip made a more poslttve impression on most
p no FORW R
Many other things changed m 1940. The elective ervice ct, passed 10 eptember of that year,
inStituted a peacetime draft and authorized callmg the ational Guard into Federal ervice. Its passage
enabled the Army to expand rapidly from Its depreSSIOn-era strength of 132,000 to around I 2 million
men In October 1940 all second lieutenants With more than a year of service were promoted to
temporary ftrst heutertant and all ftr t lieutenants were promoted to temp rary captam 8 0 t w re
promoted without additIonal pay since the law provided that first lieutenants with fewer than three years
service would continue to receive second heutenants' pay and captams WIth fewer than seven years
service would contmue to draw frrst lieutenants' pay. There were no proviSIOns for accelerated promotion
of other officers untIl January 1941 when all captains With more than seventeen years service were
promoted to temporary major Older officers who had commanded companies for years became
" mstructors ' with the Philippine Army or returned to the states, lea ing ompanies of the 31 st Infantry
suddenly commanded by much younger officers
nltke lDllts in tJle , tr P In the Philippine did n t ha e to train with wooden m k-up, ut
most heavy weapons did not amve until 1941 Even then, the results were not always what was expected.
One company that requested replacements for two inoperative .30 caliber machmeguns was issued avy
Marlm gun wrapped m 0 mohne-c aled n w pap r dat d 1918 To I me ammwlltion h rtage ,
Antitank ompany became partIcularly creabve, mserbng a sleeve with a .22 caliber nfle barrel 10 Its
37mm antitank guns for trammg They may have been the first unit m the Army to de elop and tram With
sub-caliber deVices ommunlcations equipment was simllarl sparse. There were backpack R-195
radios 10 e ery battalion headquarters but batteries were hard to get. ompanies were Issued "walkletalkies"
that had a plannmg range of two mues but they rarely acme ed It because therr signal was too
weak to penetrate folIage. As a result, wife and runners were as much m use in 1941 as they had been m
1918. Other than a few ton-and-a-halfs in ervice ompany and lIght trucks to tow the antitank guns,
here were few mihtary vehicles in the regiment, requiring 6 civilian bus lmes to move troops to distant
fteld maneu ers.
The Antitank ompan received its guns in April 1941 . They included four 37mm wheeled guns
and four older British "one-pounders " tarting with a cadre of one captam, two heutenants, and 25
7 The reliable M-J Garand remained the Army's standard service rifle until 1963 when it was replaced by
pringfield Armory' 7.62mm M-14 whIch was lighter and fed by a 20-round magazine.
Until the late 1960 , a parallel promotion system endured in the Army Officers were promoted to a temporary
Arm of the nlted tates (A or Arm Reserve rank according to the needs of the rvice, but were promoted to
a permanent Regular Army (RA grade onl after completmg a period of ervice prescribed by law. Ounng force
reductions, it was common for officers to revert to their permanent grade, a erious blow to morale.
4

enlisted men, the company was reinforced by 60 additional enlisted men in June. Organized in two
platoons of four gun squads each, the company had an authorized strength of 180 officers and men. a
strength it never reached. Eight Dodge weapons carriers towed tile guns and carried the crews. A
command car, a supply truck, and a kitchen truck rounded out the company's transportation.
As the tocsin of war sounded ever louder across the seas, all personnel scheduled to return to the
US had their tours extended indefmitely in March 1941 . The families of officers and NCOs were ordered
to return to the States. By July, most were gone. First Sergeant Arthur C. Hougbtby (C Company) and
Technical Sergeants John B. Fry (Service Company)
and Abie Abraham (C Company) who had become
close friends, went together to bid the departing
families farewell . Abraham's wife, whose American
father came to the Philippines in 1898 and married a
Fijipina, knew no other home and would remain in
Manila throughout the war with her two daughters.
Before Mary Houghtby took her long walk up the gang
plank onto the USAT Wa hington, Arthur gave her a
I long last loss, wiped her tears away, and said "Honey,
don't worry, the Japs won't dare attack the Philippines as long as us Americans are here" As the
Washington pulled away from Pier 7, the band played "Till We Meet Again" . Houghtby murmured, "My
God, I'm going to miss her.,,9
In April 1941, the USAT Republic and the President Pierce docked at Pier 7 in Manila. Aboard
were over 3000 men, about 700 of whom joined the 31 st Infantry, the ftrst real growth in strength the
regiment had experienced since it returned from Shanghai in 1932. Rifle companies received an average
of 40 additional men each, while the three weapons companies, Headquarters Company, and Service
Company received a slightly larger number. Most of the new men arrived untrained from recruit depots
in the US . All were soon sent to Fort McKinley's B Range for two months of basic training under the
regiment's own COs, a task that consumed most of the cadre's time until late June. During basic
training troops lived in tents lined up in neat rows on open ground and slept on folding cots draped with
mosquito nets. The practice was not tactical, but was convenient for mspections. Training consisted
mainly of close order dril1, marksmanship, weapons maintenance, field sanitation, organization of a
defensive position, squad assault tactics, and seemingly endless forced marches in the sweltering heat.
9 Arthur and Mary Houghtby would not see each other again. Less than two months after Bataan's surrender to the
Japanese, he died in captivity at Camp O'Donnell on May 20, 1942.
5

Fort cDowell, An el Island, aljfomia the Anny' P cific Deployment enter
Arrivrng aboard the Republic was a pair of recruits whose fnendslup got them both through tough
tunes, but fate would take one of them before the war ended Dale L. nyder from L'Anse, MichIgan and
Joseph Q Johnson from Memphis, Tennessee became friends at the Army's Pacific Transit Depot at Fort
McDowell, California Big for his age, Johnson was a 14 year-old kid when he enlisted, prompting
nyder to take the youngster under ills wing. When the amved rn arula, both were asSigned to D
om pany, the I st BattalIon' s heavy weapons com pany Both were assIgned to the 1 st Platoon, marrning a
water-cooled .30 caliber machrnegun- the proverbIal "pig in a blanket". Dunng basic tra10mg at Fort
cKml , the shared the same tent and when other recruits and 1Ostructors ribbed Johnson about his
ob lOusly tender age, nyder stepped 10 and told them
"Enough IS enough, just let the kid do his job" nyder
became Johnson' s mentor, teaching hlffi how to cope
with life in a hell-raising Anny. The two went on pass
together whenever they had the money and enjoyed
mrngling with F il1 pinos, a happy, friendly people who
seemed to genumely like Americans. They tend d to
stay away from the most popular spots because there
was always plenty of trouble where er large groups of
GIs went. Johnson remembers most of the older men rn
his company as "boozers brawlers and whore chasers who moved from
one 0 erseas assignment to another, but they were soldiers flfst and
foremost and most were damn good ones." They were a spit and polish
utfit.
mong the replacements am ing on the Pre 'ident Pi rce
was Private Ward Redshaw, a 6'7" anadian with size 15 shoes. Ward
left his Widowed mother' s home in western Canada and Jorned the Army

at Seattle in April 1941. His recruiter promised he could apply for duty with the Philippine Department
Photo Detachment if he would enlist for the 31 st lnfantry in Manila. Arriving at Fort McDowell for his
shots, wtiforms, and passage to Manila, he was delayed because the supply sergeant couldn't fmd any size
15 shoes or boots in the Army supply system. In desperation, the supply officer gave Ward $6.50 to buy
an appropriate pair of civilian shoes. Ward bought a nice pair of Borsheim wingtips that he thought
would look sharp with his crisp new khaki uniform. Although the startled supply officer fussed and
fumed when he saw what Ward had bought with the Army's money, he sent him to the Philippines,
wingtips and all. Ward suddenly found himself in great demand. When his ship stopped in Hawaii for a
layover, a captain offered to make him an MP (they needed big MPs in Hawaii). Ward politely declined.
Later, he wished he had taken the offer. In Manila, Ward was assigned to G Company. Seeing his
wingtips, the supply sergeant took him to Fort McKinley to get two pairs of boots made. A month later,
the recruiter's promise became reality. Ward was reassigned to the Philippine Department' s Photo
Detachment. When the Philippines went on alert in October, Ward was sent back to G Company.
In August 1941 , the USA T Washington reached Marula with the last contingent of replacements
to reach the Philippines before war came. After waiting an hour and ten minutes for clearance from port
authorities, the Wa hington docked at Pier 7. Among those disembarking was Chaplain Robert Preston
Taylor, a reserve lieutenant in the Army Air Corps who had taken a one-year leave of absence from his
church in Texas to minister to Air Corps personnel in the Philippines. either condition of his
employment contract would prevail and he would never return to his church.10 On arriving in Manila, he
was assigned as Regimental Chaplain of the 31 st Infantry. So much for the Army's promises-even God
has no chance against Army bureaucrats. As a bus took him and a group of fellow officers down Dewey
Boulevard from the port, Taylor gazed in wonder at the walled gardens surrounding the old city, alive
with rose-purple rhododendrons, scarlet hibiscus, and large China roses. The bells of Santo Domingo
Cathedral pealed and traffic came to a near standstill as his bus competed with pony carts, taxis, cars,
trucks, and an occasional military vehicle. No one seemed in a hurry.
Private Joe Johnson was fmding it easier than expected to gain respect. Among those who saw
potential in him was D Company's departing bugler. Eager to learn the instrument, "the kid" practiced
diligently in a shed near the bandstand until he developed the necessary callous on his lip. He was soon
recognized as the best bugler in the regiment. As a reward, early each morning he was sent with the
guard detail to General MacArthur's headquarters. 11 There he blew General 's Call when MacArthur
arrived. As his reputation for earnestness grew, "the kid' s" circle of friends grew steadily, including men
from allover the country. In addition to Dale Snyder, Johnson's mentor, there was Wayne Seiling from
Kansas, Earl Petrimeaux from Minnesota, Norris Cathey from Arkansas, and Dewey Smithwick from
orth Carolina All would die before the war ended. «The kid" would survive to eventually tell their
families what happened to them and where they were buried. His survivor's guilt would last a lifetime.
THE CURTAIN CLOSES 0 PEACE IN ASIA
On July 22, 1941, Japan occupied French Indochina, acquiring bases that dominated the South
China Sea west of the Philippines. To the north, Japanese-held Formosa (now Tatwan) was only 65 miles
10 Robert Preston Taylor survived the war and captivity and remained in uniform afterward, transferring to the Air
Force when that Service was fonned. In 1962 President Kennedy appointed him Air Force Chief of Chaplains and
promoted him to major general. He died in Arizona in 1995.
11 MacArthur's headquarters was at 1 Calle Victoria near Cuartel De Espana. Although retired from the Anny in
1937 after serving as military advisor to the Philippine Commonwealth, he remained in the Philippines in that
capacity in the employ of the Commonwealth government. He was recalled to active duty in July 1941 to head what
became U.S. Anny Forces Far East (USAFFE).
7

from the northernmost island of the Philippines. In the Central Pacific, Japan violated its League of
ations mandate and fortified the Marianas and Carolines, which had been placed under Japanese
"protection" after World War 1. They became menacing air bases astride S sea lanes between Hawaii
and the Philippines. Japan made it clear that the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) were targeted for
takeover just as French Indochina had been. It was only a matter of time before war with the United
States and Great Britam would follow. 12
Against that lUlsettled backdrop, the 31 st Infantry Regiment celebrated its 25th Anniversary
OrganizatIon Day on August 13, J 941 . It would be the regiment's last celebration for four bitter years.
31st Infantry Passes in Review on Burnham Green (Manila Hotel is in background)
The weather was bright and sunny when General MacArthur took the regiment's salute as it paraded
proudly down Dewey Boulevard The parade was followed by military displays at Wallace Field. Private
William J. Garleb, a recruit in H Company, remembers that day as one of the happiest of his life. His
squad demonstrated setting up, loading, fIring, and displacing its .30 caliber machinegun with crisp
precision. It was what he had practiced repeatedly on Fort McKinley during basic training and now he
was having his graduation exercise to the applause of an appreciative crowd. Later, there was a barbeque
at nearby Harrison Park in the Luneta area along Manila Bay. In the evening. there were boxing matches
at Jose Rizal Stadiwn. An extract of the address given by Colonel Albert M. Jones, the regimental
commander, on that occasion follows.
"Fellow member. of the 31 t Infantry:
Today, Aligli I J 3th, we commemorate the i/ver Anniver ary of ollr regiment's organization.
Due to unsettled world conditions, the Army of the United fales is now engaged in intensively preparing
to meet any emergency. Our regiment occupies a key strategiC position in thi far ea tern pos e sion. It
i ready for prompt expeditionary employment. Tt i a re ervoir of trained troop leader.. It i prepared to
take its position in the defense of the Philippine . ..... During the pa t 6 months, ollr ranks have been
greatly increa ed by the ab orption of the highest type of young American manhood In the face of a
threatening international silualion. these patriotiC young men volunteered for service in this exposed
outpo I. We have ubjected them to intensive training under trying tropical conditions. the soldier of
today, more than ever, must pend his time learning the thing. that make a man efficient in combat, that
make him act intelligently in an emergency and fhal toughen him physically to withstand the rigors of
12 In August 1941 , the Army Air Corps had 81 P-40 Warhawk fighters and 9 B-17 bombers in the Philippines. In
December, they were joined by another 35 B-17s, 107 P-40s and 52 P-35 fighters. On the ground, the Army had 54
tanks. 50 antitank guns, 10 75mm pack howitzers, 178 75mm field guns, and 123 .30 caliber macbineguns.
8

modern warfare. In no other arm mtl I so milch Irll t be placed in the individual soldier as in the
Infantry.
Since I a slimed command of the regiment on November i , it has more than doubled in trengtk
its armament, Iran portalion, and equipment have been tremendously increa ed and modernized lis
officer. and NCOs have worked ceaselessly and lireles Iy to train these young men in the fundamentals of
oldie ring . .... We know not what lies ahead. We mil t befully prepared We mll t not pare our. ell'e . I
have absolute faith in the ability of our regiment to accomplish all of its many and varied missions. The
honor and glory oflhe 31st Infantry e tablished by our predecessors mil t and will be upheld by us. "
On that day, there were still four men in the 31st Infantry who had served with the regiment in
Siberia 21 years before. They were First Sergeant Beresford O. Seale (Headquarters, 2d Battalion), Staff
Sergeant Sam Dietz (Service Company), taff ergeant John P. Flynn (L Company), and PFC John
Labasewski (A Company). Thirty-eight others had served with other units during World War 1. First
Sergeant Emmanuel Hamburger (Antitank Company) served with "Black Jack" Pershing in Mexico in
1916 and in France with the 1st Division during World War 1. By the time World War II came four
months later, Sam Dietz had departed the regiment. Emmanuel Hamburger was still Antitank Company's
first sergeant. He would survive the war. Beresford Seale would become E Company's First Sergeant,
earning the Silver Star trying to rally his frightened company at Layac Junction In captivity under the
Japanese, he worked as a plumber in Manila's Bilibid Prison where he died of disease and starvation.
John Flynn received a battlefield commjssion soon after the battle of Abucay Hacienda in January 1942.
He had already become the most decorated man in the regiment, earning the Distinguished Service Cross,
the Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts. He died in captivity in 1944 when the "hell ship" taking him to
Japan was sunk by the US Navy. John Labasewski, the regiment's oldest private, died on the same ship.
In the summer of 1941 , the tempo of training picked up. All administrative functions shifted to
the afternoon hours, leaving officers free to playa more direct role in morning training. Beginning in late
summer, the regiment conducted one 3-day exercise per month to toughen the men for the rigors of
combat and familiarize them with their intended wartime operating area. At the time, the 31 st Infantry had
responsibility for defending Batangas, Tayabas, and Lamon Bays south of Manila. On September 1, the
Philippine Anny began mobilizing. i3 The 31 st Infantry, still far short of its wartime authorization, was
tasked to provide officers and COs to help mobilize and train new Philippine Anny units More than
half of the regiment's senior officers and an average of 2 lieutenants and 10 NCOs per company were
soon sent to hastily built posts allover the Philippines to train and help lead the Philippine Army and
form two corps staffs. Their loss would be sorely felt in the months ahead, but without them it is doubtful
that the ten Philippine Army reserve divisions could have fought as well as they did. Although Filipinos
came in for considerable criticism from their American comrades for fleeing under pressure, few
remember that two battalions in every Filipino regiment had not even received basic training when the
war started and most Filipino soldiers had never even seen a rifle before being inducted. Recruited from
isolated tribes that spoke at least 40 distinctly djfferent languages, some units could not understand the
Tagalog language of their commanders, who were mainly from Luzon's major cities. Despite that and the
fact that most Filipinos were armed with old Springfield M-I903 rifles and had few heavy weapons, they
constituted Bataan's main line of defense for nearly four months and suffered over 80 percent of the
campaign's battle casualties.
i 3 On that date, the 31st infantry Regiment was reassigned from the Philippine Department to the Philippine
Division which had since 1931 consisted of only Philippine Scout units. The transfer order was not posted and
therefore went unnoticed to men of the regiment who continued to wear the blue and white seahorse patch of the
Philippine Depa.rtment, rather than the red and gold Carabao (water buffalo) paich of the Philjppin.e Division.
9

On October 25, the 31 st Infantry boarded leased civilian busses at Fort McKinley's B range and
traveled nearly 100 miles to establish coastal defenses north of ubic Bay On reachmg their destination,
the tr ps \ ere dr p d ofT and the busses returned to Manila empty While on the coast, Phihppio
fishermen alerted the men that a Japanese ship was in the ba warnmg fishermen away. The Filipinos
thought the shIp might have been laY10g mmes near the U .. naval base at ublc Bay. The mformatJOn
was passed through channels to MacArthur's intelhgence staff in Manila, but no response was noted. On
completmg Its coastal defense trammg, the 31 st marched 30 miles a day back to Fort McKinley 10 the
unrelentmg trOpiCal heat Pnvate Garleb noticed that lus squad leader, Corporal George Eckhardt. Jr., dld
not flop on the ground and rest at halts as the others dJd. He remamed standmg and kept hiS pack on but
never seemed to get tired. Garleb followed his example and found that it worked. He also learned from
some of the "old hands" to put a pebble under his tongue to keep from getting too thirsty.
There were always moments of comic rehef amid th Army' s grim preparations for war. Pnvate
Harold O. "Red" Dyer was one of the new men In the 31 st and a real character, according to fellow
memb rs of F Compan . Dyer, a 6'2" Texan, got the nIckname "Red" becau e of ill reddl h pmk
comple Ion and reddish blonde hair After taking all the ribbing he could stand, Dyer per uaded the
company barber to dye his half and his fuzzy WISp of a mustache coal black. 0 one recognized him
when he walked out of the barbershop At recall formatIon, his se ret varushed when he took his place in
the rartks HIS buddies howled With laughter, disrupting the formation, but First ergeant George hirk
was not amused 14 D er' s fuzzy strands of a moustache-in-the-makmg quick! came off but it took
months for hiS half to return to its natural color.
In ovember 1941, unusually heavy Japanese troop movements throughout East sia and the
Western PaCific alarmed U mtelhgence. On 0 ember 27, AFFE was placed on war alert On that
day, the Hender. on, delivered the regiment's long-awaited 60mm and 81 mm mortars. PFC Paul
Kerchum of D Company was sent by rus frrst sergeant With a Dodge 4x4 truck, a Signed reqUIsition, and a
four-man detail to pick up the weapons At ervlce ompany's arms room 10 anta Lucia Barracks,
Kerchum received the mortars, but no ammunition. When Kerchum asked where to draw the
ammunition, th master sergeant Issuing the weapons responded In
frustration "There ain't any, soldier" . Kerchum made the mistake of
ask10g wh . His response was a fiery blast "Look son, the
ammurtition IS due to arrive with a convoy from the states 10 about
two weeks. Its not up to you or me to Judge the deciSions of the
brass, so pick up your mortars be thankful for what you got, and
haul your smart ass out of here "15 Ten days later, Japan attacked
Hawaii, slamming the door shut on shipping lanes to the
Philippines When war came, 8lmm mortars would have to make
do mostly WIth old, unrehable 75mm tokes mortar ammunition left over from World War I and the 60s
would be useless because thelf ammunluon never amved.
Despite a senes of war warrtings that arrived in late ovember, life in the PhilipPines changed
little Arthur Chnstensen and some of hiS friends went to Camp John Hay for Thartksgivmg. In Manila,
Japanese reSIdents were free to move about as the pleased, sometimes pro oking the ire of Amencan
soldiers who had come to view them as enemies after seeing or hearmg about Japanese brutality in Chma
Paul Kerchum was at a bar with some of his buddies when two Japanese made an offensive gesture as
14 1 G George L. huk Modena, PA) died at the hands of hiS Japanese captors on January 19, 1944, whlle on dewl
at Clark Field. PVT Harold 0 Dyer (Gal eston, TX) was everely wounded at Abucay HaCIenda and died In
captivtty at abanatuan on July 21, 1942.
15 Co"egidor, th End ofth Lme, p. 46
o

they departed Kerchum tore after them, saw them jumping into a cab, and lit into them through an open
back window. When the door opened, Kerchum and one of the Japanese spilled out into the street and
were still flailing away at each other when the MPs arrived. When the matter was brought to Lieutenant
Lloyd Murphy's (Kerchwn's company commander) attention, Murphy decided to press charges, referring
Kerchum for trial by Special Court Martial. His trial date was set for December 7, 1941 , a day that lives
in infamy for other reasons. 16
On December 6, the movie ergeanl York, starring Gary Cooper in the title role, was playing in
Manila The theater was jammed beyond capacity with Filipinos and Americans vying for the best seats
to see a shy World War I hero from Pall Mall. Tennessee single-handedly destroy a company of GeImans.
For a few more days at least, war was still only a movie in Manila.
References
1. Abie Abraham (Sergeant, C Company. 1940-42), Oh God, Where Are You? ew York: Vantage
Press, 1997. A Iso telephone interview and exchange of letters with the author 1996-98.
2. Series of letters and emails from Arthur C. Christensen (Captain, F Company and HQ Company
1939-41), concerning his pre-war experiences in the Philippines and invaluable data he provided on the
pre-war strength, billeting, training, and organization of the 31 st Infantry.
3. Series of letters from WiJliam J. Garleb (Private, H and M Companies 1941-42), and personal
interviews during regimental reunions concerning his pre-war experiences in the Philippines. He also
provided pictures and copies of his pre-war and wartime letters to his family in St Louis.
4 Letters and emails from Richard M. Gordon (Corporal, F Company, ] 940-4]), concerning his pre-war
experiences in the Philippines. He also provided a copy of the wartime regimental roster compiled by
LTC Jasper Brady and MAJ Marshall Hurt while they were in captivity at Cabanatuan-a uniquely
helpful source document without which this book would have missed much important detail.
5. Ralph E. Hibbs, M.D. (Captain, 2d Battalion Surgeon), Tell MacArthur to Wait, New York: Carlton
Press, 1988 Also telephone interview 1997.
6. History. Lineage. Honors, Decorations. and eventy-Third Annive", ary Yearbook (Unit History
Committee, 4th Battalion 31 st Infantry, Ft Sill, OK 1988-89
7. History, Lineage. Honors, DecoratiOns, and eventy-Fourth Anniversary Yearbook (Unit History
Committee, 4th Battalion 31 st Infantry, Ft ill, OK 1989-90.
8. Letters from Joseph Q. J ohnson (Private, Company D 1941-42), to Michael Pullen concerning shared
experiences in the Philippines with Pullen's uncle, Dale L. Snyder (Private, D Company) who was
executed by the Japanese at Cabanatuan. Also a series of email exchanges and a draft manuscript of his
unpublished book.
9 Series of letters from Paul Kerchum (Corporal, B Company) to John W Whitman for the preparation
of his singularly helpful book, Balaan. Ollr La I Ditch. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990. John
16 Kerchum was informed by the Staff Judge Advocate's office on December IS that the charges were dropped.
Japanese bombs were falling on Manila at the time.
11

Whitman's book adds invaluable painstakingly-researched dissertation-quality detail to Louis Morton's
official history of the defense of the Philippines. Also personal interviews with Kerchum during
regimental retmions 1995-1998.
10. Letters and emails from Farrell D. Lowe (Corporal, F Company and Service Company 1932-37),
concerning his pre-war experiences in the Philippines with pictures and a map of Manila. His account is
the most complete of any of the era.
11. Letter and emails from Dr. Richard B. Meusel (professor of History, James Madison University) a
scholar of the era, providing a thorough and very helpful review of the initial draft of the first two sections
of this book. He also provided maps and pictures of pre-war Manila.
12. Louis Morton, The Fall of the Philippine , United tale Army in World War II, The War In the
Pacific, Washington: Office of the Chief of Military History, US Army, US GPO, 1953.
13. Letter and phone interview with Ward F. Redshaw (PFC, G Company 1941-42), 1998 concemmg
his pre-war experience in the Philippines with his picture.
14 "Regimental Heraldry ", United tates Army Recruiting ews, Office of The Adjutant General, 1938,
pp. 9, 13 (discuss the 31st Infantry's history.)
12

OMINOUS BEGINNING
Chapter 6
WORLD WAR II
1941-1942
On the evening of December 7, 1941 a loud party was underway at the Manila Hotel's
Fiesta Pavilion. Major General Lewis Brereton, commander of Army Air Forces in the Far East
was attending a party thrown by the 27th Bomb Group,
recently arrived from the US ahead of their planes. The
party, marked by raucous laughter, off-key singing,
tinkling glass, and squealing girls would continue into
the wee hours of the morning. Observing from the
Hotel s Bamboo Bar under a cascade of scarlet
bougainvillea, First Lieutenant Dwight Hunkins of H
Company remarked to his friends, '1 hope they can fly
B-17s better than they can sing."( His friends were Lieutenants George Williams, an infantry
officer recently reassigned to the Philippine Army, George B. "Joe" McClellan III, an Army
aviator and descendant of General George McClellan of Civil War fame, Bill Tooley, a Signal
Corps officer with the 31st Infantry's Headquarters Company, and Ralph Erner on Hibbs, the
31st Infantry Regiment's 2d Battalion Surgeon. None of them knew it yet but they would be at
war the next morning and when it was over only one of them would stiU be alive. 2
Ralph Hibbs awoke in the early hours of December 8 to the steady ringing of a telephone
in General Brereton' s suite aero s the garden.3 Through open windows, Hibbs heard Brereton's
gruff, irritated voice answer, "Hello? Those sons of bitches! You've got to
be kidding!" After another flurry of curses, Brereton slammed down the
receiver. Soon other phones rang, subdued voices filled the courtyard,
followed by hurried footsteps, doors slamming, and cars zooming off through
the otherwise quiet city. Unconcerned, Hibbs went back to sleep. He didn't
know this would be the last night he would spend in a bed for more than three
years. At 6:30, as Hibbs drove his old Chevy through the suburb of Pasay to
his battalion's bivouac site near Nichols Field, a vendor flashed the Manila
morning paper at him: ' HAW All BOMBED--W AR'" As he entered the bivouac area, men
were already digging foxholes. Major Lloyd Moffitt, the 2d Battalion' s commander, infonned
Hibbs that be was now a captain. "As of this morning, all company grade officers are promoted
one grade." First Sergeant Joe Wilson suggested that despite his advanced grade, Hibbs should
start digging a foxhole "because the Nips are scheduled to arrive soon. '
1 The 27th Bomb Group's planes never arrived. Some of the pilots were evacuated to Australia but most of the unit
fought on Bataan as Infantry.
2 Only RaJph Hibbs survived.
3 The date was Sunday. December 7 in Washington and Pearl Harbor because the International Date Line bisects
the Pacific west of Hawaii.

December 9. 6 A stray bomb landed in the 2d Battalion's bivouac area but no one was hurt. On
the airfield, however, there was great devastation. Buildings and wrecked planes billowed thick
black smoke and flames into the air. One bomb struck next to the Pan Am Communications
Center, killing its civilian operator. Around 11 AM, units in bivouac were directed to move into
dispersed assembly areas under the cover of trees. Company commanders were ordered to
reconnoiter positions for defense against possible Japanese airborne landings.
The 2d Battalion's field headquarters was situated on a slight knoll only a kilometer from
the end of the Nichols Field runway. Preparing for a second wave of Japanese bombers, Private
Bill Garleb worked feverishly to set up his Browning .30 caliber machinegun on an antiaircraft
tripod. He remarked to his squad leader, Sergeant George Eckhardt, "How crazy is it for Japan to
attack America?" Japanese plane returned arOlmd II :30 AM. The 2d and 3d Battalions watched
them twist and dive in a swirling aerial dogfight against American P-40s. Stray rounds and spent
shells from the dogfight landed among the bewildered troops, precipitating panic in the ranks.
Men scattered to find whatever cover they could, leaving machineguns sitting harmlessly atop
their antiaircraft mounts. Private Bill Garleb jumped into a ra ine and bUITowed into what
seemed to be an animal's lair, covering his head with his hands and trying to shut out the sounds
of war erupting around him.
When the raid ended, sheepish men emerged to the angry barking of NCOs. During their
baptism of ftre, few had demonstrated the coolness and discipline
they would need in combat. Near sunset, an American spotter plane
came in low over Nichols Field. Nearly e ery weapon in the 2d and
3d Battalions blazed away at the hapless plane.? Aircraft
recognition had not been part of the new recruits' training. The
pilot bailed out, but still they fired as he waved his arms franticaJIy.
Slug ripped through his body and parachute. A "cease firing" order
was ignored and in one case, an officer had to drag a wild-eyed machinegunner away from his
gun. The pilot was shot through his left lung and landed limply, but he was alive and very angry,
screaming, "You shot me in the air, you shot me on the way down, you sons-of-bitches!" He
was still spewing obscenities as an ambulance took him off to the aid station.
The series of raids caught most US planes on the ground, destroying the 19th Bomb
Group's B-17s at Clark Field and practically wiping out the P-35 and P-40 pursuit fighter
squadrons based at Clark, Nichols, Del Carmen, and Iba Fields. From then on, there would be
almost no air support for Luzon' s defenders. Although 20 airmen had been killed and over a
hundred wounded on Nichols Field, when quiet returned, men resumed the work they had been
doing before the raids. A group of carpenters returned from their places of shelter to continue
building new barracks on the wrecked airfield. They were soon hammering away as if nothing
unusual had happened.
6 ow Manila International Airport
7 Unlike the 1st Battalion, the 2d and 3d Battalions were on the range and therefore had access to practically all the
machinegun and rifle anununition they could fire.
3

installations that were being systematically destroyed by Japanese bombers. The 26th Cavalry
cPS) from Ft Stotsenberg fanned out across central Luzon to cover the Philippine Anny's steady
retreat.
31st Infantry Chain of Comm and
Bataan - December 14, 1941
Regimental Commander COL Charles L. Steel (reassigned Mar I, 1942)
Executive Officer LTC Irvin E. Doane (promoted, reassigned Jan 27, 1942)
HQ Company CO CPT Earl C. Packer (died in captiVity)
Service Company CO CPT Clarence Bess
Antitank Company CO CPT Robert A. Barker (died m captivity)
Medical Det CO MAJ Clarence H. White (died in captivity)
1 st Battalion CO LTC Edward H. Bowes (Silver Star, died in captivity)
A Company CO CPT Cecil R. Welchko (died in captivity)
B Company CO CPT Lloyd G. Murphy (relieved for cause, died in captivity)
C Company CO CPT Richard K. Carnahan (DSC, died in captivity)
D Company CO CPT Christopher J. Heffernan, Jr. (died at Hospital # ) on Bataan)
2d Battalion CO MAJ Lloyd C. Moffitt (Silver Star, KIA April 8, 1942)
E Company CO CPT Robert S. Sauer (Silver Star, died in captivity)
F Company CO CPT Eugene B Conrad (Silver Star)
G Company CO CPT John I. Pray
H Company CO CPT Dwight T. Hunkins (Silver Star, died in captivity)
3d BattalIOn CO LTC Jasper E. Brady, Jr (Regt Cdr Mar I, 1942, died in captivity)
I Company CO CPT Ray B. Stroud (relieved for cause, died in captivity)
K Company CO CPT Coral M. Talbott (died in captiVity)
L Company CO CPT Donald G. Thompson
M Company CO CPT Thomas P. Bell (Silver Star)
OPENING MOVES
At 2 AM on December 12, the 3]st Infantry, less the 1st Battalion, boarded trucks,
civilian buses) and commandeered
taxicabs and headed north from
Fort McKinley to a destination
still unknown to the troops. The
vehicle column reached San
Fernando, Pampanga Province, at
dawn and continued moving.
Three flights of Japanese fighters
passed overhead, but showed no
interest in the convoys below. Even wben traffic became jammed at the Calumpit Bridge,
Japanese planes seemed uninterested. Tbe colwnn's only anti-aircraft protection was BARs and
air-cooled .30 caliber macbineguns poked through holes cut in the roofs of buses and cabs.
Around 1 PM on December 13, the regiment's lead element was dropped off at kilometer post
137, near Pilar on the Bataan Peninsula's main north-south road. The next morning, the 3d
Battalion marched westward, taking up positions about three miles east of the barrio (village) of
Bagac to guard against possible Japanese landings on Bagac Bay. Colonel Charles L. Steel, the
5

31 st Infantry's commander, became ill and was taken to the field hospital at Limay, leaving his
executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Irvin E. Doane, in command. Doane put the 2d and 3d
Battalions through intensive training and conditioning with particular emphasis on patrolling.
One patrol went all the way to the Bamban River, about 20 miles north of Ft Stotsenberg in
central Luzon to reconnoiter a possible delay line. Their exertion was wasted. The only
delaying action there would be was whatever resistance the 26th Cavalry, the artillery, and a few
Philippine Anny divisions could muster as they fell back toward Bataan.
Emboldened by the success of their initial landings, the Japanese landed 43,000
additional troops at Lingayen Gulf on December 22 . In five days, the Japanese reached Fort
Stotsenberg in central Luzon, pushing steadily closer to Manila. Cavite Naval Base and Sangley
Point Naval Air Station were bombed repeatedly that day, sending columns of smoke high over
Manila Bay while frustrated Marines and sailors scurried
about helplessly, unable to strike back. On Chrisbnas
Eve, at Philippine President Manuel Quezon's urging,
General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila an open
city. Quezon sought to spare the civilian population
from Japanese bombing by vacating military bases in the
city so that there would no longer be legitimate targets
there. Under the Laws of War, an open city is not to be
attacked.
But not all troops left the city. An emergency police force that included the 31st
Infantry's B Company remained, augmenting the 12th and 808th Military Police Companies, the
Philippine Constabulary, and the city's police force to keep order. After spending nearly three
weeks in the Luneta area along Manila Bay fruitlessly guarding against Japanese paratroop
landings that never came, the rest of the 1st Battalion boarded barges before daylight on
Christmas morning. They were headed for Corregidor, an island dominating Manila Bay's
entrance. Once ashore, the ] st Battalion marched up a long hill to the parade ground in front of
"Topside", the world's longest barracks. In peacetime, Topside housed three coast artillery
regiments and an antiaircraft regiment, but now it was nearly empty since most gunners were at
their battle stations. These included Forts Drum, Wint, and Hughes on smaller islands near the
mouth of Manila Bay. Only the coast artillery units' headquarters and support personnel and the
4th Marines, recently arrived from Subic Bay, occupied the huge building.
At dusk on Chrisbnas Eve, the 31st Infantry, less the
1st Battalion, reached a fairly flat, open area just north of
Abucay Hacienda. There they began developing what became
the Main Line of Resistance (MLR). For the next four days,
the 31 st labored around the clock, stringing barbed wire,
digging positions, stringing communications wire, setting
night aiming stakes for automatic weapons, pacing distances to likely points of enemy attack,
and registering artillery and mortar concentrations. To the regiment's right was a series of fish
ponds separated by narrow dikes and extending about a kilometer to the east to Manila Bay. The
6

line extended inland about two kilometers west of the barrio of Matabang where excellent cover
and clear fields of fire existed.
An affront to the predominantly Catholic population, Manila was bombed twice on
Christmas Day. The bombings continued for several
days, signaling Japanese contempt for the Laws of
War. On December 28, Colonel Steel returned to the
regiment, looking pale and much older than his 50
years, according to one of his fonner officers. After
completing the position at Matabang, the 3lst moved
north to establish a delay line near Layac where the
highway from central Luzon enters the Bataan
Peninsula. After digging and laying wire for two
days, the 2d and 3d Battalions marched westward
toward Olongapo on Subic Bay. Their mission was to
defend the nearby Zig Zag Pass in the event of a Japanese
landing. The 3d Battalion, in re erve, established a
blocking position about 600 yards east of the pass. The
2d Battalion occupied positions recently abandoned by the
4th Marines at the point where Route 7 reaches its highest
point at Zig Zag Pass and begins descending to Subic Bay.
Below, G Company outposted the beaches around Subic
Bay. With only 128 men and no artillery support, trying
to defend nearly 40 miles of beach was unimaginable.
Subic Bay Naval Base had been abandoned and was
partially destroyed by the Navy and Japanese bombers, but some of its facilities remained usable.
As many as possible were blown up by the 2d Battalion. On New Year's Eve, the 2d and 3d
Battalions were ordered to withdraw into the Bataan Peninsula.
The withdrawal along Route 7 was uneventful until the 3d Battalion reached the village
of Dinalupihan where the road takes a sharp southward
tum toward Layac. Diving out of the clouds, Japanese
planes suddenly struck the column. The attack was
particularly surprising because the Japanese had
ignored the more congested route entering Bataan from
San Fernando. Corporals Jack Cape of K Company and
Jack Wood ofM Company were wounded as bombs fell
randomly among troops scattering to find shelter.
Miraculously, they were the day' s only casualties.
During the raid, Lieutenant Roy Zoberbier seemed to be
everywhere at once, getting M Company's machineguns into action against the planes as the 3d
Battalion headed for the Culo River, which marks Bataan's northern edge.10 For his coolness
under fire, Zoberbier earned the Silver Star.
10 L T Zoberbier (Manila, PI) died in captivity at Cabanatuan on October 23, 1942. SSG Thomas W. Fortune
(Douglas, GA) died at the hands of his Japanese guards while on a work detail at Nichols Field on June 11, 1942.
7

By the time G Company, the rear guard, was finally ordered to withdraw to Bataan, the
main withdrawal route had become too dangerous, so the men made their way into Bataan along
jungle trails south of Highway 7. Because dense underbrush and steep ravines would make the
trip difficult, they were ordered to keep only their weapons, ammunition, canteens, and a small
back pack. Private Ward Redshaw wanted to keep his extra pair of size 15 boots because his
size was impossible to find in the Philippines. His platoon sergeant, Staff Sergeant Thomas
Fortune, told him to throw them away. Reluctantly he did, an act that eventually got him out of
combat. After a month of fighting in the jungle, Redshaw's boots became worn out. When
Colonel Steel noticed that he had only shreds on his feet and found that he could not get new
boots, he ordered Redshaw transferred to a Signal unit in southern Bataan. Fate sometimes works
in mysterious ways.
AIR ATTACK ON CORREGIDOR
A few days before the 3d Battalion was bombed at Dinalupihan, the 1 st Battalion
experienced its baptism of fire on Corregidor. While bombing Cavite and Sangley Point Naval
Bases across the Bay, Japanese planes had always gone out of their way to avoid flying over
Corregidor, perhaps believing that American
antiaircraft units were better equipped than they
really were. Suddenly on December 29, wave
after wave of Japane e planes struck the island.
The 1 st Battalion had not prepared foxholes
because they were told by men stationed on the
island that Topside Barracks was bombproof.
They soon learned otherwise.
Sergeant Mike Gilewitch did not trust the bombproof story and headed for a wooded area
as sirens wailed allover the island. He ran from place to place in the woods, seelcing shelter
from bombs and machinegun bullets spattering all around him . As he dove for a shallow
depression, a bomb blast tossed him into the air like a limp rag doll and deposited him on his
back about ten feet away. Although conscious, he could not move. Eventually he was able to
move his jaw and eyes, then his fingers and toes, and fmally his arms and legs, but his head felt
like it was stuffed with cotton. He couldn't hear and thought the raid was over until he noticed
dust being kicked up by bullets striking near him . As he rolled toward a concrete culvert, a
bomb landed in his intended refuge, sending shards of metal and chunks of concrete flying past
him, deafening him again and causing him to shake uncontrollably.
The first sound Gilewitch heard when his hearing returned was the groaning of Private
John Lajewslci whose right leg was severely mangled by a bomb blast. Gilewitch put a
tourniquet above the wound and used his first aid kit to cover as much of the wound as possible,
but it was too extensive. Gilewitch ran through the bombing and strafmg to the barracks where
there were medical supplies. After grabbing a case of bandage and fif t aid packets, he grabbed
a folded cot on his way out. After thoroughly bandaging Lajewski's leg, Gilewitch and his
armorer carried him through the woods on the cot, twisting and turning through underbrush and
between trees for what seemed an eternity while bombs and bullets continued to hammer the
8

island. On reaching the barracks, Gilewitch turned Lajewski over to a medic and ran back
outside. Something strange had happened. Before he heard Lajewski groaning, Gilewitch was
shaking so bad with fright that he could barely function and his eyes watered constantly. Once
he realized he had to help someone else, fear left him and did not return throughout the raid.
Corporal Wayne Lewis of D Company was on Corregidor's landing dock when the raid
began. He quickly learned not to lay flat on concrete. When a bomb struck, concussion caused
his head to bounce like a ball, almost knocking him unconscious. As the first wave of bombers
passed, Lewis rose groggily and staggered toward shore to fwd a more protected spot. Before he
could get off the long pier, a second wave of bombers struck. Again, Lewis dropped to the dock
to avoid being strafed. This time, he raised his body slightly off the dock with his arms in a
pushup position to cushion the shock. That didn't work either, because the dock bucked upward
when a bomb struck, beating Lewis in the face and bloodying his nose. Bomb fragments, pieces
of spent antiaircraft shells, and chunks of concrete rained down, spattering into the water and
bouncing off nearby rocks. From the shore, bomb blasts sent chunks of rock and parts of trees
onto the docks and into the sea. To Lewis, it seemed that sooner or later something lethal was
bound to strike the place where he lay.
On the heights and surrounding smaller islands, the 60th Antiaircraft Regiment blazed
away at the Japanese in a losing battle. Their fire was reinforced by Army and Marine
macrunegunners sending up as much lead as possible. Seeing an unmanned .50 caliber
machinegun sandbagged for aerial firing, Mike Gilewitch jumped into the revetment and began
arming the weapon when a big Marine jumped in beside him . He ordered Gilewitch out, yelling,
"this is a Marine gun and no one fires it but a Marine." Gilewitch argued that no one was firing
it and together, they might be able to bring down a Japanese plane. The glowering Marine stuck
his .45 caliber pistol in Gilewitch's face and said "Out!" Gilewitch crawled away in disgust. The
Marine remained with the gtUl, guarding it jealously, but he never attempted to fire it. "More
stupidity," grumbled Gilewitch "At this rate, we'll defeat ourselves without any help from the
Japanese." After nearly three thundering hours, the Japanese made their last bombing run and
headed north.
Curiosity brought Gilewitch back to Topside Barracks after the raid ended. Some bombs
had gone through the roof and detonated on the third floor, ripping out walls and exposing steel
beams in the floor, but none reached any farther down. On the ground floor at one end of the
barracks, men were lying all over the place. All appeared to be asleep and unharmed. GiJewitch
didn't realize what he was seeing
until he heard a medic murmuring
It done for" as he checked one of
the men for signs of life. They
had all been kilIed by concussion.
Returning to the wooded area
where he and others from his
company had sought refuge,
Gilewitch saw a few men lying
around in agony. Private Vernon
9

Sutton 11 , with a bloody, mangled ann, was crying frantically for a medic. Corporal Earl
Petrimeaux, whose legs were both shattered at the thighs, yelled at Sutton to shut up "Look at
me, wish I only had your troubles." Petrimeaux lost both legs and died the next day. The only
other 31 st Infantry member killed in the raid was Private George S. Gensel of D Company, who
was hit in the stomach by a large bomb fragment. Mike Gilewitch was also among the
wounded, but didn't know it until his armorer noticed his right elbow was bleeding and badly
bruised. A bomb fragment had struck him .
D Company suffered the most casualties. In addition to the two dead and three wounded
already mentioned, Sergeant Cyril M . Provaznik: was hit in the forehead by a spent machinegun
bullet but survived. Bomb fragments wounded privates Leo Boles and Elijah Millsap. 1 2 Others
wounded in the raid included Privates Charles W. Gardner of 1 st Battalion Headquarters,
Sherman E. Crookshank and Russell L. Villars of A Company, and Sergeant James B. Cabral of
C Company. Private Villars was awarded the Silver Star for engaging Japanese planes from an
exposed position with his BAR until a bomb blast disabled him. His right leg was amputated.
Others were temporarily dazed by concussion, but remained on duty. That afternoon, the 1 st
Battalion filed back down the steep hill to the shattered dock where they boarded barges for
Bataan.
DISASTER AT LA Y AC
By January 5, the entire regiment was reunited. The Regimental Band, B Company, and
the Medical Detachment reached Bataan on December 28. 13 They had left Manila as Japanese
troops entered the city from the south. With them they brought all prisoners from the Philippine
Department Brig at Ft Santiago. Japanese planes struck repeatedly along the route, but no one
was hit. As the convoy reached the railhead at San Fernando, much of the surrounding area was
in flames but they made it safely to Bataan. With them they brought a bus packed with food
from abandoned government warehouses they raided on the way out of Manila. On the night of
January 30, the rest of the 1st Battalion reached Bataan by barge from Corregidor. On January 4,
the 2d and 3d Battalions crossed the Culo River at Layac and took up positions just west of the
barrio of Culis.
Commanders made a night reconnaissance while
the regiment bivouacked for the night. At dawn on
January 5, work began on a westward extension of tJle
forward security line the regiment had begun a week
earlier near Layac. With the 1 st Battalion on the right and
2d on the left, the regiment occupied a front of about 1500
yards. Sergeant Earl Walk of H Company positioned his
platoon' s .50 caliber machinegun beside a trail entering
the regiment's left flank. His 81 mm mortar was placed
J 1 PVT Sutton (Elgin, OR) died in captivity at Cabanatuan on July 19, 1942.
J 2 PVT Boles (Cincinnati, OH) died in captivity at Cabanatuan on June 17, 1942. SOT Cabral (home town
unknown) died in captivity at Cp O'Donnell on May 6, 1942.
13 Much of the MedicaL Detachment was already at Bataan with the infantry battalions.
10

about 150 yards farther back. He remembered the red clay earth being so hard that picks barely
chipped the surface. Several men poured out their canteens or urinated to soften the clay, but to
no avail. The 3d Battalion was in reserve, digging in behind a ridge about 1000 yards to the
southwest. Behind the 31st Infantry, dug in on higher ridges, were the 23d and 88th Field
Artillery. Both were Philippine Scout units equipped with twelve 75mm field guns each. On the
regiment's right, occupying positions the 31st had prepared earlier, was the Philippine Army's
71st Division, a poorly equipped unit that had received little training. The botmdary between the
31 t Infantry and the Filipinos was the main road entering the Bataan Peninsula. Although roads
make an easily identifiable boundary, they should be assigned to and defended by only one unit
since the enemy is certain to use the approach and should not be given a seam to exploit.
Violating that rule would prove costly.
Bataan was chosen as a defensive position because of its dominance, with the nearby island of
Corregidor, over the entrance to Manila Bay. As long as American troops controlled Bataan and
Corregldor, the Japanese would be unable to use Manila's harbor, or so it was thought. The
peninsula is 30 miles long and about 25 miles across at its widest point, tapering to about 15 miles
across in the south. A spine of mountains bisects it, with an east-west valley cutting across the
peninsula's middle between clusters of mountatnS. On the north are Mt. Santa Rosa (3052 feet) and
Mt. atib (4222 feet), connected by saddle ridges to each other and to Mt. SiJanganan (3620 feet).
Across a broad valley to the south are the twin peaks of Mt. Bataan and Mt. Samat (each over 4500
feet). umerous steep ravines and fast-running streams form spines running down from the
mountalDS, segmenting the peninsula into cross-compartments covered with dense tropical forest.
In 1942, a smgle paved road ran down the peninsula's east side from the village of Layac in the
north to the small customs port of Mariveles in the south. A fair-weath.er gravel track ran along the
South China Sea on the Peninsula's west side. An east-west connector runs between the two northsouth
roads, traversing the mid-peninsula valley between the villages of Pilar and Bagac. Most
trails follow spines running off the mountains.
General MacArthur divided Bataan mto two sectors. On the east where the terrain was most
favorable to the attacker, was II Corps under Major General George Parker. On the more easily
defended west, was I Corps under Major General Jobnathan M. Wainwright. The Philippine
Division was split up with its regiments serving as reserves for the two corps, composed mainly of
Philipp me Anny divisions. An Anny air corps regiment, fonned from personnel whose airfields
and planes were lost, guarded against amphibIOUS attacks in the south. The 4th Marine Regiment
and a collection of coast artillery regiments guarded Corregidor. (Note: I and II Corps were
unprovised organizations not authonzed by the War Department. Their numerals duplicated those
of corps already existing in the US.)
The evening meal on January 5 was only half the normal ration, a harbinger of worse to
come. Pursuant to another bad decision by senior officers, 65,000 rounds of .30 caliber
ammunition weTe dumped on the ground behind the forward rifle companies' positions. Several
company commanders objected vehemently, arguing that they could not carry that much
ammunition if a withdrawal became necessary. They were overruled. At least one position was
almo t guaranteed to fold . B Company, the la t unit to arrive, held the critical right of the line
adjacent to the main road leading into Bataan. The company occupied a flat, open area with few
trees or shrubs. A shallow creek bisected its sector, causing the company to bend in an arc that
11

could cause troops to fire on each other if attacked in the center. There was no barbed wire to
canalize or slow an attack. Soldiers are no fools and no one believed this was a serious
defensive position. Consequently, foxholes were not dug in the rock-hard clay soil and
machineguns, although heavily sandbagged., were positioned in the open as if on a range. The
atmosphere was one of just waiting for the order to move to a more defensible site.
The transfer of most of B Company's best officers and NCOs to the Philippine Army in
December had sapped its leadership, making a bad ituation worse. Even less excusable, no
senior officer of the regiment inspected the company's position. AJI day long, farm carts passed
by unchallenged on their way to Layac. That evening, two Filipinos carne into the company area
carrying a washtub of ice and San Miguel beer that they sold for a Peso a bottle. Those who had
the money guzzled the coo] brew to fend off the oppressive heat. The 31st Infantry spent its last
day of relative peace in a relaxed mood. The Japanese were certainly near and had mauled the
Philippine Army all over Luzon, but they would be no match for real American troops-or
would they?
Around midnight the 26th Cavalry's lead unit came through the line and began filing
into positions on the 31st Infantry' s left. The hardy Philippine Scout cavalrymen fought a
con tant delaying action for two weeks and were thoroughly exhausted, but they came through in
good order and began digging in as soon as they reached their positions. Most would get no
sleep that night or the next. At around 1 AM on January 6, as the last Scout unit crossed the
bridge at Layac, the 14th (PS) Engineers blew up the Culo River Bridge with a thundering blast,
closing the main route into Bataan. The battle for Bataan would soon begin.
Around lOAM on January 6, Japanese troops were seen moving along Route 7 toward
the CuJo River and were quickly
taken under fire by Phil ippine Army
and Scout artillery. The barrage went
unanswered for about 30 minutes,
leaving pack animals, Japanese
soldiers, and artillery caissons strewn
along the road and scattered across an
adjacent field. Japanese guns went
into hasty firing positions but were
quickly suppressed by accurate
cowlterbattery fire.
B A T,\ A N
.--. -..
Around 11 AM, Japanese artillery withdrew beyond the range of the 75mm guns and
unleashed a counterfire barrage, smashing one battery after another of Philippine Army and
Scout artillery, plainly visible on the heights. Japanese 105rnm and 150mm guns outranged the
defenders and were supported by aerial observers who flew unchallenged over the battlefield all
day. Artillery prime movers were in assembly areas near Abucay and could not be called forward
to move the guns out of harm's way because communication wire was cut by Japanese artj}}ery
and few units had working radios. Still, most gunners stayed at their posts under fire for nearly 3
hours, losing heavily. Private John Lally, an 18-year-old medic with G Company, characterized
12

the 23d Field Artillery's stand as "the bravest thing I ever saw." By 2 PM, all Scout and
Philippine Army artillery had been smashed or driven out of position.
With opposing artillery suppressed, Japanese artillery shifted its attention to the
Philippine 71 st Division holding the right of the line. The initial barrage threw up a large dust
cloud in a plowed cane field in front of the Filipinos, giving Japanese infantrymen concealment
as they moved up to the Culo River. The barrage then advanced directly onto the Filipinos'
positions. The loud, earth-shaking "carrump , of impacting shells was unnerving to even those
not directly affected. When the artillery was lifted, there was an exchange of gunfire for about
ten minutes as Japanese infantry engaged Filipinos still holding the line.
Next, the barrage shifted to the 31st Infantry, engulfing
the 2d Battalion in a deafening roar of concussive explosions
for about 5 minutes. On the left flank, Sergeant Earl Walk's
machinegunners hunkered down in shallow foxholes, wishing
they had dug deeper into the hard clay earth and praying to be
spared. All Walk could see was choking clouds of brown dust
amid the steady thunderclaps of bursting shells. Private Bill
Garleb, seemed to disappear when a round burst just incbes
from the edge of his foxhole. To bis amazement, the explosion
sent all the blast and fragmentation upward from the hard soil,
leaving Garleb unhurt but temporarily deaf. It was the first
time the men bad experienced incoming artillery and it was
more than some could bear. PFC James Spencer, a 1st
Battalion medic, raised his head just long enough to see two
panic-stricken soldiers abandon the line and dash toward the
rear. Captain Richard Carnahan of C Company, waving a
pistol, intercepted them, forcing them back to their positions.
Captain John Pray of G Company remembered seeing a red bird singing its heart out only
five feet from his foxhole as shens crashed all around. It could have flown away, but chose to
stay and watch this bizarre display of human madness. If the bird could stand it, so could Pray.
He slithered out of his foxhole and crawled along the line to steady his men and check for
casualties. Three times bis men reported him killed as he disappeared in convulsive clouds of
smoke and debris when shells burst near him. Each time, when the dust cleared, Pray crawled
on.
The barrage lifted, but the worst was yet to come. No artillery had yet hit B Company's
sector, but Japanese infantry suddenly appeared in a cane field on its exposed right flank.
Private Harold Garrett recalled that "it eemed that whole field got up and moved.' A the firing
began, one soldier recalled "It seemed like a bunch of bees hit our position," but not a single man
was hit. Corporal Milton Alexander raked the field with his .30 caliber machinegun while
Corporal Charles Ball and another man nearby opened up with BARs. For a moment, the
Japanese seemed to falter under the sudden outburst of automatic fire, but their advance soon
drifted southward along B Company's right flank. Amid the steady crackle of rifle and
machinegun flIe, Lieutenants Murphy and Duckworth, B Company's only officers, moved to the
13

ight of the line to ee what wa happening. They were in the open when Japane e mortar
opened up and although no rounds landed near them, they fled toward Philippine Scout artillery
positions on higher ground about 800 yards to their rear.
Uncertain of what was happening, First Sergeant Harry Ringler rushed to Staff Sergeant
Irvin R. "Hootch" Sutphin's macbinegun section holding the right flank for a personal look.
Sutphin reported that about a company of Japanese troops was moving past his right flank in a
ditch lining the main road and that more Japanese were massing at a hut on the opposite side of
the field. Fearing his flank would soon be turned, Ringler ordered his men to pull out and form
up around the artilJery on higher ground. He consulted no one. Corporal Joe Keys argued that
the weapons platoon would need some time to break down its water-cooled .30 caliber
macblneguns.14 Ringler flashed him an angry look and said 'just leave the damn things, we're
moving now!"
Corporal Paul Kerchum, sweating heavily and running clumsily with his air-cooled .30
caliber machine gun over his shoulder, had gone about 100 yards with his squad leader, Sergeant
Donald Bridges who was carrying several cans of ammunition. Kerchum shouted, "What the
bell's going on, Don? We aren't supposed to be doing this." Seeing that the Japanese were Dot
pursuing them, the two men dropped behind cover out of breath and hastily set up their gun. I 5
There was no one on their left or right, but there were plenty of B Company men scrambling up
tbe slope behind them. Most ended their retreat when they reacbed Philippine Scout artillery
positions, but at least one man kept going all the way to Limay, about IS miles down the
peninsula. 16 Ashamed of their behavior, most hoped for a chance to make amends that day, but it
was too late for their commander. First Lieutenant Lloyd C. Murphy was relieved of command
and replaced by Captain John W. Thompson. I ? His executive officer, Second Lieutenant Charles
Duckworth, was replaced by Staff Sergeant Irvin Sutphin, wbo was given a battlefield
commlSSlon.
In contrast, C Company stubbornly held its positions as Japanese infantry closed in with
bayonets fixed. Private George Uzelac shook with fright until he began ripping into the packed
Japanese ranks with his BAR. The weapon's loud stuttering bad a calming influence on him.
Lieutenant Colonel Ed Bowes, the 1st Battalion's Commander, ordered his reserve, Captain
Cecil Welchko' A Company, to counterattack to regain control of B Company' abandoned
14 Rifle companies had a mix of .30 caliber air-cooled and water-cooled machineguns. The latter could be fired
only from a heavy tripod and were more time-consuming to break down for travel than the lighter air-cooled
weapons.
15 CPL Kerchum (McKees Rocks, PA) survived the war. After his release from captivity in 1945, Kerchum
remained In the service, transferred to the Air Force in 1948, and retired as a Chief Master Sergeant SGT Bridges
(Santa Clara, CA) died in captivity at Cabanatuan.
16 One man djd not show up again until after the surrender when he arrived at Cabanatuan. He was he only man in
B Company wounded at Layac. He made it on his own to the hospital at Limay and when released, attached himself
to another unit He died in captivity.
17 CPT Murphy (Bismarck, NO) died Wlth many of his fellow officers aboard the " hell ship" Oryoku Manl when it
was struck by US planes enroute to Japan in 1944 and CPT Thompson (Seattle, W A) died aboard the Arisan Mom
under similar circumstances.
14

sector.1 8 The unsupported attack didn't get very far before it faltered under a brief flurry of
machinegun, rifle, and mortar fire. Not a single man was hit, but A Company would go no
further.
Desperate to retake B Company's lost positions, Colonel Steel committed Lieutenant
Colonel Jasper Brady' s 3d Battalion to the fight. At the time, the 3d Battalion was in good
defensive positions and could perhaps have salvaged the situation from where it stood. I
Company was dug in on the forward slope of the first ridge south of the Culo River Bridge and
had a commanding view of the main road and B Company's sector to its front. On its left, L
Company was dug in among scrub brush just forward of a drainage ditch and had a recently
plowed cane field to its front, giving the company excellent cover and clear fields of fire.
Behind 1 Company, K Company was dug in on the ridge's reverse slope and could also cover the
main road passing just east of its positions. Nevertheless, Colonel Steel was determined to
reoccupy B Company's untenable position in the valley below. Shortly after 4:00 PM, acting on
Steel's orders, Lieutenant Colonel Brady directed Captains Ray Stroud (I Company) and Donald
Thompson (L Company) to move immediately forward to reoccupy B Company's former
positions. 19 Captain Thomas Bell' s M Company would support the attack with his heavy and
light machineguns and 8lmm mortars. Unfortunately, Japanese aerial observers spotted the 3d
Battalion forming to attack and trouble was not far behind.
In the distance, Private Grant Workman heard a salvo of four guns, followed by another
and another. In seconds, rounds began crashing into 1 Company, sending bushes, chunks of clay,
stinging clouds of dust, and hot shell splinters flying in all directions. One man after another
went down . Staff Sergeant John Juvan (Milwaukee) and Private James Clement (Cincinnati)
were killed outright and Privates Raymond E. Campbell, John McCann, and William Roberts
were severely wounded. 20 Like B Company, I Company broke and fled to the rear. Unable to
locate Captain Stroud in the melee, Lieutenant Charles Baker tried to rally the company. He and
Private Woodrow Griffith earned the Silver Star that day for trying to do what others could
not. 21 Captain Stroud was relieved of command for abandoning his company during the
bombardment, although his command post was cut off from the rest of the company by artillery
fire and could not influence his unit's actions. Nevertheless, he was replaced by Captain Richard
Roshe. 22
Tn contra t, Company L, with taff ergeant Otto Jensen ' heavy weapons platoon of M
Company attached and accompanied by the 3d Battalion's executive officer, Major James 1.
O'Donovan, displayed aggressiveness and confidence as they advanced by bounds from the
18 LTC Edward H Bowes (home town unknown) and CPT Cecil R Welchko (Bonner's Ferry, ID) both died aboard
the Oryokll Mom. PVT Uzelac (East Moline, ll..) survived the war.
19 CPT John Thompson who took over B Company after Layac, was not related to CPT Donald M. Thompson of L
Company.
20 PVT McCann (hometown unknown) fell out during the Death March and was picked up by Filipinos, but later
died of malaria. PVT Roberts (Williams, AZ) died in captivity.
21 LT Baker (Astor, NY) died in captivity at Cp O'Donnell on 5 Jun 1942.
22 CPT troud (Williston, D) died aboard the "hell ship" Arison Moru in 1944. PT Roshe (Wasrungton, 0 )
died aboard the Oryoku Maru.
15

ivouac area. Fir t ergeant William McNulty led the point quad, moving about 100 yard
ahead of the company's main body, suffering only one casualty throughout the advance. 23 For
his exemplary leadership in spearheading L Company's attack, McNulty earned the
Distinguished Service Cross. Enduring almost constant shelling from Japanese mortars and
artillery, the company dashed forward 30 or 40 paces at a time, hitting the ground as shells
slammed in around them, then rushing forward again before the dust settled. Private Wilburn
Snyder, an 18 year old, recalled "There wasn't any doubt in our minds that we could whip the
Japs." Corporal Paul Kerchum, one of the men who bad halted just behind B Company's
positions, was surprised to see Captain Thompson, L Company s commander, waving his men
forward with a .45 caliber pistol. Advancing on L Company's right, M Company' s
machinegunner, led by the company's executive officer, Lieutenant Ernest Fountain, moved
forward by bounds to keep pouring a steady volume of fire across the north-south highway.
Japanese troops attempting to cross the highway into B Company's former position were
scattered, fleeing to a mango grove several hundred yards away.
On reaching a wooded hill about 400 yards to the rear ofB Company's fonner position, L
Company encountered the commander of the Philippine Anny's 3d Battalion 72d Infantry
Regiment who requested support on his left flank where B Company had abandoned its
positions. The officer swore his own troops were still holding their position and sent a runner to
e cort Staff Sergeant John P. "Dobie ' Flynn of 3d Battalion Headquarters and PFC Manuel R.
Rogers of L Company to his left flank company to see the situation for themselves. Moving
cautiously into the valley and acros the highway via a drainage clitch, the group reached the
command post of L Company 72d Infantry. The Filipinos were indeed still holding their sector,
but their situation was tenuous since their whole regiment had only a single machinegun left.
The group's arrival attracted enemy fire from a mango grove about 150 yards away. Flynn sent
Rogers back to tell Major O'Donovan the situation and then moved alone across the highway to
B Company's fonner position, finding it empty. As he moved along the abandoned line, he was
fired on by an enemy patrol moving through a cane field about 400 yards away. About a half
hour later, Rogers and PFC Grady Gentry, sent forward to serve as runners, joined him. Now
under steady fire, Flynn sent Rogers back to tell O'Donovan that B Company's sector was
empty, leaving a 500-yard gap in the line. A few minutes later, Rogers returned, unable to get
through the artillery barrage still landing behind them. Undaunted, PFC Gentry asked to give it a
try and was soon off. Three times that day Gentry braved increasingly heavy rifle, mortar, and
artillery fire to convey messages back and forth between Flynn and O'Donovan. For his
courage under fire, Gentry was awarded the Silver Star. Staff Sergeant Flynn was awarded a
battlefield commission.
Late in the afternoon, Captain Coral M. Talbot' K Company came abrea t of L
Company and was dispatched by Major O'Donovan to establish contact with whoever held the
1st Battalion's right flank. L Company continued covering the road from its hillside position.
Accompanied by Lieutenant Fountain and Lieutenant Zoberbier's platoon of M Company, K
Company occupied B Company's abandoned position near dusk. Shortly after dark, one of its
23 PFC Andrew J. Hickingbottom (Ferriday, LA) of Company M was wounded by Japanese mortar fire while
supporting the countemttack with his machinegun. He died in captivity at Cp O'Donnell on Sep 5,1942.
16
" .,

patrol linked up with A Company, about 300 yard to the we t. The remainder ofM Company
moved up to provide support, arriving shortly after dark. Major O'Donovan ordered K Company
to shift to the right to reinforce the Filipinos and moved L Company up on their left. As K
Company settled into its new positions east of the highway, patrols guided by green-lensed
flashlights could be seen moving out of the mango grove from which Flynn and Rogers had
taken fire earlier in the day. Captain Talbot ordered Lieutenant Zoberbier's machinegun platoon
to open fIre . The Japanese did not move around any more that night.
Stopped on the right, the Japanese shifted their attention to the left of the 31st Infantry's
line where the 26th Cavalry held the foothills of Bataan's formidable mountain spine. Despite
heavy shelling that seemed to intensify around 8 PM, the line held, but the situation was bad. All
supporting artillery was out of action, the 71st Division was a battered fragment that could not
hope to hold its line, the 31st Infantry had lost 2 companies, even if only temporarily, and a
squadron of the 26th Cavalry had suffered heavily during the evening's bombardment. To the
rear, II Corps' ammunition dump at Hermosa had been bombed, setting the town afIre and
blocking the main road with rubble. Colonel Steel recommended withdrawing that night to
avoid being targeted by Japane e plane the next day. Although orne men may till have felt
confIdent of victory, Steel did not. Major General Parker agreed and ordered the withdrawal.
At 10 PM, the 26th Cavalry and 31st Infantry received a warning order to move back 3
miles and board trucks and buses that would be waiting on the main road. Because the trail
behind the 26th Cavalry and 31st Infantry ran east-west, both regiments had to withdraw parallel
to the front, a particularly perilous operation at night while the enemy probed for weak points in
the line. Although a bright half moon and clear skies helped the troops stay on course, the
illumination also helped Japanese reconnaissance patrols see what was happening. At midnight,
the Philippine 71 st Division departed and K Company fanned out to cover its sector. Kitchen
and supply vehicles lined up on the main road also departed at midnight. On the east-west trail,
guide were po ted at interval to keep the withdrawal on cour e. Companie E and K of the
31st would cover the withdrawal.
A motorized battalion of the 26th Cavalry pulled out with the main body of the 31 st
Infantry around 1 :30 AM on January 7. The roar and gradually fading noise of vehicle engines
no doubt alerted the Japanese that a major withdrawal was underway. Company K came out
without incident behind the main body. The withdrawal had gone surprisingly well until Captain
Robert S. Sauer's E Company, the last unit on line, began withdrawing. Knowing the sector was
being vacated, the Japanese attacked, moving quickly around E Company's open flanks. Finding
its withdrawal route under Japanese control and under attack from all sides, the company carne
apart, breaking into small groups to fight or retreat into the jungle. Hearing the steady rattle of
gunfire from E Company s area, Captain Eugene Conrad's F Company turned to fight off the
attackers on the east-west trail. Conrad' s unexpected initiative took some pressure off of E
Company, but it would be days before E Company's last stragglers found their way through the
jungle to rejoin the regiment. Miraculously, only four men had been killed and two were missing
17

and presumed dead. 24 Captain Sauer's and First Sergeant Beresford Seale's extraordinary
efforts to bring their men out alive that night earned them both the Silver Star. The regiment had
lost a third of its rifle companies at Layac. All would soon be recovered, but the damage was
done. Having gained the Layac line without much of a fight, the Japanese came to have little
respect for the best America could muster. They would show their lack of respect four months
later on a trek that carne to be known as the Death March.
COUNTERATTACK AT ABUCAY
Around 7:30 AM on January 7, the 31st Infantry reached kilometer post 139 near the
barrio of Pan dan on the main north-south highway, digging in from Manila Bay to a point 1000
yards west of the highway. The men worked feverishly to create a position that would not be
penetrated. They were determined that there would be no repeat of the shameful experience they
had just endured at Layac. To their left, the Air Corps Regiment was also digging in, but not
very well. The 31st was tapped to send experienced officers and NCOs to show them howmore
of a drain on the regiment's thin leadership. By January 15, the Pandan position was well
prepared, completely wired in, and expertly camouflaged. The regiment could take justifiable
pride in its accomplishment, but it would not have the opportunity to defend the position. That
night, the regiment was ordered to move to a new assembly area 20 km to the rear at a former
Philippine Army training camp west of Balanga. The move was completed by 8:00 the next
morning. Tbere, the regiment had a bot meal that would be its last for three days.
After two days of fighting at Layac, eight days of bard physical labor building defensive
positions at Pandan on half rations, and a 20-kilometer forced march from Balanga at night
without rest, men simply dropped to the ground and slept, oblivious to their surroundings.
Balanga had been bombed the day before and was still burning, but the troops paid little
attention. Around noon on January 16, the weary regiment was alerted to move again. The
Philippine Army's 51st Division had disintegrated and the
31 st was ordered to restore a gap that had been cut into the
line near Abucay. Fifteen minutes later, the regiment was
back on the road with the 2d Battalion leading. Marching
16 kilometers with only two 10-minute rest stops, the 31 st
reached its jump-off position around 7:00 PM. Filipino
troops of the 51 st Division were still straggling to the rear,
shouting "Japs coming." Behind them, they left their
division command post surrounded by the enemy. By 1 :00
AM on January 17, the 31st Infantry's lead elements had advanced to within 700 yards of
Abucay Hacienda, a settlement marked by its prominent Spanish-built church.
24 The dead were PVT Floribert 1. Constantineau (home town unknown), PVT Melvin . Elliott (home town
unknown), PVT James A. King (Searcy, AR), and PFC Charles F. Saksek (home town unknown).
18

Because the terrain in the 2d Battalion's zone was overgrown with dense vegetation and
segmented by ravines and ridges, soldiers easily became separated from their comrades. In one
such incident Privates Michael J. Campbell, Albert L. Taylor, and George L. Bullock of G
Company found themselves isolated when their platoon fell back under heavy enemy mortar,
machinegun, and rifle fire. 2s Joining a five-man patrol from an adjacent company, the three
advanced deeper into enemy territory, only to be stopped by a torrent of fire that wounded five
members of the patrol. Japanese troops advanced on their exposed position, advancing in short
rushes preceded by grenade attacks. Tenaciously clinging to his position for two hours, Private
Campbell and his comrades picked off at least twelve of the enemy trying to overrun them. He
withdrew only after the wounded reached safety and after receiving a direct order to withdraw
from his commanding officer. For his tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds, Private
Campbell was awarded the Silver Star.
After bringing its companies into alignment, the 2d Battalion's advance resumed with I
Company on the left, K in the center, and L on the right. Shortly afterward, I Company began
taking small arms and mortar fire and was halted to enable the 1st Battalion to come abreast on
the left. Because of the regiment' unfamiliarity with the area, it wa decided to delay the attack
until daylight. The men had not eaten since 4:00 AM on January 16, intensifying the weakening
effect of half rations.
At 8: 15 AM on January 17, the 1st and 2d Battalions advanced in parallel columns
flanking Trail 12. To overcome its disgrace at Layac, Colonel Steel gave B Company the honor
of leading the 1st Battalion's advance. The men had shown little faith in Lieutenant Murphy,
their previous commander, but considered Captain Thompson a professional worthy of their
confidence. The advance went well despite sporadic outbursts of small arms fire. Most of the
Japanese fire crune from snipers in trees overlooking the trails. Corporal Charles Ball moved to
the head of B Company's column, stitching the treetops with his BAR to shoot snipers out of
their perches. The 51st Division's isolated command post was soon rescued. Just beyond, the 1st
2S All three men survived the war.
19

Battalion ran into tiff re i tance a it emerged from an acacia grove. Machinegun tire was 0
heavy it cut a nearby cane field about knee high. Fortunately, the ground sloped away to the
rear, causing the Japanese to fire high. On the skyline across the cane field stood the church spire
of Abucay Hacienda, the 1 st Battalion 's objective.
For what seemed an eternity, B Company lay pinned down by machinegun fire, but
eventually there arose problems greater than the Japanese. Corporal Pau] Kerchum had lain amid
a colony of red ants. When they bit him in unmentionable places, he jumped up as if shocked by
a cattle prod, hollering "let's get the hell out of here," dashing blindly toward the Japanese. His
comrades followed, charging across the field, shouting and firing wildly. The startled Japanese
jumped up and fled, retreating in disorder down a steep slope. Chasing the Japanese, the
weapons platoon drifted steadily to the left, stopping on a steep slope overlooking the BaJantay
River. The rest of the company eventually fonned around it, but it didn't take long for the
Japanese to begin probing the position they had just lost. Private RonaJd T. Wangberg, the
company's only Jewish member, spotted a squad-size patrol moving across an open glade in the
valley below. He picked them off one by one as they ran back and forth trying to find cover.
B Company wa now in an e po ed po ition, well ahead of the re t of the battalion. The
Japanese still held Abucay Hacienda to their rear. Captain Thompson knew his men might not
be able get out if the Japanese discovered how isolated his company was. He withdrew B
Company to the vicinity of the bacienda, hoping to get past it without being engaged. It was not
to be. Two Japanese planes swooped in, strafing B Company as it came into the open. At the
same time, Japanese rifle and machinegun fire erupted from camouflaged "spider holes" around
the hacienda grounds. His only hope now was to neutralize Japanese troops in the hacienda
while his men re-crossed the cane field.
Communications between uruts relied entirely on messengers, there was no artiUery in
range, and IT Corps had denied an earlier request for tank support due to concerns about Japanese
aerial observation. That left only the 1st Battalion's 8lmm mortars. With all 30 rounds of their
8lmm ammunition exhausted, D Company gunners fired World War I-era British 75mm Stokes
mortar rounds from their 8lmm tubes. With empty space between the smaJl rounds and the
insides of the mortar tubes, rounds bounced up the inside of the tube as they fired, causing them
to wobble erraticaJly in flight. Perhaps 3 rounds of every 10 detonated but none reached its
intended target. everal detonated in the dry cane field behind B Company, etting it afire. The
wind blew the flames and acrid smoke in B Company's direction. Captain Thompson yelled
"cease fire, cease fire", but it was too late. Several 75mm rounds hit among his men, catching
them in the open as they tried to escape.
After withdrawing, B Company established new positions in trees adjacent to the cane
field, but the Japanese were not far behind. Repeated attacks failed to break B Company's new
line, but snipers managed to infiltrate behind them. CorporaJ Paul Kerchum was checking the
line after a spate of firing when he tapped the helmet of Private Jim Broadrick who was standing
in a narrow foxhole, seemingly asleep. Kerchum hadn't gone much farther when, someone
yelled, "Get down, they just got Broadrick." The day's fight had been bloody, costing B
20

Company 5 dead and 7 wounded, one of whom died of hi wound . The company had regained
its pride, but at a high cost. 26
The 1st Battalion's other companies fared little better. Advancing into an open field in
front of A Company, Lieutenant Charles Litkowski, Corporal Robert H. Dickson, and Private
Leonard Prusak were cut down by a burst of machinegun fire. Litkowski and Prusak were both
hit in the head and killed instantly, but Dickson was still alive, although barely and not for long.
Private John Cierciersky, a medic, tried to help him, but was killed by the same machinegun.
Perhaps 5 others in A Company were wounded that day as Americans and Japanese blazed away
at each other across open ground. 27 C Company's only casualty of the day was Sergeant Edgar
Congdon, killed by a burst of machinegun fire. D Company, supporting the 3 rifle companies
with machinegun and mortar fire, suffered almost as many casualties as the companies they
supported. 28
Throughout the fight, the 1st Battalion drifted ever farther to the left, opening a wide gap
between itself and the 2d Battalion. In a move that was to be fateful, K Company was sent from
the 3d Battalion to plug the gap that opened between the 1 t and 2d Battalion . The Philippine
Scout 45th Infantry, starting 6000 yards farther south, came abreast of the 31st Infantry in late
afternoon, forming a combined assault force of 13 rifle companies and 4 machinegun companies,
backed by 5 more rifle companies and 2 machinegun companies in reserve. Sergeant Earl Walk
recalls that H Company moved up the main highway toward Abucay on 1934 Dodge weapons
carriers until they were stopped by mortar fire. Private Clarence Carrico was hit in the chest by a
mortar fragment and was evacuated to the field hospital at Limay.29 Captain Dwight T. Hunkins
ordered the vehicles hidden in a wooded area and the company proceeded on foot for about 1000
yards, reaching a well-prepared position abandoned earlier by Filipino troops. Several Filipino
stragglers were incorporated into the company as ammunition bearers. Sergeant Earl Walk had
his platoon set up its 2 mortars and its .50 caliber machinegun where they could best cover a
sugar cane field in front of the position. Japanese smalj arms fire whizzed and snapped all
around. When Walk fired 20 rounds at the enemy-held woodline with his two mortars, the sector
became quiet for a while.
26 B Company's dead included CPL Rex R Annas (Granite Falls, NC), PVT Hennan E. Fomass (Santa Clara, CA),
PFC Vernon 1. Kelly (home town unknown), PVT James J Broadrick (home town unknown), and CPL Floyd R
Rogers (home town unknown-died of wounds). Its wounded included SGT Leo Golinski (Brooklyn, NY-died in
captivity at Cabanatuan 1 Oct 1942), SGT Cletis R Harrison (Chicago, ll.rsurvived the war), PVT William F.
Beattie (Kansas City, MO-died in captivity at Cp O'Donnell 8 May 1942) PVT John F. Eighmey (Arlee, MT- died
in captivity at Cp O'Donnell 13 May 1942), PVT Jack L. James (Atlanta, GA-executed by Japanese on Nichols
Field detail 8 June 1943), and PFC Harold J Garrett (payette, ID-survived the war).
27 SurvlVmg records are not umformly precise concermng the date of wounds or awards, sometimes showmg onJy
the location or the fact that the person was wounded.
28 PFC Robert C. Anderson (home town unknown) and PFC Melvin E. Lambrecht (Cheyenne, WY) were killed by
snipers and many others were wounded. SGT Oren L Jenness (home town unknown), SGT Frank V. Miller
(Milwaukee, WI), CPL Paul Kerchum (McKees Rocks, PA), PVT Edward J. Blankenship (Stamps, AR), PFC
Milam Cloud (Appal ache, VA), PVT Elbert L Fannin (McCamey, TX), PVT Ronald Hooper (Hebron, CT), PFC
Lonza P Locke (Columbus, MS), PFC Glen W Moyers (pueblo, CO) were wounded during ome pha e of the
battle, although the exact date for each is not known.
29 Carrico (home town unknown) died of his wounds on January 26, 1942 and was buried at the Limay cemetery.
21
1
!

That day, four American P-40 Warhawk , operating from a concealed trip cut into the
jungle near Mariveles Point on Bataan, conducted surprise raids against Japanese planes
operating over the front lines. Unfortunately, they came too late to prevent another Japanese
bombing raid. Corporal William Easler and Private Robert E. Ragan were relaxing in a foxhole
in the shade of a huge tree. Without warning, a bomb crashed through the branches, landing
directly in the foxhole and blowing its occupants to eternity. Others were luckier. Sergeant Walk
heard a dull thud, followed by a muffled explosion. He was bowled over backward by
concussion as the ground rose to fonn a huge mound about 10 feet in front of him. A bomb had
burrowed deep into the earth before exploding. Several days later, a Japanese mortar round
landed next to one of H Company's machinegun positions, setting off a hand grenade Corporal
Franklin O. Warr was carrying in his gas mask container. Warr died of his wounds.
At 4 PM, on January 19, the 2d and 3d Battalions of the 31st Infantry and 1st and 2d
Battalions of the 45th Infantry renewed their advance but by 7 PM, units became separated in the
dense jungle growth. The 2d Battalion 31st Infantry, advancing with F, G, and E Companies
abreast, had to cross a steep ravine to reach its objective. They were supported by a few rounds
of artillery from the Philippine 41 t Divi ion, but had no other protective fire a they entered the
gap. The men climbed hand over hand down slippery vines, crossed a knee-deep creek, and
ascended the opposite slope in the same manner. As they climbed, they could hear Japanese
leaders shouting commands above them. In the tangled underbrush, men became separated from
their units and confusion reigned.
On the ridge, the 2d Battalion hit what turned out to be the main body of an enemy
regiment moving in the opposite direction. In the ensuing engagement, Private Elmer C. Duffy
was hit by a burst of machinegun fire while on point for Company F. He was probably already
dead but no one could be sure. Disregarding his own safety, PFC Elmer P. Buehrig dashed
forward to aid Duffy and was hit in the face by a burst from the same gun. For his selfless
sacrifice, Buehrig was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Private "Red"
Dyer charged into the field firing his BAR from the waist. Hit in the arm and chest as he
charged out alone, Dyer continued firing until he collapsed. Miraculously, he was still alive and
was later transported to a field hospital where he recovered from his wounds. 3o Seven others
from F Company were wounded before sundown. 31 When a Japanese machinegun halted E
Company's advance, PFC James H. Cody and Private Albert F. Tresch 32 volunteered to silence
it. Crawling forward with BARs and hand grenades, the duo not only destroyed the Japanese
machinegun and killed its crew, but they also put a second Japanese gun out of action. Their
deed earned them both the Silver Star.
30 PVT Harold O. "Red" Dyer (Corpus Christi, TX) died in captivity at Cabanatuan on July 21 , 1942.
31 F Company's wounded were SGT Francis T. Shafsky (Minneapolis, MN), CPL Max M. Greenberg (Brooklyn,
y). PVT Paul Spencer (Oklahoma City, OK). PFC Antonio A. Tafolla (San Angelo, TX), PVT Irby C. Turner
(Carrolltown, MS), PVT Alfred R Welch (Houston, TX), and PVT Raymond M Worrell (Wisner, NE). Shafsky,
Turner, Welch, and Worrell died in captivity.
32 Tresch was wounded at Abucay only 2 days after his act of heroism.
22

Some of the regiment's band grenades turned out to be unmarked practice grenades and
few of the others detonated, costing men their lives. When a Japanese machinegun stopped B
Company at the edge of a sugar cane field, Private Ronald T. Wangberg, Jr. responded by
crawling forward in the dark and throwing grenades at the gun. His first grenade exploded, but
missed. Wangberg crawled Closer and threw another grenade, this time a dud. The Japanese gun
crew saw him moving to prepare another grenade and cut him down at close range before he
could throw it. For his valiant effort, Wangberg was posthumously awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross.
Hearing what had happened, Privates Dale L. Snyder Private and Winford G. Couch, a D
Company machinegun team attached to B Company, decided to follow Wangberg's example and
give it another try. Although he couldn't see the Japanese gun's muzzle flash through the cane,
Private Joseph Q. " Little Bird" Johnson, the youngest man in the battalion, covered the duo's
advance with short bursts from Snyder's .30 caliber machinegun, orienting on the enemy gun's
sound. In response, the Japanese gunner began trading bursts with Johnson, but his fire was
fortunately too high. The re ulting machinegun duel distracted the Japanese gunner enough to
give Snyder and Couch a chance. Crossing 100 yards of open cane field under fire, the pair
reached a point where they could engage the enemy gun with grenades and recover Wangberg's
body. Miraculously, both their grenades detonated on target, destroying the Japanese gun and its
crew. For his bravery, Snyder received the Silver Star but Couch was somehow overlooked and
received no award. When word of the bad grenades reached the company supply sergeants,
Sergeant Mike Gilewitch found that some had only a little powder in them and others had none
at all .
Major O'Donovan, the 2d Battalion's Executive Officer, reached G Company in the
ravine late in the afternoon. He ordered, "Attack at once," but saying it was easier than doing it.
Before nightfall, two of the company's platoons had scaled a dry waterfall and reached the top.
The remaining platoon did not reach the top until after dark. As it arrived, it engaged a group of
Japanese, but both sides became disoriented in the dark tangle of jungle vegetation. His own men
accidentally killed Corporal Stanley P. Nogacek as he returned from a reconnaissance.
The combination of guns, fear, and darkness were to prove tragic again. Uncertain of F
Company's progress in front of him, Lieutenant Robert Magee placed his machinegun platoon
from H Company at 10-foot intervals along a trail and warned his men to be on the lookout for
infiltrators. IIe sent Corporal Hugh Piper ahead to find F Company. Long after dark, the
platoon' s point man heard a slight rustling noise on the trail. He jumped up and began firing
wildly at a ghostly figure trying to move stealthily in rus direction. Hit by the sentry' s first burst,
Corporal Piper screamed weakly, "Don' t shoot, don' t shoot!" It was too late. Piper fell dead, hit
six times.
As the platoon gathered to see what had happened, Japanese 47mm knee mortars opened
up from a short distance away. One shell, luckily a dud, hit the rim of Private Bill Garleb' s
helmet, slamming his face into the dirt and breaking his glasses. Lieutenant Magee ordered bjs
men to pull back, holding each other' s pistol belts as they followed the trail down a precipitous
favme. Magee and Staff Sergeant Williams led. followed by the sobbing soldier who had killed
23

Piper, then Private Garleb, Private Charle A. Hender on, and the re t of the platoon. 33 A
Japanese artillery opened up on the platoon's fonner position, Garleb realized Henderson was no
longer behind him. Reaching a stream, the four men in front were unable to find the path up the
opposite bank in the darkness and hid under a ledge to await daylight as the crescendo of fire
intensified.
Tt oon became apparent that they were caught between oppo ing line a American
mortars and 75mm field guns, and Japanese artillery fired round after round into and across the
ravine. The soldier who had killed Piper lost control of his bladder and sobbed, "We're all going
to be killed. Please God, don't let us die." Japanese assault troops had entered the ravine and
were heading their way, although it was uncertain whether they had been seen. Magee put his
cocked pistol against the whimpering man's face and whispered, "Shut your mouth. Another
word and I'll blow your damned head off." Fortunately, they remained undetected as Japanese
troops stumbled back into the ravine after their attack failed. With the first rays of dawn, the
four found the path up the friendly side of the ravine and scrambled to safety. Major Lloyd C.
Moffitt, the 2d Battalion' s Commander, greeted them, "We thought you were dead." They were
soon reunited with the rest of their platoon who had made it safely across the ravine ahead of the
Japanese assault during the night.
On January 20, the 31 st and 45th Infantry Regiments renewed their attacks, but the effort
was impossible to synchronize in the thick jungle terrain. Companies and sometimes platoons
fought alone along trails and across the deep ravines segmenting the battlefield. As the 3d
Battalion moved forward on the morning of the 20th, M Company fired 80 rounds of its precious
81mm mortar ammunition to keep the Japanese pinned down while I and L Companies advanced
across a cane field. Unfortunately, it was too little to keep the Japanese pinned down long
enough for the 3d Battalion to get across the field.
Private Burt Ellis, a medic with I Company, was hit in both legs by a burst of
machinegun fire. Corporal Marchel D. Easley tried to rescue him, but was cut down by a burst
from the same gun that got Ellis. Easley was dead and no one could reach Ellis, an agonizing
situation for a unit whose medics risked so much to belp wounded infantrymen. 34 Moving far to
the left, L Company attacked the grove from which Easley and Ellis had been shot. To scout the
way, Sergeant Clifford Clegg led a patrol around the edge of the field through thicker vegetation.
Spotting a four man Japanese patrol, Clegg's squad ambushed the group, killing or wounding
them all. Cautiously, Clegg and his men moved away, fearful of attracting a larger group of
Japanese. As time went by and the patrol did not return, Staff Sergeants John Flynn and William
W. White went forward to investigate. They found Clegg' s squad crouched no more than 50
yards from a group of about 70 Japanese sitting in a clearing, talking and apparently ignorant of
33 LT Robert K Magee (Belle Fource, SD) died aboard a "hell ship" enroute to Japan in 1944. SSG Carl J.
Williams (Greenville, SC) died in captivity in Manchuria. PFC Charles A Henderson (Albuquerque, NM) escaped
to Corregidor after Bataan' s surrender, but was executed on May 13, 1944 by Japanese guards whjle on a work
detail.
34 After dark, a Filippino doctor and his helper came out to rescue Ellis, guided by a lantern Ellis survived because
his tight leggings kept him from bleeding to death. PVT Peter 1. Chamote (Jersey City, NJ) died in captivity at
Cabanatuan on 19 Dec 1942.
24

danger. There were everal Japane e po ted in tree , but they eemed oblivion to their dutie ,
talking with their comrades below.
While Private Peter Chamote kept watch, Clegg brought the rest of the company forward,
moving them quietly into positions where they could engage the Japanese. Some were unable to
see through the thick grass and underbrush that concealed their presence, but were instructed to
fire in the direction of the Japanese voices. Such conditions generally cause inexperienced
soldiers to fire high, probably wasting much of the available firepower and dissipating its shock
effect. On order, the entire company opened fire, scattering the Japanese who quickly responded
with heavy fire of their own. Seven Americans were bit in the ensuing melee. Private John
Lally, one of the company's medics, carried several men to safety under fire despite being
painfuJly wounded himself. For repeated heroism that day, LalJy was awarded the Distinguisbed
Service Cross. Later, as he was helping to evacuate the wounded to the Regimental Aid Station,
a mortar shell blew him into the air, blinding him from the concussion. Although stiU partially
blind and not fully recovered from his wounds, Lally returned from the hospital several weeks
later and faithfully continued his duties.
A L Company withdrew from the ambu h ite, Captain Thomp on called for mortar fire,
but there was none to send. Captain John Pray of G Company came to L Company' s position in
a nearby ravine and offered his help. His company had attacked the same position several days
earJier and knew the terrain well. Reinforced by G Company, Captain Thompson sent a message
to battalion asking for pennission to attack, but no response came. At dusk, I Company was
ordered to attack but made little headway in the face of intense machinegun and mortar fire.
Around 9 PM, a detail from Battalion Headquarters Detachment brought up canned rations and
all companies were withdrawn to the back side of a protective ridge to eat in relative safety.
All night long, Japanese voices cou1d be heard infiltrating between the 31st and 45th
Infantry Regiments. The same was true on the 45th Infantry' s opposite flank. The
uncoordinated attacks launched on January 17 through 20 had opened gaps between adjacent
regiments and the Japanese were quick to exploit them. On the morning of January 21 , the 3d
Battalion dug in on the forward slope of a long ridge with I Company on the right and L
Company on the left. That afternoon, K Company attacked over the same ground I Company
had covered the day before. After taking several casualties, K Company drifted too far to the left
and ended up on the 1 t Battalion' right flank. The next morning, the 1 t Battalion, with K
Company attached, wheeled back to face west against a threat mounting on their flank. All
afternoon, the Japanese attempted to cross a small, bare hill about 300 yards from L Company's
left flank. A machinegun section under Sergeant Harry Neff kept the hill swept clean each time
the attack resumed. Lieutenant Annentrout, the attached artillery forward observer, guessed that
the area behind the hill was an assembly area and calJed for fire. Screams and groans could be
heard between the whistling and crumping of75mm shells, confmning Annentrout's suspicions.
Shortly afterward, Private Julius Stewart scattered several groups of survivors, dropping several
with his BAR as they tried to cross the Hacienda Road into the Barrio. 35
35 ergeant Harry M eff (home town unknown) and Private Julius W tewart ( larendon. AR) both died in
captivity.
25

On the evening of January 20, the weary troop were ordered to dig in . Japanese niper
had infiltrated behind the 31 st and 45th Infantry and an entire Japanese division attacked across
the Balantay River. The main blow fell against the 31st Infantry's 1st Battalion at 10 AM on
January 21 . As the battalion gave ground under steady pressure, the gap began to widen
between the 31st and 45th Infantry. Japanese troops poured into the breach and more infiltrated
behind the 1st Battalion. After dark, K Company, occupying the strongest position, was left in
contact with the enemy while the 1st Battalion withdrew, company-by-company, down a series
of narrow jungle trails behind and parallel to the regiment's defense line. As pressure mounted
on both flanks of the company, Captain Talbot organized a hasty horseshoe defense. He then
selected a third of his men to form a detachment left in contact under Lieutenant James I.
Mallette, simulating the fire of a full company to give their comrades a chance to make it to
safety down a steep ravine to their rear.
When Captain Talbott ordered that the wounded be evacuated with the company' s main
body, PFC Richard F . Gomes, a BAR gunner wounded in the hip and both legs and unable to
walk, refused evacuation, arguing that he would only slow down his comrades trying to escape
on the steep jungle trails.36 As the main body departed under increasingly heavy fire, PFC
Gomes told his fellow squad member, Private Clifford H . Mygrant, to collect all the ammunition
he could and place it near Gomes' position. Superior numbers of Japanese troops had crawled
dangerously close to K Company's thinly held position and would likely overrun it unless
sustained firepower could be delivered to hold them back long enough for the small detachment
to escape. The company' s only remaining mortar had no ammunition left and the regiment's
supporting artillery battalion had displaced out of range. Moreover, the detachment had no radio
to even call for help, so no fire support was possible.
The situation grew increasingly desperate as the number of men left to hold the company' s
defensive sector shrank. Knowing he was sacrificing his life, PFC Gomes volunteered to stay
behind alone to cover the detaclunent's withdrawal. Lieutenant Mallette and Private Mygrant
stayed with him as long as they could but could not persuade Gomes to allow them to help him
reach safety. Rolling to his left and right to simulate the presence of a larger unit, PFC Gomes
kept up a steady rate of fire with his automatic weapon as the last of his comrades departed.
Given his wounds, such exertions must have been extremely painful. Captain Ralph E. Hibbs,
the 3d Battalion ' Surge n, heard a lone gun still firing up on the ridge as he loaded the la t of
the wounded survivors into a makeshift ambulance in the valley below. Without PFC Gomes'
selfless act of courage and self-sacrifice, it is doubtful that any of his comrades in the last
detachment could have escaped. Soon after Lieutenant Mallette and Private Mygrant departed
Gomes' position, a final sustained burst of fire from Gomes' weapon was answered by exploding
hand grenades and intense rifle and macbinegun fire as Japanese troops apparently swarmed over
K Company's former position. Gomes' Luck had run out.
36 When interviewed by pbone concerning the incident in 1997, Otto Whittington and Patrick Davie gave the same
account although they had neither met nor communicated with each other since the war and neither knew the other
was still living.
26

Day later, ergeant Mom F. Lewi • K Company' Me ergeant, heard Captain
Talbott telling Colonel Steel and Lieutenant Colonel Brady that Gomes should receive the Medal
of Honor. On the roster Lieutenant Colonel Jasper Brady and Major Marshall Hurt so
painstakingly prepared during their captivity at Cabanatuan, is an annotation next to Gomes'
name, "M.H. recommended. After being wounded, and withdrawal of company ordered, told
Mygrant to leave him and he would cover withdrawal of o. Killed a few moment laler while
firing hi AR rapidly.' Today. no one knows if the Medal of Honor recommendation ever
reached Lieutenant General Wainwright's Headquarters on Corregidor where it would have had
to be forwarded by submarine to the US for approval. Gomes was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross posthumously, perhaps pending approval of the higher award. Local commanders
could authorize award of the DSC, but only the President could approve the Medal of Honor.
Private Patrick Davie, now the only survivor of the K Company detachment has testified
to Gomes' heroic deed in writing. Clifford Mygrant, hit in the legs during the action, died in
captivity. Lieutenant Colonel Jasper Brady and Major Marshall Hurt also died in captivity, as
did all of K Company's leaders above the grade of sergeant. Morris Lewis is still living, but was
in the rear at the time of the action and has no personal recollection of the event other than the
conversation he overheard between Captain Talbott and his eniors. There is little doubt that
Gomes' conscious self-sacrifice was sufficient to earn him the Medal of Honor and it would
likely have been awarded had the 31st Infantry's records been preserved. Unfortunately, most
were destroyed before the surrender, perhaps leaving Gomes' award recommendation III
perpetual limbo.
There were many other acts of heroism that day as individuals shunned danger to
accomplish a difficult mission under the worst of conditions. Private Walter J. Cox, a medic
with I Company earned the Silver Star for dashing across a fire swept trail to come to the rescue
of several L Company men who had been hit. He pulled one man to safety and was hit himself
while re cuing a econd. Lieutenant Dean K. Wood of T Company received the ilver Star for
exposing his position and drawing Japanese fire while Cox performed his rescue. When Cox
went down, Wood dashed across the trail, firing as he charged. He was hit while helping Cox
get the second man to safety. His Silver Star was subsequently upgraded to a Distinguished
Service Cross. Two other 3d Battalion medics, PFC Edward J. Golkas and Private William O.
Mann, were killed that day trying to help wounded comrades. Mann, wounded during his first
foray to rescue a wounded man, was killed during a second rescue attempt, earning him the
Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.
At night, Japanese snipers infiltrated through gaps in the line and climbed trees to await
their quarry. Shortly after daybreak on January 23, a sniper's bullet found its victim in C
Company. Corporal Charles Peterson lay sprawled in the dirt, quivering, with blood oozing from
his temple. In a moment he was still . "Oh God, he's dead, my buddy's dead," sobbed PFC
Andrew Nickerson as he stood staring at Peterson's lifeless face. "Someone get Nickerson back
in his hole," yeUed Sergeant Abraham, the company supply sergeant. Staff Sergeant Gerald
Farnham quickly complied, knocking Nickerson for a loop, just as another shot rang out. No
one wa hit thi time. Lieutenant Ralph immon ordered Private John Novak to find the
shooter. The fIre could only have come from a cluster of three mango trees, so the hunt was
27

ea y. When Simmon' patrol opened fire, the niper fell quickly, dangling from a rope holding
him to the tree. Men kept shooting long after he was dead but one soldier wasn't satisfied and
asked Simmons to allow him to blow the man's head off. Private Walter Southard, disgusted at
the request, shouted, "What the hell 's the matter with you, you getting' bloodthirsty?" Go to
hell, go straight to hell! " sobbed the grieving trooper as he took aim at the dead sniper. 37
Japane e bomber oon returned, erioll ly wounding Corporal Charle Adam and
killing Private Jose Campos. When the planes departed, "photo Joe", a reconnaissance plane,
watched for signs of another target. C Company lay pinned down a11 day long for fear they
would bring on another air or artillery attack. In the heat the bodies of the American and
Japanese dead gave off a foul odor from which there was no escape. To this day, C Company's
survivors refer to their position overlooking Abucay Hacienda as ' Dead Man's Hill."
Around noon, Captain John Pray of G Company became impatient for news of what was
happening. As part of the 2d Batta1ion, he was supposed to exploit any success gained by the 3d
Battalion's attack, but he did not know the 3d Batta1ion's plan or where it was. He decided to
act on his own initiative. Over the next 5 hours, he managed to move his company, now down to
55 men, around the mangrove clu ter where T and L Companie had been held up. Suddenly, the
company was engulfed in a blizzard of fife. Two men were killed and eight were wounded.
By nightfa1l, the 31st and 45th Infantry Regiments had drawn back almost to the line
from which they began their counterattack 5 days earlier. The troops were exhausted. They had
received little food or water, suffered heavy casualties, and got little sleep because Japanese
infantry tended to be active at night and Japanese bombers and artillery were active by day.
Against that backdrop, a Japanese infantry regiment struggled up Mount Natib in the center of
the line and descended down the back side into the rear of the II Corps' line. It was hard for the
Americans and Filipinos to recognize, but the Japanese were also running out of steam.
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE LINE
On January 24, the 31st Infantry was ordered to withdraw, covering the rest of II Corps
as it abandoned the MLR. One rifle company and one machinegun platoon per battalion were
left behind to screen the main body's withdrawal. A provisional tank group consisting of two
National Guard tank battalions and a battalion of 75mm self-propelled howitzers assisted
them. 38 As the covering force began withdrawing at midnight on January 25 , the Japanese
attacked, shouting "Samurai". The infantry fought a stout delaying action before falling in
behind a waiting screen of tanks and self-propelled howitzers that remained undetected by the
enemy. When the infantry was safely behind them, the tanks and howitzers opened fife at close
range, firing straight down trails densely packed with Japanese troops. The engagement threw
the Japane e into a chaotic retreat, leaving hundred dead or dying on the trail behind them .
37 LT Ralph C. Simmons (Spartanburg, SC), Staff Sergeant Gerald C Farnham (Little Valley, NY), Corporal
Charles K Adams (Mondovi, WI), and Private John Novak (home town unknown) died in captivity at Cabanatuan.
PFC Andrew E. ickerson (home town unknown) died in captivity at Camp O'Donnell.
38 The 192d and 194tb Tank Battalions were formed from National Guard division tank companies from various
state and were dispatched to the Philippines in 1941 , shortly before the curtain closed on reinforcement
opportunities.
28

At about 1 :30 AM on January 25, the 31 t Infantry's la t element to withdraw reached
the barrio of Wawa on Manila Bay. Men quickly fell into an exhausted sleep. At 4:00 AM they
were awakened for their first hot meal in two days - still half rations. There would be no more
sleep that day because the regiment was again designated the covering force for II Corps. All of
II Corps, except the 31st Infantry had withdrawn to the Pan dan Line. Fortunately, the Japanese
were so badly stricken at Abucay that they could not pursue the dispirited units that came off the
Abucay Line. By evening it became clear that a covering force was no longer needed and the
31st was ordered to withdraw to a bivouac area 2 kilometers west of Limay. At 3:00 AM on
January 26, the 1st Battalion was ordered to occupy a sector on the new line.
From January 28 to February 1, the regiment got a rest. The time was spent cleaning
equipment and searching for food since rations were insufficient to keep men functioning in the
tropical beat. The entire Bataan Force was starting to feel the effects of gradual starvation,
having been on half rations since the end of December 1941 . Moreover, medicine was running
out and Bataan's tropical jungle, with its plethora of diseases and unsanitary Jiving conditions
were taking their toll. Malaria and dysentery became particularly rampant.
On February 1, the regiment wa ordered north to an a sembly area on the San Vincente
River. The motor move was completed around 1:00 AM on February 2. On February 5, amid a
sporadic enemy barrage, a howitzer shell hit the 3d Battalion Command Post, wounding Captains
Donald G. Thompson ofL Company and Richard Roshe ofl Company. At dusk on February 5,
the regiment moved by truck to assembly areas on the AJangan and Lamao Rivers. The 1 st and
2d Battalions were posted 1 '!.I miles west of the main highway' s crossing of tbe Alangan River
and the Regimental Headquarters and 3d Battalion were located about I Y2 miles west of Lamao,
near II Corps Headquarters. The regiment would stay in those areas until April 3. On March 1,
Colonel Charles L. Steel moved up to become chief of Staff of II Corps. Lieutenant Colonel
Jasper E. Brady replaced him as commander of the 31st Infantry. Major Marshall Hurt who had
been the Regimental Adjutant in turn replaced Brady as 3d Battalion Commander. On March 27,
Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Q. Marron took command of the 2d Battalion, replacing Major Lloyd
C. Moffit, who became his executive officer.
Also in March, replacements were sent to the 31st from the AnDy Air Corps' 7th
Chemical Company, and from the Philippine Department's 808th MP Company and
Quarterma ter ection . What the better-fed replacement found hocked them . Veteran
infantrymen of the 31st were emaciated, covered with jungle sores, and sick with serious
diseases. Rations had declined to eight ounces of rice and one can of fish per day. To make
matters worse, moist rice quickly became moldy in the tropical heat, adding to the rampant
diarrhea in the camps. All carabao (water buffalo) on Bataan had already been butchered and
eaten, as had the Quartermaster' s pack mules, the 26th Cavalry Regiment's horses, and General
Wainwright's horse. Men constantly foraged for edible roots and herbs, snails, snakes, monkeys,
bananas, wild pigs, and stray chickens, but with over 70,000 soldiers on Bataan, the jungle was
nearly picked clean of edible material. Although there were 11 cases of C-rations on each
company's mess truck, they were reserved for "emergency" use only and it was a court martial
offense to open them without authorization from Philippine Department Headquarters. Everyone
29

grew weaker by the day and by April, the 31 t Tnfantry Regiment mustered les than a full
strength battalion of men able to walk unassisted. How bad would it have to get before someone
in authority decided to declare the situation an emergency?
MOUNT SAMAT, THE LAST BATTLE
On April 1 , 1942, the Japane ere limed their attack, practically de troying the Philippine
Army' s 41 st Division. Filipino units that had fought bravely in January now simply evaporated
under a thundering artillery barrage that lasted for several hours. Bunkers, foxholes, and the men
who occupied them were churned and plowed under as the earth erupted again and again in
geysers of dirt, steel shards, splintered trees, and broken bodies. Barbed wire that had been
salvaged from the abandoned Abucay line at great effort and risk was blasted into shreds,
opening wide corridors for waiting Japanese infantry. Any remaining communications wire was
cut repeatedly by the barrage, leaving commanders unsure of who, if anyone, remained for them
to command. Several thousand stragglers, including intact battalions, fled to adjacent sectors,
creating a confused mess with no one quite sure of who was in cbarge. Bombers and fighters
struck anything that moved, making it impos ible for reinforcements to move forward. At 6:00
the next evening, the 31 st Infantry was put on alert.
At 4:00 AM on Good Friday, April 3, 1942, the 31st Infantry was committed to the
breach, advancing toward the San Vincente River around 5:00 that evening with the 1st Battalion
in the lead. Thunder and lightning boiled out of a darkening sky, signaling the possibility of a
torm . The coming torm would not be of nature' making. Corporal Trvin Hick and Paul
Kerchum of B Company recall that there was no briefing on the situation, only an order to move
up. Those too sick or malnourished to fight were simply left behind, as were most heavy
weapons. There were few men strong enough to carry a water-cooled machlnegun and most
mortars were out of ammunition anyway, so some companies went forward with only rifles and
BARs. Hicks and Kerchum were exceptions. They and their squads were still in fairly good
shape due to repeated midnight raids on the Quartermaster food storage area, not far from their
bivouac site. Many others had done the same, even though getting caught was a punishable
offense. Starvation was greater punishment, so the risk seemed well worth taking. On the
evening of April 5, companies received a hot meal in a clearing somewhere south of the San
Vincente River. They were also issued C-rations and cigarettes, the first they had in months.
«We got 3 cans of dry and 3 cans of wet rations;' recalls Private TiI1man J. Rutledge. "We were
so hungry some of us sat down and ate all six cans." Around 4:00 PM, Colonel Brady assembled
his company commanders and asked Captain Taylor, the regimental chaplain, to lead them in
prayer.
Pouring through area abandoned by units of the Philippine Army, lapane e troop
gained the lower slopes of Mount Samat. The 31 st Infantry would have to counterattack to
throw them off and B Company would lead the attack. The order to attack drove some men to
desperation. Here and there throughout the bivouac area, M-J rifles and .45 caliber pistols
barked as weakened men shot off toes or parts of other limbs to avoid having to go into battle.
Private Romie C. Gregory, struggling to carry the barrel of his .50 caliber machinegun, felt his
morale sink. "It seemed like the whole Filipino Anny was going the other way." As B
30

Company advanced cautiou ly up a ridge, Lieutenant "Hootch" Sutphin, alway in the lead, hot
2 Japanese snipers out of the trees with his M-1.39 Japanese mortars opened up, wounding
Sergeants Donald Bridges and George Wood. Captain Thompson ordered Kerchum and Hicks to
set up their machinegun and spray the jungle ahead of the company, but they saw no enemy
troops. After firing intermittently for about 10 minutes, the company pulled back as word came
down that there were no friendly troops on the 31st Infantry's left or right. Private John
Annellino, a veteran of two years each in Panama and the Philippines, recalls the horrible stench
of death and the haunting sight of gauze bandages hanging from branches in streamers when his
company found what had been a Philippine Army division' s casualty collecting station.
Between midnight on April 5 and 1 :00 AM on April 6, the 2d and 3d Battalions passed
througb the 1 st and almost immediately G Company, leading the column, ran into a fight.
Privates Guy H. Prichard, Jr. and James G. Deaton, G Company's point men, were hit by
machinegun fire. Prichard, a quiet 20-year-old from Rensville, Pennsylvania, was killed
instantly, and Deaton, a tall blond kid from Denver, was bit 1n the stomach and lay unable to
move. Private Wil Sweeney fell with his .30 caliber machinegun into the center of the trail and
began firing teady bur t , ju t a he had been taught on Fort McKinley' s B Range. Private
George Bullock and Albert Taylor crawled up on his left and right with BARs. "Sweeney would
fire a burst, then I would fire a burst, and then Bullock would fire," recalled Taylor. "It was 30
minutes before we fought our way far enough to get Pritchard and Deaton out." Deaton died on
the way to the Battalion Aid Station. Captain Denton Rees, a dentist assigned to the Regimental
Aid Station, recalled "Our casualties were severe and it was difficult to evacuate them, but we
managed with the help of the walking wounded."
The 2d Battalion continued its advance, although more slowly and cautiously. In the
dark, men stumbled repeatedly into enemy units, fired at their muzzle flashes, threw unreliable
hand grenades, and continued moving forward in a fatalistic assault. Nearby, intense firing
erupted in the sector of the Philippine Army' s 21st Division, signaling the beginning of the end
for that unit. Outflanking the enemy after several hours of maneuvering at great cost, G
Company finally drove the Japanese up a steep ridge, securing what was intended to be the
regiment's line of departure. Although the 31st Infantry, with the remnant of a battalion of tanks
attached, had been scheduled to attack at daybreak, conditions had now changed. F Company
tarted to advance at 5:30 AM, but the tank did not how up and the cheduled 80 gun artillery
barrage artillery did not happen. Shortly after F Company started moving, they walked into an
ambush. "The Fourth of July broke loose," recalled Private Tillman Rutledge. ''They let us by
and then trie-d to separate us from the main body." As their buddies were hit, men would rifle
through their packs in search of cans of rations. Simultaneously, the Japanese hit the tail of the
2d Battalion' s column, adding to the confusion.
The 2d Battalion was not alone in its troubles. The 1st Battalion, left to guard a trail
junction behind the 2d Battalion, also came under attack. Private Annellino and another man
had just reached their designated listening post about 100 yards in front of A Company when the
39 Irvin R "Hootch" Sutphin, who was married to a Filipina, received a battlefield commission after the battle of
Abucay Hacienda. He died in captivity at Cabanatuan on August 9, 1942.
31

Japane e attack began. Rifle, machinegun, and mortar fire and excited American and Japane e
voices reverberated under the jungle canopy in a continuous cacophony for what seemed like an
hour. When the enemy withdrew, Armellino and his buddy cautiously returned to their company
only to fmd precious breakfast scattered allover the ground. Milk cans formerly filled with
drinking water were riddled with bullet holes. Staff Sergeant Thomas Lupton, the company's
mess sergeant, was being loaded onto a makeshift stretcher. One of his legs was blown off and
he was near death from loss of blood. He died enroute to the hospital.
Near dawn on April 6, surviving officers reported that the 21st Division had been
enveloped during the night and had scattered while escaping the trap. The 31st Infantry
Regiment's Antitank Company, attached to the 21st Division, was caught up in the retreat.
There was no one left holding the sector. Lieutenant Colonel Brady ordered his men to halt,
knowing they lacked the strength to hold an entire division sector even if they were successful in
retaking the line. There would be no time to react to Brady's order. The 2d Battalion, still in
front, spotted what appeared to be a Japanese regiment moving toward them from Mount Sarnat.
The Americans opened up with mortars and the Japanese responded in kind. Captain Ralph
Bibb , the 2d Battalion' urgeon, wa blown into the air, but landed without a cratch , Another
man nearby was hit in the trachea, almost severing it. Hibbs, still dazed and temporarily deaf,
applied a pressure bandage to keep the blood from flowing into the man's lungs.
Although General Clifford Bluemel, the western sector commander, denied Colonel
Brady's request to shift to a defensive posture, Brady ordered the 1 st and 2d Battalions to dig in
on the most defensible terrain available, sent patrols out to establish contact with remnants of the
Philippine Army's 51st Division, and moved the 3d Battalion into a reserve position. To assist
the 1 st Battalion in securing some steep hills in its assigned sector, a battery of four 75mm guns
was assigned the mission of laying down suppressive fire on the objective. The] st Battalion
advanced on line as the battery opened fire. Japanese artillery responded, reducing the battery to
three guns, then two, and finally the last gun was silenced. A Company's left flank platoon
advanced with only 15 men and 6 fell to mortar and artillery fire before they reached the crest of
the ridge. At the top, they occupied former Filipino positions. Swollen, stinking corpses littered
the area, making the men wish they were just about anywhere else. Japanese small arms fire
soon thinned the platoon to 7 men, but they managed to hold on.
Around 2:00 PM, Colonel Brady ent hi re erve companie , K and L, forward to help
the 2d Battalion hold its line. The 2d Battalion was taking the brunt of the Japanese 4th
Division' s main attack. Captain Thompson of L Company was just receiving his orders to move
forward when a Japanese shell landed nearby, peppering him with shrapnel and tree splinters and
causing him to go deaf. He was evacuated to a field hospital. At 3:00 PM, the 31st was ordered
to withdraw to the San Vincente River, moving overland since all major trails were in Japanese
hands. K and L Companies covered the withdrawal. Men too weak to struggle with heavy
weapons through the thick, tangled jungle simply took them apart and threw the parts into the
jungle. One machinegun squad, despairing of ever getting out alive, set up their gun and fired
for over an hour until a series of explosions signaled the end of their war.
32

A A Company' left flank platoon withdrew, it did 0 individually. The first man
dashed down the bullet swept slope safely. The second had a head wound and froze. When
someone slapped him, he threw down his weapon and ran toward the Japanese and was killed.
The others made their way to a covered position at the foot of the hill. C Company rallied
nearby as desperate men shouted to each other over the chaotic din of explosions and gunfire. A
barbed wire fence blocked the 1st Battalion's withdrawal until Lieutenants Alfred Lee and
Charles Hodgins4o held down a section of the fence, firing their pistols at the enemy to keep
them away as men scrambled over the wire. Planes attacked the struggling mass with cannon fire
while Japanese troops fired down on them from the heights they had just abandoned. Although
few of those hit were killed, men dropped everything and ran in wild panic, hoping to find a spot
that could shelter them from the hellish storm of fue. The 1st Battalion ceased to exist as a
fighting unit.
Remnants of the 31st Infantry's Antitank Company, totaling three 37mm antitank guns,
were positioned to cover the Pilar-Bagac Road. As six Japanese tanks appeared, two of the
37mm guns fued over 40 rounds, mortally wounding the Japanese 7th Tank Regiment's
commander, Colonel Sonoda, and di abling two of hi tanks. The remaining tanks potted the
two antitank guns and knocked them both out. While the third gun was being positioned to join
the fight, it came under intense artillery fire, causing First Sergeant Emanuel Hamburger and the
gun' s 5 crewmen to take cover in a dugout. Before taking cover, Hamburger ordered one of the
men to remove the weapon' s breech block. Seeing what appeared to be a platoon of Japanese
approaching, Hamburger and two of the drivers fired through slits in the log embrasure. During
a lull in the firing, three of the crewmen scurried out of the dugout and escaped. A fourth,
Private Homer 1. Hernandez of Overton, Texas got out but was shot and bayoneted. As
Hamburger and the others tried to follow, they were met by a hail of bullets, forcing them back
inside. Private James Mines urged Hamburger to surrender. Hamburger tied his handkerchief to
a stick and handed it to Mines who refused it. "Oh no, you're the Sergeant, you go first. ' At the
age of 45 , a veteran of the Mexican Expidition against Pancho Vma in 1916, combat with the 1 st
Division during World War I, nine years of service in China, and eight in the Philippines,
Hamburger went into captivity.41
Taking up a new position along the San Vincente River, what was left of the 31 st sent
patrols out to it flank to e tabJish contact with neighboring unit . Major Addi on W. Dunham,
who had recently become the 1st Battalion Commander, was receiving a report from one of the
patrols when 3 rounds of artillery came roaring in, making a sound like a freight train according
to Corporal Joe Keys. Major Dunham (Cambridge, Nebraska), Corporal Charles Ball
(Browning, Montana), and Privates Clyde L. Wasson (Bell, California) and Carl E. GJadwetz
(home town unknown) were killed instantly. Charles Ball had been B Company' s hero ever since
40 1LT Charles L. Hodgins (Snohomish, WA) died in captivity at Cabanatuan on July 31 , 1942. 2LT Alfred E. Lee
(Carrollton, TX) died at Cabanatuan on December 13, 1942.
41 Remarkably, lSG Hamburger (Seattle, WA) would survive, remaining in the Army after the war. PVT James E.
Mines (Russellville, AL) survived the war, although he is erroneously listed in Colonel Brady's roster as having
died in captivity on June 8, 1943. The other soldier who surrendered with Hamburger was PVT Cecil W. Bradshaw
(home town unknown). Bradshaw had less than a month to live. He died in captivity at Camp O' Donnell on April
25, 1942.
33

he began picking niper out of tree on the way to Abucay Hacienda in January, but an
exploding artillery shell makes no distinctions. Now, half a world away from the Indian
Reservation he proudly caned home, Ball lay dead. Lieutenant ''Dobie' Flynn lay nearby with
blood pouring from a deep gash near his temple. Bill Lambert, a medic, worked frantically to
stop the bleeding and then hustled the dazed lieutenant off to the regimental aid station. Others
joined him. Joe Keys had most of his left ann blown off and Paul Kerchum took a large
fragment in his right calf. The number of able-bodied men remaining in B Company had just
declined by a third. Everyone who still could ran across the slope to take shelter from the
barrage.
At 6:00 AM on April 7, Japanese artillery and infantry struck what remained of the
Philippine Anny's 5]st Division on a trail adjacent to the 31st Infantry. Weakened by disease,
hunger, and battle losses, the unit could hold on no longer. Surviving Filipino soldiers melted
into the jungle to save themselves. Soon the 31st was also under attack. Around 9:00 AM, the
regiment was ordered to withdraw to an assembly area near Lamao. The withdrawal route
traversed extremely rough and heavily vegetated terrain, causing units to become separated and
men to become isolated group of tragglers. They did not know it, but the entire rr Corp line
had e aporated. Philippine Anny, Philippine Scout, and American troops became intermingled
in the general retreat. When the 31st Infantry's remnants reached the Alangan River, there were
somewhere between 200 and 300 effectives left. Other regiments of the US Philippine Division
were in similar condition.
THE SURRENDER
By the evening of April 8, the situation was clearly hopeless. Senior officers were told
that General King would surrender the Bataan Force the next morning. At 7:00 the next
morning, all radio operators listening to General King' s command frequency heard "DITCH,
DITCH, DITCH", the coded signal to surrender. Although exhausted and dispirited, the 31st did
not surrender of its own accord. Rather than issuing the order to surrender, officers told their
men of the situation and advised them that the time had come for them to decide for themselves
what to do. Some of the stronger officers, including Major Peter Calyer, the 31st's Operations
Officer, led groups into the mountains to become guerillas. When word of the impending
surrender reached H Company, Sergeant Walk had one 81mm mortar round left. He set the
mortar to fire at maximum range, fired the 6 lb. projectile at an unseen foe, had his men
disassemble the sights and tripod, and scattered pieces of the weapon into the jungle as they
marched down the trail toward an unknown fate. One of the regiment's last casualties on Bataan
was Major Lloyd C. Moffit, killed by a shrapnel wound to the head in an air attack less than an
hour before the surrender. The plucky little major had been relieved of command in Marcb after
accidentally hooting himself in the fo t while briefing hi officer with a drawn pi to1 , but
gamely stayed with the 2d Battalion as its Executive Officer to the very end.
At the time of the surrender, the 31st Infantry's headquarters was collocated with the
headquarters of II Corps and the Philippine Division on Signal Hill, a promontory of Mount
34

The regimental color , till in their poli hed wooden orage box, were left in an air
passage just off the main hospital lateral in the Malinta Twmel. There they were discovered by a
Japanese NCO named Kohama on March 15, 1943 but remained undisturbed. Seeing that the
colors might soon be taken away by the Japanese, Captain George A Sense of the 92 0d
Coast
Artillery, on a work detail removing ammunition from the tunnel, acted to prevent their capture.
He removed the colors from their container and wrapped them around his body beneath his shirt.
He put the Siberia battle streamer and the red, white, and blue cord in his pocket and took them
to Corregidor's hospital building where he and other officers were being housed. After
discussing the situation with Captain Robert Cooper of the 59 th
Coast Artillery and Captain
James Holmes of the 60 th
Antiaircraft Artillery, the men agreed that it was better to destroy the
colors than to let the Japanese claim them as a war trophy. On the evening of March 17, 1943,
the three men sadly burned the colors in an oven in the hospital building.
AMERICAN TROOPS WITH THEm WORLD WAR I EQUIPMENT
In Memoriam
The following men were killed in action or died of wounds received in action
37

April 8, 1942 during aerial and artillery bombardment at the Alangan River (6)
HQ 20d Battalion (1) MAJ Lloyd C. Moffitt
HQ 3 n1 Battalion (1) MAJ Addison W Dunham
B Company (2) CPL Charles Ball, PVT Carl E Gladwetz
K Company (1) SGT Casimir Trawinski
L Company (I) PFC William Capps
April 9, 1942 Escaping from Bataan to Corregidor (2)
Service Company (2) SGT Martin Messer, PVT Erskine Sisk
April 19-May 6, 1942 While defending Corregidor (9)
HQ Company (1) CPL Ralph Sessions
C Company (J) SGT Charles McGowan
E Company (1) PFC Bruce H Sayers
G Company (2) PVT Carl E Jaques, PVT Charles R Owens
I Company (4) CPL Harvey P Castor, PVT Robert M Brown, PVT Benjamin Lux, PFC John
Skelton
April 19-22, 1942 By US artillery counterfire from Corregidor while at hospitals on Bata.an (4)
A Company (1) CPL Edward J Pierchalski
L Company (2) PVT Anthony Tabaka, PFC Frederick J WehJer
M Company (1) PVT Lloyd A Seward, Ir
While Serving with the Philippine Army (4)
A Company (1) CPL (2L T) Claude A. Smock
H Company (1) CPL (2LT) William J. White
I company (1) SGT (2LT) Earl C. Powell
K Company (1) SGT (2LT) Elmer H. Brumback
References
Letters. Tapes, and Interviews
1. John J. Armellino (private, A Company 1941-42), Tape sent to John W. Whitman for
preparation of Balaan, Our La t Ditch.
2. Leon O. Beck (private, Antitank Company 1941-42) Roster of officers of the 31" Infantry at
Bataan prepared by MAJ Marshall Hurt January-March 1942 and personal interviews and
letters, 1996-1999.
3. Tom G. Calderone (Corporal, A Company 1939-42) Series of personal interviews
concerning actions of A Company at Layac and Abucay Hacienda.
4. Arthur C. Christensen (Captain, F Company and HQ Company 1939-41) Series of letters
and email correspondence concerning his pre-war experiences in the Philippines and
invaluable data on the pre-war strength, personalities, billeting, training, and organization of
the regiment.
5. Phillip W. Coon (Private, H Company 1941-42), personal interviews concerning events at
Abucay Hacienda and Mount Samat, 1996-1998
39

6. Joeph rea ( taff ergeant, Headquarter Company 1942), Telephone interview, letter, and
map concerning disposition of regimental colors before the surrender at Bataan, 1997.
7. Patrick A. Davie (Private, K Company 1941-42), Witnessed affidavit concerning actions of
PFC Richard F. Gomes at Abucay Hacienda, 1996.
8. Anne Brady Frame, Telephone interview concerning development and disposition of the
roster prepared by her late husband, LTC Jasper Brady, at Cabanatuan POW Camp. After
the war, Mrs. Brady carried on her husband's task, annotating the roster to reflect the deaths
of men who died on the Hell Ships and in captivity in Japan and Manchuria after LTC
Brady's death in 1944.
9. William J. Garleb (private, Hand M Companies 1941-42) Series of interviews and letters
concerning his wartime experiences in the Philippines, including pictures and copies of
letters to his family in St Louis.
10. Richard M. Gordon (Corporal, F Company, 1940-41) letters concerning personalities and
events relating to the 31 st Infantry Regiment's command changes. Richard also provided a
copy of the wartime regimental roster compiled by LTC Brady and MAJ Hurt while in
captivity at Cabanatuan- a uniquely helpful source document without which this book
would have mi ed much important detail.
11. Ronnie C. Gregory (private, D Company 1941-42), Tape sent to John W. Whitman for
preparation of Salaan, Our La I Ditch.
12. Woodrow M. Griffith (private, I Company 1941-42), Tape sent to John W. Wllitman for
preparation of Balaan, Our La t Ditch.
13. Emanuel Hamburger (First Sergeant, Antitank Company 1939-42), Series of letters sent to
John W. Whitman for preparation of Balaan, Our La t Ditch.
14. Allen W. Hancock (private, Headquarters Company 1941-42), Oral History, 31 - Infantry
Historical Committee, Ft Sill, OK 1988
15. Irvin L. Hicks (Corporal, B Company 1941-42), Telephone interviews 1995-1998
concerning actions at Layac Junction, Abucay Hacienda, and Mount amat.
16. Joseph Q. John on (private, Company D 1941-42) Letters to Michael Pullen concerning
shared experiences in the Philippines with Pullen s uncle, Dale L. Snyder (Private, Company
D) who was executed by the Japanese at Cabanatuan.
17. Paul Kerchum (Corporal, B Company 1940-42), Series of letters sent to John W. Whitman
for preparation of Balaan, Our La t Ditch and personal interviews concerning events at
Layac Junction and Abucay Hacienda.
18. Joe P. Keys (Corporal B Company 1940-42) Personal interviews 1995-2003 concerning his
role at the Battles of Layac, Abucay Hacienda, and Mount Sarnat.
19. William H. Lambert (Sergeant, 3d Battalion Medical Detachment 1941-42) Series of letters
and interviews concerning his detachment's role in fighting at Layac and Abucay Hacienda.
20 . . John G. Lally (Private, 2d Battalion Medical Detachment 1941-42), Sene of Jetter and
tapes sent to John W. Whitman for preparation of Balaan, Our La t Ditch.
21. Morri F. Lewis (Sergeant, K Company 1940-42), Letter and telephone interview
concerning events at Abl1cay Hacienda, 1997.
22. Wayne B Lewi (Corporal, D Company 1940-42), Oral History, 31 11
Infantry Historical
Committee, Ft Sill, OK 1988.
23 . Michael L. PuJJen (nephew of Dale L Snyder -- Private, D Company) with Private Snyder's
Silver Star citation, an annotated 1941 photo ofD company, and a map of the Death March.
40

24 . Loui B. Read (Corporal, Antitank Company 1941-42) Email concerning di po ition of the
regiment's memorabilia just prior to the surrender.
25. TiUman J. Rutledge (private, Headquarters 2d Battalion 1941-42), Series of letters and
tapes to John W. Whitman for preparation of Bataan, Our La [ Ditch.
26. Earl R. Short (Captain, Headquarters Company 1940-41), Oral History, 31 11
Infantry
Historical Committee, Ft Sill, OK 1988.
27. Wilburn L. Snyder (Private. 3d Battalion Medical Detachment 1941-42). Tape sent to John
W. Whitman for preparation of Bataan, Our La t Ditch.
28. Albert L. Taylor (private, G Company 1941-42), Tape sent to John W. Whitman for
preparation of Balaan, Our La t Ditch.
29. George Uzelac (private, Service Company 1941-42), Tape sent to John W. Whitman for
preparation of Bataan, Our Last Dllch.
30. Earl F. Walk (platoon Sergeant, H Company 1940-42), Series of letters and tapes sent to
John W. Whitman for preparation of Bataan, Our La t Ditch.
31. Otto W. Whittington (Private, K Company 1941-42), Telephone interview 1996 concerning
the battle of Abucay Hacienda and PFC Richard F. Gomes' actions during the withdrawal.
32. Granville E. Workman (Private, I Company 1941-42), Tape sent to John W. Whitman for
preparation of Bataan, Our La t Ditch.
Books and Manuscripts
33. Abie Abraham (Sergeant, C Company 1939-42), Oh God, Where Are You?, New York:
Vantage Pre ,1997. Al 0 telephone interview 1997 concerning C Company' actions under
air attack on Corregidor and later at Abucay Hacienda and the Alangan River.
34. John R. Bumgardner, M.D. (Captain, 12th Medical Regiment, 1941-42), Parade of the
Dead, Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 1995. Also telephone interview 1996
concerning events at the war s outbreak and in captivity.
35. Eugene B. Conrad (Captain, F Company 1940-42), Infantry Officers Advanced Course
Monograph, The Operation of the 3 J st Infantry (Philippine Divi ion) Defen e of Bataan,
December 41 to 9 April 42 (philippine 1 lands Campaign).
36. Michael Gilewitch (Sergeant, D Company 1939-42), Moyeh, a personal memoir of service
in the 31st Infantry and subsequent captivity. Also a series of telephone interviews 1996-97
concerning events at the war's onset, the first air raid on Corregidor, and actions at Abucay
Hacienda.
37. Ralph E. Hjbbs, M.D. (Captain, 2d Battalion Surgeon 1941-42), Tell MacArthur to Wait,
New York: Carlton Press, 1988. Also telephone interview and letter concerning actions at
Abucay Hacienda, 1996.
38. Jim Hildreth (Seaman, USS Canopus), Thank You America, for Binging Me Home, Sonora,
CA: tudio One, 1994. Al 0 a letter regarding hi hared experience with Leroy T. Becraft
(Private, I Company) on Bataan.
39. Hi tory, Lineage, Honor., Decorations, and eventy-Third Anniver ary Yearbook (Unit
History Committee, 4th Battalion 31st Infantry, Ft Sill, OK 1988-89.
40. Hi tory, Lineage, Honor , Decoration, and evenly-Fourth Anniversary Yearbook (Unit
History Committee, 4th Battalion 31st Infantry, Ft Sill, OK 1989-90.
41. Don F. Ingle (private, L Company and Headquarters Company 1941-42), No Le A Hero,
Manila: Coolright Printing, 1994. Also an annotated pre-war 31st Infantry Regiment morning
41

eport and a erie of per onal interview concerning event at ayac, Abucay Hacienda, and
Mount Samat.
42. Robert Lapham and Bernard Norling, Lapham 's Raider" Lexington, KY: Kentucky
University Press, 1996.
43 . Richard C. MaJlonee, Battle/or Balaan, An Eyewitne s Account, Novato, CA: Presidio Press,
]997.
44. Adrian R. Martin, Brother, From Bataan: POw. 1942-19-15, Manhattan, KS: Sunflower
University Press, 1992.
45 . Eric Morris, orregidor, The End 0/ the Line, New York: Stein and Day, 1981 .
46. Louis Morton, The Fall o/the Philippine . United tales Army in World War 11, The War In
the Pacific, Washington: Office of the Chief of MiLitary History, US Army, USGPO, 1953.
47. John Toland, But Not in hame: The ix Month After Pearl Harbor, New York: Random
House, 1961).
48. John Toland, The Ri ing un, New York: Random House, 1970.
49. John W. Whitman, Balaan, Our La t Ditch, New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990. John's
book adds invaJuable painstakingly-researched dissertation-quaJity detail to Louis Morton's
official history of the defen e of the Philippine . He erved a a captain with the 31 t
Infantry in Korea during the 1970s.
42

CAPTMTY
Chapter 7
1942-1945
After being urrendered a part of the Bataan Defen e Force on April 9, 1942, the
31st Infantry Regiment played no further role as a unit during World War n. The
regiment lived on, however, in the spirit of those who endured 42 months of captivity
under exceptionally brutal conditions in the Philippines, Fonnosa, Manchuria, and Japan
and in the actions of those who continued to evade or resist the Japanese as members of
scattered guerilla bands in the mountains and jungles of the Philippines. Although much
has been written about both aspects of the era, it would be inaccurate to characterize
individual actions after Bataan's surrender as actions of the 31st Infantry Regiment.
Instead, this chapter is devoted primarily to honoring those known to have died in
captivity. Their number, far exceeding the regiment's battle casualties, speaks volumes
about their circumstances.
Practically all members of the 31 t Tnfantry entered captivity malnollri hed and
sick. Because General MacArthur first decided to defend Luzon at Lingayen Gulf and
several beaches south of Manila, his staff had not pre-stocked supplies of food, fuel, and
medicine on the Bataan Peninsula or developed the bastion for a protracted defense. In
consequence, American and Filipino troops who fought there went on half rations in early
January and their portions became ever smaller and less nourishing through April. Most
medicines ran out by early February, leaving soldiers to cope with the combined
weakening effects of gradual starvation and diseases ranging from malaria and diptheria
to dysentery and vitamin deficiency diseases. Thus, those who fought at Bataan went
into captivity seriously weakened. Their captors did all they could to worsen their
condition.
THEDEATHMAR H
Those who trusted Japanese pledges of decent treatment if they accepted
surrender were immediately disabused of that hope. The Bataan garrison's survivors,
over 60,000 men, were marched 68 miles under a blazing sun, denied potable water and
relief stops, and subjected to extreme brutality and summary executions by scornful,
sadistic Japanese guards. About 1600 of that number were members of the 31 st Infantry,
most of whom survived the march . Filipino civilians who tried to give them food or
water along the way were bayoneted or beheaded.
Once at Camp O'Donnell, thousands of men from hundreds of units were
crammed into a former Philippine Anny training center. Sanitation facilities were sparse
and quickly overwhelmed. There was no medicine and what passed for food was
seriously deficient in caloric content. Brutality and summary executions at the hands of
Japanese guards continued unabated. The number of men who died in captivity in May
1942 exceeded the number who died in combat and it would still be several years before
the survivors would be liberated.

THE CAMP
Those captured at Corregidor did not experience the Death March. They were
generally better fed and healthier since the island was better provisioned and its defenders
did not have to live in malarial jungles. A week or so after the island surrendered on May
6, 1942, they were taken by barge to Manila and marched through the city's streets to
Bilibid, a pre-war high security prison. After being screened, most prisoners were taken
by train from Bilibid to Cabanatuan in central Luzon.
Around the same time, most of those captured at Bataan and held initially at
Camp O'Donnell were moved to Cabanatuan. Some suspected of having infonnation of
value to the Japanese were held at Bilibid. Other men were sent there later from various
labor details or were too ill to be moved. Men who were particularly resistant to the
Japanese at Bilibid or were captured in underground organizations were taken to the old
Spanish dungeons under Fort Santiago. No known survivors emerged. Otbers were sent
to prison work camps on the islands of Mindanao and Palawan or were taken to work
details at places like Nichols Field to extend the runway . There, the sadistic brutality of
Japanese guards was unsurpassed as a number of prisoners were beaten to death for sport.
At Palawan, the Japanese guard force slaughtered the prisoners when it became clear that
they could not be removed before American troops landed on the island.
THE HELL SHIPS
In 1944, when Japan recognized that American forces would SOOI1 land 011 Luzon
and Mindanao, the two largest islands of the Philippines, they crammed thousands of
men, including most surviving officers, into the unventilated holds of unmarked "hell
ships". Those too weak or too sick to be of value as slave labor in Japanese mines and
construction projects were left behind to die at Cabanatuan and other camps. On the hell
sbips, hundreds of men had only a single bucket among them for sanitation and had
nowhere to lie down or escape the suffocating heat and stench. Many died standing.
Three of the hell ships carrying members of the 31 st Infantry, the hinyo Marn,
Art an Maru. and Oryoku Marn were sunk by the US Navy, sending men who had
endured three years of starvation, illness, and maltreatment to watery graves. The hinyo
Marn departed Mindanao on September 3, 1944 with 750 American POWs. It was
torpedoed by the USS Paddle four days later, killing 668 of the Americans aboard. The
Art an Marn departed Manila on October 10, 1944 with 1800 American POWs. It was
torpedoed by the USS nook, killing 1795 of the Americans aboard. The Oryoku Marn
departed Manila on December 13, 1944 with 1800 American POWs aboard. It was sunk
two days later near Subic Bay by American carrier planes. Angry Japanese guards shot
men trying to escape from the sinking ship's hold and shot still more as they struggled in
the water. Those who made it to shore were recaptured and taken to Japan aboard two
other hell ships departjng the Philippines on December 27 and January 2. Of the 1800
who tarted the hetl; h journey with the Oryoku Mam on ecember 13, 1426 died.

SLAVE LABOR CAMPS
For prisoners who made it to Formosa, Manchuria, and Japan, conditions were
sometimes better and sometimes not. The unaccustomed cold weather added to men's
misery, costing many weakened men their lives. At other places, mine cave-ins and other
fonns of industrial accidents took more lives. Some were subjected to secret biological
warfare experiments in Manchuria and others were killed by the American atomic
bombings of Japanese cities where they were performing slave labor.
INTERNMENT
Jean George (left) was 22 when she was invited to a
dance at the Higb Commissioner's mansion in
Manila and met Lieutenant Walter E. O'Brien, Jr.
(right) of the 31 st Infantry. They fell in love at first
sight and were engaged in November 1941 .
Unfortunately, their time together was cut all too
short by the outbreak of war only a month later.
Jean was born and educated in Manila. Her father,
an Australian. was Secretary-Treasurer of the
American Oxygen and Acetylene Company there.
When the war broke out, Walter O'Brien went to Bataan with the 31 sl
Infantry while Jean stayed with her family in Manila. Her older sister,
Marian, was already married and gave birth to a son during a Japanese air
raid. Marian, her husband, and baby were interned at Santo Tomas
University in Manila in January 1942.
ot far away on the Bataan Peninsula, after enduring four months of combat, starvation, and
illness, Walter O'Brien and most other survivors of the 31 st Infantry were surrendered with the
rest of the Luzon Force on April 9, 1942. Most endured the Death March and suffered further
brutal treatment at Camp O'Donnell and Cabanatuan or Bilibid POW Camps. The Japanese
initially left Jean's family alone in hopes that ber father might keep supplying the Japanese
oxygen and acetylene. Very little was actually delivered Valves were constantly being left open
or «lost". By June 1942, the Japanese became fed up and sent Jean's family into internment with
hundreds of other civilians.
At Santo Tomas Internment Camp
(unaffectionately known as STIC
U by its inmates), Jean served on
the vegetable detail. She washed
them, cut them into servings,
loaded them into gallon-size
wicker baskets, and carried them
to the kitchen with the help of
another internee, Howard Stark.
Howard fell in love with ber and
proposed that they marry after the
war, but she rejected him,
expJain.iogthat she was engaged
Santo Tomas University

to Walter O'Brien. On September 7, 1944, Walter was one of 751 POWs crammed into the hold
of a Japanese cargo ship, the hinyo Marll, headed for Japan. The unmarked ship was torpedoed
by the USS Paddle, killing 688 of those aboard, including Walter.
On February 3, 1945, the S 44th Tank Battalion led elements of the 151 Cavalry and 3i b Infantry
Divisions onto the grounds of Santo Tomas, liberating the internees. The Japanese promptly
shelled the camp, seriously wounding two of Jean's friends, Veda Trembley and Rita Johnson,
before they could get out of hann's way. Jean narrowly missed the same fate or worse, leaving
the same building just before the shell hit. Luckily, Jean's whole family survived and eventually
moved to Bremerton and Vancouver, Washington. When Jean reached Seattle aboard the USNS
Eberle, Walter O'Brien 's family met her at the dock to tell her of his death.
A year later, Howard Stark came back into Jean' s life and they married. Over the next five years,
Jean had 3 children, became a US citizen, and went to work in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Howard died in 1972, but Jean never remarried. On the third Thursday of each month, she
attended meetings of the Kitsap Chapter of American Ex-POWs and was a life member of the 31 81
Infantry Regiment Association in honor of her first true love, Walter O'Brien. She died in 2002.
THE CABA A TUAN RO TER
By the time liberation came, more than a thousand members of the 31 st Infantry
Regiment had perished. Among the dead were most of the regiment's officers and senior
NCOs. While at Cabanatuan POW Camp, Lieutenant Colonel Jasper Brady and Major
Marshall Hurt covertly compiled a roster of tho e who had served with the regiment
during the war. It cover the period December 8, 1941 through October 10, 1944, when
Brady and Hurt were taken from Cabanatuan to be transported to Japan. It lists names,
ranks, service numbers, hometowns, combat wounds, decorations earned, next of kin, and
pending awards and disciplinary action. For those who died in combat or captivity before
Brady and Hurt were taken to their deaths aboard the Ari an Maru, the circumstance and
place of burial i annotated Given the condition under which the ro ter wa prepared, it
is remarkably legible and thorough. There are, however, some ine itable gaps, such as
the hometowns or next of kin of men who died before the roster was begun. Because the
roster was compiled from the memories of leaders incarcerated at Cabanatuan, some
spellings of names may also be inaccurate.
The night before Brady and Hurt were to leave Cabanatuan, they hid the ro ter
under one of the barracks buildings. Brady left instructions with several men left behind
that the information must get back into US hands. Brady annotated the roster, "825
known dead a POw. by late /9·1-/" and signed his name and service number on the front
inside cover. The roster was recovered by the 6th Ranger Battalion during Cabanatuan's
liberation and was eventually given to Anne Brady, Jasper Brady's widow. With the aid
of survivors, she further annotated the roster to indicate the deaths of 330 others who died
aboard hell ships or in Japanese work camps. The following list of 1155 men who died
in captivity is extracted from that roster, roughly half of the regiment's strength on the
day the war began. The list is subdivided by company, from left to right in alphabetical
order by rank.
Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company (90 died in captivity)
LTC Jasper E Brady, Jr LTC Leo C Paquet MAJ Marshall H Hurt, Jr

CPT Earl C Packer CPT Everett V Mead
ILT William J Tooley ILT Walter S Strong
WO Edward H Cruikshank 1 SG Walter H Hall
TSG Henry M Bonds TSG George W Trotter
SSG John llankowski SSG Larkin B Traylor
SGT Joseph E Bak SGT James L Hicks
SGT Ralph BRoss SGT Virgil D Williams
CPL Leonard Hamilton CPL Lloyd A Hughes
CPL Richard J Thompson CPL Edward L Whalen
PFC Wilbur Burdick PFC Orville F Cook
PFC Edwin D Dravis PFC David H Ellsworth
PFC Tommy Fo ter PFC lohn E Handley
PFC Lynn T Hasty PFC Winfried 0 Hayes
PFC David S Keven PFC Albert W Klaus
PFC Evan A Malmquist PFC lean P Morrow
PFC Mike Petljaga PFC Raymond L Ross
PFC Clement J Stanevich PFC Allen J Sutherland
PFC Robert P Weige] PFC Rex T Williams
PYT Frank B Aniola PVT Paul Bostick
PVT Albert F Brown PVT Francis F Champagne
PVT Henning 0 Degerness PVT Wayne E Drake
PVT Tommie Evans PVT Michael Greico
PVT Edward R Hilinski PVT Otha L Holliday
PVT Gerald W Isbell PVI Hobart M Jones
PVI Charles A McCall PVI Walter M Malonek
PVI Ralph G Payne PVT Stuart R Pennington
PVT Carlos E Price PVT Vernon H Rhodes
PVI Lawrence Smith PVI Leonard Snell
PVT Fred Williams PVT Henry E Wilson
Antitank Company (62 died in captivity)
CPT Robert A Barker 1 L T Harold F Monson
SGT Louis F Berendt SGT Walter Kowalczyk
SGT Joseph R Vaughn SGT Claude E Wilson
CPL George L McCafferty CPL Robert SpaJek
PFC Edward C Ambrose PFC 1 SAnderson
PFC Eugene E Bales PFC David E Cross, Jr
PFC Walter W Kean PFC lessie J Nelson
PFC William W Utley PFC Homer L Wood
PVT Cleveland Armond PVT Cecil W Bradshaw
PVI Charles B Clayton PVT Patrick F Corcoran
PVT Albert F D'Auria PVT Bernard M Doxtator
PVT Gerald C Gaines PVI Siebelt R Goldenstein
PVT James E Hayward PVT Frank S Heater
PVI Albert C Kalen PVT Raymond E Larson
PVT Condia Lynch PVT losepb B Martineau
PVT Amos R McAfee PVT Rovert L McIntyre
CPT Thane H Hooker
2L T Fred B Klessig
MSG Glenn I Criss
SSG Ralph Hicks
SSG Newell Chandler
SGT Joseph F Mathern
CPL George Alford
CPL Clement R Miller
PFC Claude I Broussard
PFC Robert B Coppock
PFC William T Fenton
PFC Henry H Harvey
PFC Daimer F Hickman
PFC Homer E Lewis
PFC Donald R Nugen
PFC Benjamin F Runyan
PFC Kenyard Taylor
PFC Stephen M Wisniewski
PYI lames R Brooks
PVT Elton W Copeland
PVT James B Emrick
PVT Thomas C Harrington
PVT Patrick Iliff
PVT Joseph M Kane
PVT Vernon A Martin
PVI John V Phillips
PVT Sammie Silvennan
PVT lason Stoutenburgh
PVT Thomas M Wethnell
SSG Cameron C Taylor
SOT James 1 Murpby
CPL Leo J Barlosky
CPL Paul F Welch
PFC Thomas T Bailey
PFC Clifford D Hendon
PFC Warren W Powless, lr
PVT Don L Abernathy
PVTCLClark
PVT Elmo J Daigle
PVT Paul L Foy
PVT Gerald W Haman
PVT Owen Hicks
PVI Fred A Luck
PVI Fiorino F Mazzucca
PVT James E Mines

PYT Orvel K Mom PVT Floyd Moyer, Jr
PYT Glenwood D Porter PYT Fred J Reed
PYT Edmund F Sadler PVT Ari Self
PVT Marion R Thompson PVT Gerald K Titman
PVT Jerry D Williams PVT Charles C Zenchenko
HQ 1 t Battalion (22 died in captivity)
LTC Edward H Bowes MAl Fred M Small
SSG Raymond D Meyer SGT Maynard F Greene
CPL Herschell L Meyers CPL Ignac D Senkyrik, Jr
CPL Doyle W Veatch PFC Leo M Grill
PFC Salvador G Lamanga PFC Chester J Prater
PVT Charles A Averill PVT Johns Clark
PVT Gunner K Nelson PVT Carl Norris
PVT Andrew W Vanasse
A Company (61 died in captivity)
CPT Cecil R Welcbko 2L T Alfred E Lee
SSG Jack W Burkhalter SG Ezra F Haynes
SGT Warren Ager SGT John Elings
SGT Henry E Sellers SGT Jesse 0 Trevillian
SGT Charles K Relaban CPL Aubry Black
CPL Charles J Hoffman CPL James J Lonergan
CPL Robert C Milks CPL Cameron Proctor
PFC Joseph N Adkins PFC Henry J Aogle, Jr
PFC Allen Bordeaux PFC Virgil G Deverell
PFC Clinton A Jolly PFC John Labasewski
PFC Lee A Schier PFC Roy Swain
PVT Jack Armstrong PYT Fred Boyer
PVT Harry Braxton PVT J T Caizer
PVT Neil E Dunlap PVT Michael M Fadorchak
PVT John Halligon PVT Joseph E Hoffer
PVT Robert A Jackson PVT Paul Jarlsberg
PVT Albert J Kokitas PVT Lewis H Lanning
PVT Phillip J McCall PVT Isador Meites
PVT Benjamin J Ramsay PVT Albert E Reed
PVT Junior A Simonson PVT Bertie W Sumrel
PVT Ralph H Wells
B Company (69 died in captivity)
CPT John W Thompson CPT Lloyd C Murphy
2L T Irvin R Sutphin 1 G Harry E Ringler
SGT Henry Banks SGT Joseph N Croce
SGT John A Hanell SGT Lawrence E llicks
SGT Michael Leschuck SGT William C Twombley
CPL Frank J Feiden CPL Frank H1ivjak
CP Henry M Martin CP Tvan E Roger
CPL Kenneth F Sherman PFC Joseph Auche
PFC Russell W Ball PFC Mike Concoy
PVT John D Nabb
PVT Gerald D Reeves
PVT Clarence Smith, Jf
PVT Clyde White, Jr
2L T Steve W Mickey
CPL Stewart A Jones
CPL Darrell K Thorsted
PFC Richard C Hiatt
PFC Lee Thompson
PVT Willis G Myers
PVT Glen N Sherman
ISG Samuel Talvey
SGT Bruce F Alexander
SGT Bernard McDetmott
SGT George W Schlam
CPL Frank M Delaney
CPL Fred mayo
CPL Albert E Young
PFC Ralph A Blurton
PFC Martin G Jaster
PFC Andrew Ruacbo
PFC Simon D Vilar
PVT William C Boyette
PVT Robert F Cochran
PVT Lewis M Fryor
PVT Virgil Huykill
PVT Erford M Johnson
PVT Ralph Lee, Jr
PVT Albert C Ramsey
PVT GO Rivers, Jr
PVT Ralph Vassey
1 L T Charles L Hodgins
S G Elmer T Bowen
SGT Leo Golinski
SGT Troy G Laws
CPL Odie W Britt
CPL James A Lyda
CPL Floyd R Roger
PFC Carl M Beightol
PFC James J Cooney

PFC Je ie W Gentry PFC Wi11iam Glomb
PFC Rudolph Haroldson PFC Jack L James
PFC Albert Rodecker PFC Jack S Sanders
PYT Bernard C Baca PVT William F Beattie
PYT Arthur H Biggers PVT Charles L Blair
PVT William M Bright PVT Joseph Calcagno
PVT Raleigh Colwell PVT George R Crone
PVT Ethan A Dubose PVT John F Eighmey
PVT Carl C Elliott PVT John E Gleason
PYT Ben F Hayes PVT Hew B McMurdo, Jr
PVT James S Mitchell PVT John F Murphy
PVT James J Redden, Jr PVT James A Russell
PVT Laverne L Smart PVT Paul E Walsh
PYT Leonard C Young PVT William W Young
C Company (68 died in captivity)
PFC William H Gray
PFC Eugene J McCourt
PVT Theodore D Abbott
PVT Boyd H Beck
PVT John I Boone
PVT William E Calkins
PVT John F Diaz
PVT Donald W Eldridge
PVT Mike D Hammond
PYT Procopio Medina
PVT Irvin Penvose
PVT Jose Paez, Jr
PVT Herbert R Worley, Jr
PVT Robert C Zimmerrnan
CPT Richard K Carnahan 2L T Ralph C Simmons 1 SG Arthur C Houghtby
SSG Gerald A Farnham SSG David D Crouse SGT W E Broach
SGT James B Cabral SGT Leo H Miles SGT Charles A Peters
SGT John T Dacon SGT Charles L Richardson SGT Karl J Muzikar
CPL Charles K Adams CPL Leo S Bachelier CPL Fred K Baker
CPL Marvin R Bowman CPL Raymond A Brownlee CPL Leroy Horton
CPL Ralph Horton CPL J L Johnson CPL Martin L Johnson
CPL Raymond E Miller CPL Robert B McCloskey CPL John Matolo
CPL Elliott S Wright PFC Cephus L Carmichael PFC Leslie H Childs
PFC Lyell R Mooney, Jr PFC Andrew E Nickerson PFC Robert C Schildroth
PFC James F Snyder PFC 1 C VanSickle PVT Edward Baca
PVT Robert J Browning PVT Robert H Brown PVT Frank P Bunyan
PVT William T Campbell PVT C C Cobb PVT James Condos
PVT Erwin D Denleeshower PVT William J Folton PVT C F Gray
PVT Virgil L Hamock PVT Earl B Hamilton PVT Darwin Hattenbach
PVT Paul Jackson PVT Gilbert Johnson PVT Donald R Lechty
PVT Choice R Maness PVT Ronald M McCormack PVT Chester A Mecikalski
PVT Don E Mitchell PVT Charles E Muldoon PVT John Novak
PVT Powell DeHaven PVT Harold RaIl PYT Melvin J Roberts
PVT Ray G Swanson PVT Richard F Smith PVT George W Solberg
PVT Samuel Stenzler PVT Robert L Stevens PYT James J Terry
PVT Charles G Vargas PVT George E Walker PVT Clayton Whitford
PVT Otis C Williams PVT Harvey D Yager
D Company (71 died 1D captivity)
lLT Robert G Emerson 2LT Fred H Milliren
SGT Homer Crunk SGT Oren L Jenness
CPL Billy D Barnett CPL Clinton A Bliss
CPL Ralph F Demaray CPL Joseph E Dufresne
CPL Henry Mazurkiewicz CPL Wilbur J Nichol on
CPL Robert A Lewis CPL Lester L Thornton
CPL Wilson H Ware CPL Derrell M Wrightman
SSG William S Metcalf
SGT Vincent Zubick
CPL Walter J Byrne
CPL Allen J Estep
CPL George L Robarge
CPL Arthur B Walberg
PFC Jesus G Arroyo

PFC Harvey A Ba ett PFC George F Connoly
PFC Lemack A Dundas PFC Louis E Flores
PFC Albert J Jackson PFC John C Jencik
PFC Daniel C Koppenbeffer PFC Eugene Kresal
PFC Lonza P Locke PFC Glenn W Moyers
PFC Wayne A Seiling PFC Cecil R Sheets
PFC Christopher Welter PVT Roy C Anderson
PVT John R Brown PVT John Bryant
PVT Frederick Carlon PVT Charles E Clark
PVT Winford G Couch PVT James Darr
PVT Richard F Drake PVT Joseph Fitzgerald
PYT George L Gregorson PVT Clara Grew
PYT Cecil T Hinson PYT Ronald Hooper
PVT James Jensen PVT Eugene L May
PVT Harry Noel PYT Harry W Olson
PVT Daniel R Sancbez PVT Elton W Sanders
PVT Thomas E Taylor PVT Paul B Vick
HO 2d Battalion (24 died in captivity)
LTC Cyril Q Marron MAJ Lloyd C Moffitt
SSG Lelian L Floyd SGT lohn H McManigal
CPL Gene L Goodwin CPL Arthur L Haley
PFC Lucien F Beaudoin PFC John Blanton
PFC Leslie C Hammer PFC Joseph Montoya
PFC Benjamin E Pope PVT Clinton H Buyatt
PYT (first name unk) Ross PYT Everett L Russell
PVT Conrad E Trotter PYT Clifford C Wakefield
E Company (58 died in captivity)
CPT Robert S Sauer lLT James E Smith
1 SG Beresford D Seale SSG Olaf F Anderson
SGT Alvin D Crow SGT William H Eddleman
SGT George Kerekesh SGT James H Stidham
CPL Harold B Anderson CPL Theopalus Chisenhall
CPL John G Gunn CPL Orville Hunter
CPL James 0 Rooks CPL lames M Walker
PFC James Bryant PFC lohn 0 Buchanan
PFC lack Dykes PFC Walter A Frye
PFC Gerald L Hicks PFC Harry H Murphy
PFC Joseph S Sherbuck PFC Thomas ESliger
PYT Warren M Bates PVT Lacy W Boyster
PVT Edmund M Costello PVT Marvin E Everly
PYT Edward A Gibbons PVT Curtis Johnson
PVT Bernard C Knopick PYT Gerald McCann
PYT James F McConnell PYT Harrison McCrary
PVT Roy Medley PYT Carl E Merritt
PVT Dan Perreira PVT Raymond Redcay
PVT Richard F Smith PVT Harlan R Swanson
PFC Eugene A Donohue
PFC Elmer L Harrison
PFC Leonard H Jenkins
PFC Taylor A Leseur, lr
PFC Ignatios Poulimendos
PPC John Thomas, Jr
PYT Leo Boles
PVT George L Busbee
PVT J T Colgan
PVT William E Drabant
PYT John E Freeman
PVT Donald F IIespen
PYT Yerle G Huffman
PVT Martin McGrath
PVT Roy G Rabotnik
PVT Vernon Sutton
2L T Edward H Kuechler
CPL DarrelJ Church
CPL lewel D Johnson
PFC Delmar W Erwin
PFC Alexander C Robles
PVT Lewis F Collins, lr
PVT Raymond D Schaffer
PVT Jack Zinn
2L T Raymond A Freel
SSG Morris L Moore
SGT Lawrence K Hanscom
SGT Wilson M Hall
CPL Walter E Elliott
CPL Elmer Pruitt
PFC lack G Bart
PFC Eugene L Davis
PFClDHayes
PFC Roland R Roark
PFC Delos W Stetler
PVT Dail Catterlin
PVT Howard Gamble
PVT Harry E Lamb
PVI David H McClure
PVT Wesley L McCroy
PVT Earl R Norenberg
PVT Paul T Robertson
PVT Austin D Teague

PVT Thomas L Tidwell
F Company (71 died in captivity)
ILT John Scott 2LT Harry J Herbert
SSG Fab Arsenault SGT Edmund Adjuczyk
SGT Russell Cirrito SGT Eugene L Kelley
SGT Barry W Quesenbury SGT Francis T Sbafsky
CPL Charles Chadwell CPL Joseph H Coates
CPL Willard H Dills CPL Oscar S Edwards
CPL Claude M Granville CPL Harry Harrison
CPL Robert Scruby CPL Joseph Zubie
PFC Robert B Cavender PFC Charles G Davis
PFC Donald H Goforth PFC Alban Harvey
PFC Harry Leader PFC J B McBride
PFC Edward H Snead PFC Leon H Wallace
PVT Edward L Braasch PVT Amon M Blair
PVT Jasper Davis, Jr PVT Peter P Dolski
PVT Jack E Genoud PVT Robert J Graham
PVT John D Hall PVT Elbert A Holt
PVT Charles L Mackey PVT Basil J Matthews
PVT Roger A Morin PVT Charles 0 Mueller
PVT Boyd C Potts PVT Ivan E Ram ey
PVT Edward W Reid PVT Cleatus 0 Smith
PVT Harold Sneed PVT Thomas M Sparks
PVT Charles W Street PVT Henry M Tarsa
PVT Irby C Turner PVT Alfred R Welch
PVT Raymond M Worrell PVT William W Young
G Company (67 died in captivity)
SSG John E Austin
SGT James E Bigelow
SGT Thadious H Padgette
SGT Joseph A Wallace
CPL Julian T Cochrane
CPL James Gillis
CPL Charles W Rowley
PFC Ralph F Blank
PFC Lawrence 0 Ehlers
PFC Richard L Jone
PFC Truman Nance
PVT John B Autry
PVT Thomas L Davidson
PVT Harold 0 Dyer
PVT Claude Guier
PVT Elmer J Jones
PVTB McGraw
PVT Felix Muniz
PVT Russell Rasmussen
PVT Vernon C Smalley
PVT John C Spratt
PVT James R Tash
PVT Angus Wise
2LT Herbert Rochester 2L T Bernard C Kopelke I SG Daniel Proctor
SSG Thomas W Fortune SGT W E Anderson SGT George W Bradshaw
SGT George Hassen SGT Noel E Hinson SGT Thomas W Kopper
SGT John J Kowalewski SGT Kenneth F Lathrop SGT Steven Mazerick
SGT Edward F Piezonka SGT Western Price SGT Henry 0 Rabon
SGT Joseph Revelia SGT Fred Tilghman SGT John t Wiesloch
SGT Earl J Squires CPL Joseph C Denny CPL Perry J Dunn
CPL Delmer Gildersleeve CPL Thomas A Hammondtree CPL Lewis H Harris
CPL William D Juhl CPL Stanley P Jones CPL Walter I Lamphier
CPL Fred R Melnick CPL Karl E Miller CPL Ernest COates
CPL William C Querl CPL Curtis L Sizemore CPL Thomas D Wilson
PFC Gordon Bailey PFC Julius Becker PFC Albert H Brickman
PFC David F Bucholtz PFC Salvatore Fuzzengheria PFC Joseph C Hauser
PFC Jay L Hendricks PFC Lewis D Jackson PFC George 0 Kingstead
PFC Manuel D Martinez PFC Herman E Miles PFC Peter Oluschczak
PFC Scott E Phillips PFC Floyd D Taylor PFC Frederick Wetherington
PVT Antonio Alvera PVT W B Carroll PVT Harry Cheholtz
PVT Jacob Comsilk PVT Arthur Clemenson PVT Ardell S Ellingson
PVT Joseph A Garrison PVT Emil H Koebel PVT Emanuel Korn

PVT Jame E McCoy
PYT Harry 0 Price
PVT Vernon G Thorpe
PYT Joseph Zabitch
PVT Clarence E Nichol
PVT Arthur D Reed
PVI Joseph Wantuck
H Company (87 died in captivity)
CPT Dwight T Hunkins lLT Robert K Magee
ISG Robert E Sullivan SSG Car] J Williams
SSG Robert W Williams SGT Heimie Bograd
SGT William WHom SGT Paul C Nance
SGT Orel C St Gennain CPL Benjamin Baruch
CPL Harold N Flaaten CPL Basil C Friend
CPL Dewey Kincaid CPL Albert J Lawrence
CPL John S Rodgers CPL Lonnie D Stephenson
CPL RedfordD Tefft CPL John E Walsh
PFC Ashby Baskett PFC Wellington W Bernd
PFC John C Burks PFC Willard C Cline
PFC Ray Fletcher PFC Harry Gerlitz
PFC Milton H Hurtienne PFC Arthur M Jones
PFC Lee E Lawlor PFC Jesse F Long
PFC Frank A Majors PFC Lazaro Martinez
PFC Sullivan H McPherson PFC James G Moore
PFC Robert Y Richards PFC Hillis L Russell
PYT Robert SAnderson PVT Jesse Bressie
PVT Raymond Cunnjngham PVT Anthony M Duquette
PYT James D Helms PVT Charles A Henderson
PVT Charles W Hughes PYT William J Jenkins
PVT Troy 0 Jones PVT Martin L Kunik
PVT Cecil B Leckron PVT Thomas Picone
PYT Orvel R Mollohan PYT Junius D Moore
PYT Anthony O'Donohugh PVT John I Provence
PYT Emmett C Ramey PVT Leonard F Robbins
PVT Harold Snyder PVT Steven Stanko
PYT Marvin Stroud PVT Leonard W Taylor
PYT Robert H Weeks PYT Arthur N Yockey
HO 3d Battalion (21 died in captivity)
MAJ James J O'Donovan CPT Jerry 0 Gonzales
SGI Harold Simkin CPL George C Clamp
CPL David L Markham CPL John Mikologezyk
PFC Wesley W Crook PFC Warren O'Toole
PFC Raymond Stephens PYT Alf Y Anderson
PVT Charles J Johnson PYT Harold P Morton
PVT Ross M Spiers PVT Russell Stover
I Company (64 died in captivity)
CPT Ray B troud CPT Richard Ro he
2L T William F Miles SGI Ray W Chapman
SGT Leonard R Exceen SGT Raymond W May
PVT Lawrence L Norman
PVT Elmer S Russell, Jr
PVT Felvert E Williams
2L T Millard Blaisdell
SSG Richard McCallum
SGT Raymond H Gilmore
SGT J A Schmidt
CPL Fred E Dean
CPL Yancy H Kaler
CPL John D Liebgott
CPL Carl Strong
CPL William J White
PFC George E Bidwell
PFC Jewell D Craig
PFC James J Higgins
PFC Bertrand M Keck
PFC John Lawrence
PFC Ora A McCormick
PFC Homer L Rice
PVT Howard Abbott
PVT Edwin F Colon
PYT John Handite
PYT Theodore J HorsefaU
PVT Harry J Jensen
PYT Lewis CLarkin
PYT (first name unk) McKee
PVT Leon W Nelson
PYT Harold E Purvis
PYT William Runyan
PVT Albert D Stengler
PVT Roscoe E Timberlake
PYT Paul R Zaynor
IL T John P Flynn
CPL Henry E Lee
CPL Donald L E Solomon
PFC Alfred G mith
PYT Robert A Ellis
PVT George G Robertson
PYT Henry J Wingfield
2 T Charle Baker
SGT Norman Deas
SGT Albert Rosen

SGT Wallace M tamm
CPL Mark A Edison
CPL Felix R Mitrekevich
CPL Samuel C Terry
PFC Charles S Lanier
PFC Frank Murpby
PFC Ercel F Presnall
PVT Tom D Brown
PVT Edgar H Clinkscales
PVT James D Dawson
PVT Calvin J Gilliam
PVT Willard Kitchens
PVT Leon Lovelady
PVT John McCann
PVT Conrad C Perryman
PVT Raymond H Pierce
PVT Lawrence Roesner
PVT Daniel F Ryan
PVT Kennetb White
GT 0 car Wallace
CPL James Duvall
CPL Eugene A Murff
PFC William B Holmes
PFC David Livingston
PFC Joseph C Murpby
PFC Nolan Stobaugb
PVT Albert R Bums
PVT Elgin W Daniels
PVT Walter H Faith
PVT Lorin J Gregory
PVT Andrew Laroque
PVT Wilbur D Lundgren
PVT David McDougal
PVT John Phelan
PVT Wesley S Rimmer
PVT Ralpb L Ruark
PVT Fred D Smith
K Company (70 died in captivity)
CPT Coral M Talbott lLT Daniel W Griswold
2L T John Gure 1 SG Joseph G Gostwa
SGT Herbert M Evans SGT John H Fulkrod
SGT Walter Poratoski CPL Charles D Allen
CPL William J Batton CPL William R Collins
CPL Elvin L Davis CPL James W Dunn
CPL Harry P Herr, Jr CPL John X Lowery
CPL Harvey L McKee CPL Arrot L Myers
CPL Anthony R Tamulevich CPL Edward] Wisz
PFC AmInit M Bookman PFC Bruce D Brown
PFC Charles L Callahan PFC Edward N Edwards
PFC Edward J Jones PFC Joseph Longknife
PFC Emory McLaughlin PFC Paul W Ralph
PFC Adolph B Schwartz PVT James L Aaron
PVT Clifton L Clark PVT Thomas A Couch
PVT Daniel Flowers PVT Clyde Garner
PVT Charles A Larick PVT Harold E Lokey
PVT Robert E Matney PVT Hilding Mattson
PVT Ralph E Michel PVT Stanley Mieczkowski
PVT Alvan W Mussen PVT Clifford H Mygrant
PVT Bruce H Penny PVT Albert L Petee
PVT Clyde Presley PVT Robert Pryer
PVT T E Stauffer PVT Charles E Thomas
PVT Charle M Wi1 on
L Company (64 died in captivity)
CPT Herbert H Eichlin 1 SG William B McNulty
SGT Henry W Macner
CPL Richard Hinker
CPL John D Newman
PFC Glen E Jackson
PFC Clyde F Marx
PFCDWNeal
PFC Hershel J Stevens
PVT Francis E Bryant
PVT Edward A Dawson
PVT W S Frank
PVT William C Hammond
PVT Jobn H Learquin
PVTKManion
PVT Fred F Mercado
PVT Michael Pregtanz
PVT William Roberts
PVT Donald K Russell
PVT Frank Spear
2LT James I Malette
SGT William Barnett
SGT James J Jackson
CPL Doyle R Armstrong
CPL Royal E Crowell
CPL Peter M Flame
CPL Thunnan 0 Mansfield
CPL Theodore Spagnell
PFC Harry Becker
PFC James C Brown
PFC Frank J Ferguson
PFC Frank D McCauley
PFC Jesse E Stout
PVT Harold C Chilcoat
PVT Leo F Fetzer
PVT Edgar RHudsoD
PVT Joe Loyal
PVT Melvin Myers, Jr
PVT Edgar M Morrison
PVT George W Rumbaugh
PVT John Pierce
PVT Walter S Slawek
PVT James T Tubb
SSG William W White

GT lame A Annstrong
SGT Owen G Long
CPL Peter C Imperial
CPL Calvin D Quinn
PFC Peter J Chamonte
PFC William Forte
PFC John Meredith
PFC Manuel R Rogers
PFC Orville F Sutton
PVT Raymond Barrett
PVI Patrick F Bridgeman
PVI Elgin W Daniels
PVT Earl Ennis
PVT Clarence J Harvey
PVT Theodore W Jones
PVI C W McKeowen
PVT Robert S Peters
PYT Jack F Rockhill
PVT Bronis J Stanevich
PVI George H Suttle
PVI Joseph C Warle
SGT Curti B Cannon
SGI Bernardo M NavaHo
CPL Arthur W Maki
CPL Harold L Smith
PFC Peter Economopolous
PFC Grady Gentry
PFC Charles F Mott, Jr
PFC Harold Stevens
PFC Carroll W Thomas
PVT Earl Bennett
PVT Francis E Chapman
PVT Thomas G Earp
PVT Charles L Gore
PVT Leroy Hicks
PVT Harry King
PVT N P Nackley
PYT Nonnan E Reinhardt
PVT John Reynolds
PVT Robert R Stewart
PVT Edwin c Vandiver
M Company (82_died in captivity}
CPT Allen Labon ILT Henry S Jones
SSG Otto Jensen SGI Herbert W Gross
SGI Harry M Neff SGT Clinton H Nichols
CPL Robert L Baker CPL James H Blair
CPL Ralph R Cowgill CPL Homer M Cutsinger
CPL Jay M Horton CPL Clarence E Lahnar
CPL Edward F Skinner CPL John D VanArsdale
PFC John J Childress PFC Arthur J Gagnon
PFC James F Hayes PFC Albert C Henke
PFC William A McDowell PFC Jim R McClelland
PFC William E Mock PFC Buford E Mortimer
PFC Thomas H Olson PFC Angelo L Russo
PFC Edward A SanquiUan PFC Raymond L Steeby
PYT James G Bovee PVT James C Bolin
PVT James D Butler PVT Robert H Carlson
PVT John D Conway PYI James L Etheridge
PVI Daniel Golland PVT Vaughn P Grant
PVT Neal E Heatherhill PVT Gustaf Hetze
PVT Lewis E Kebort PVI Eugene W Lindley
PYT Quentin D Miller PVT William P Nichols
PVT Phillip W Prout PYT Alfred Querbach
PVT Noel M Richard PVT Thoma J Ryan
PYI Donald F Snodderly PYT Lasaro Solis
PVT CleH P Steagall PVI William C Steele
GT awrence Y Heller
CPL Richard E Hedlund
CPL Burrell D Phillips
PFC James Alexander
PFC Marcus A Engesser
PFC Fares Martinez
PFC James J Murray
PFC Julius W Stewart
PFC EmmettB Toney
PVT Ray W Brandon
PVT John B Creador
PVT Harold E Elsasser
PVT James L Harrison
PYT James L Hollingsworth
PVT Archibald W Mckenzie
PVT John L Pedigo
PVI Charles Robinson
PVT James Stiers
PYI George Storer
PVT William C Ward
2LI Roy Zoberbier
SGI Benjamin J Muraski
SGT Frederick A Thompson
CPL Donald V Clinch
CPL Salvatore L Ferrara
CPL Gene N Pinto
PFC George H Bard
PFC Thomas G Basket
PFC Andrew Hickingbottom
PFC Charles E Miller
PFC Willard P Orr
PFC Gretano V Rumore
PFC Charles W Wickman
PVT Peter D Briggs
PVT Frank L Choate
PVT Mark J Gilmore
PYI Ralph C Hall
PVT Thompson L Joiner
PVT William A McDowell
PVT John W Palmer
PVT Rudolph A Quesada
PVT Murl M Scott
PVT Charles F Stams
PVT John F Symington

PVT John V Tiennan
PVT Claude R Via
PVT George F WeathelWax
PVT Charles D Zacinjalec
PVT Edward J Tobin
PVT Harvey R Walker
PVT Harry Wingfield
Service Company (64 died in captivity)
iL T Walter E O'Brien 2L T Andrew B Casey
2L T Arthur P Leahy WO Max Chower
MSG Henry Lorenz MSG Stefan Widerynski
TSG John B Fry SSG Leo Johnson
SSG Grover Nunn SSG Lloyd Voris
SGT Clyde L Harris SGT Edward M Jarycranzki
SGT DUlWood Strout SGT Robert V Taylor
CPL Leslie L Finley CPL Titus L Alt
PFC Arthur Barrett PFC Charles Bloom
PFC Frank H Pibam PVT Albert W Bush
PVT Clifford C Bartell PVT Ray H Bloxham
PVT Alfred J Benoit PVT Merle D Boldt
PVT Edward L Clark PVT Hershell C Clark
PVT Leslie Dowling PVT Donald F errigan
PVT Vernon T Hackley PVT Clarence W Ingraham
PVT James W Kelly PVT Peter J Lamere
PVT Dale W McClung PVT Clair C McLean
PVT J A Morgan PVT Leroy Loomis
PVT Garland H Onley PVT Reuben V Pearce
PVT George W Pennington PVT John R Simpson
PVT Dan Taylor PVT John N Tock
PVT Jack D Yeater
Medical Detachment (38 died in captivity)
MAJ Clarence H White CPT Andrew Rader
SSG Cecil B Cohenour SGT Clarence E Sayre
SGT Arnold R Quitmeyer CPL John W Hughes
PFC Harold K Benvie PFC Reynold A Dagner
PFC Charles C Foreman PFC Matthew J Gregorich
PFC Donald W Johnson PFC Melvin J Lehue
PFC Olin E Myers PFC Charlie Shaw
PVT Arthur E Bates PVT Joseph T Head
PVT Nick Marchese PVT Samuel B Moore
PVT Arvid K Nelson PVT Francis B Powell
PVT Fntto 0 Romero PVT Lee H Sechri t
PVT James T Smith PVT William A Snead
PVT George E Walker PVT Raymond 0 Willis
Band (2 died in captivity)
WO Anthony KuIper TSG Arnold Ingebrichtsen
PVT Fred Tunk , Jr
PVT Leonard R Wallace
PVT Frederick J Wolf
2L T Robert E Miller
MSG James W Evans
TSG John C Bailey
SSG John K Luhman
SGT Edward A Haberman
SGT Paul J Stefic
SGT Guy F White
CPL George W Ballard
PFC Wilson E Draper
PVT George C Braddy
PVT Christopher R Bloxham
PVT James Butcher
PVT Sant P Cobia
PVT James H Graves
PVT Alfred Jarisch
PVT Max D Lockhardt
PVT Joseph M Morales, Jr
PVT Milton C Nettles
PVT Harvey J Peltier
PVT Richard Stroud
PVT Jesse R Thornton
CPT Donald J Childers
SGT AIda M Hanenkrat
CPL Thomas W House
PFC Paul E Decker
PFC Clyde H Handshaw
PFC Charles 0 Martin
PVT Glen A Anderson
PVT Patrick Hennessey
PVT George E Morgan
PVT Blanchard E Pruitt
PVT Charle Smeltzer
PVT Charlie M Waid

· .... - Page 1 of3
Medal of Honor I Distinguished Service Cross I Unit Awards I Campaigns I
Regimental Commanders I Duty Stations I Polar Bear Insignia I Coat of Arms
Shoulder Patches of the 31st I Polar Bear Poem I References
Campaigns
Campaign Streamers on the Regimental and Successor Battalion Colors
OTE: Streamers reflecting the campaigns in which the 31 st Infantry Regiment and
ts successor battalions have fought are affixed to the regimental and battalion
::olors. Those authorized as of July 2006 or pending are indicated below. The
streamers shown are illustrative and do not necessarily reflect the actual
nscriptions of streamers on the 31st Infantry Regimental and Battalion Colors.
World War I
Siberia 1918
Siberia 1919
World War II
Philippine Islands
Korean War

Campaigns
Global War on Terrorism
Qatar 2001-2002 (B Company 4th Battalion) not yet awarded
Djibouti 2003-2004 (C Company 4th Battalion) not yet awarded
http://www.31stinfantry.orglcampaign .htm
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Duty tation
3d Bn 31st Inf (fromed from 3d Battle Group in USAR)
63d Inf Div Playa del Ray, CA
4th Bn 31st Inf
196th Lt Inf Bde Ft. Devens, MA
196th Lt Inf Bde Combat in Vietnam
23d Inf Div Combat in Vietnam
Field Artillery School Ft. Sill, OK
10th Mtn Div - Ft Drum. NY
10th Mtn Div - Combat in Afghanistan
10th Mtn Div - Combat in Iraq
10th Mtn Div - Combat in Iraq ( B Co, HHC elements)
10th Mtn Div - Combat in Iraq
• Elements of the 4th Bn have served in Bosnia, Afghanistan,
Iraq,Djibouti, Qatar and Kuwait
5th Bn 31 st Inf (formed from 2d Battle Group at Ft. Rucker)
Aviation School, Ft Rucker, AL
197th Inf Bde Ft. Benning, GA
6th Bn 31st Inf
Sixth Army Ft Lewis, WA
9th Inf Div Combat in Vietnam
7th Inf Div Ft Ord, CA
177th Arm Bde Ft Irwin, CA
http://w\.{w.31tinfantry.orglduty_stations.htm
Oct 1963 to Dec 1965
Sep 1965 to Aug 1966
Aug 1966 to Feb 1969
Feb 1969 to Oct 1971
Jan 1972 to Jul 1995
Apr 1996 to Present
Jan 2002 to Apr 2002·
2003-2004
2004-2005
2006-2007
Jul 1963 to Jun 1967
Jun 1967 to 1971
Nov 1967 to Apr 1968
Apr 1968 to Oct 1970
Nov 1975 to 1981
1981 to Jan 1988
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ulder Patche of the 31 st Page 1 of4
edal of Honor I Di tinguished Service Cross I Unit Awards I Campaigns I
Regimental Commanders I Duty Stations I Polar Bear Insignia I Coat of Arms
Shoulder Patches of the 31st I Polar Bear Poem I References
Shoulder Patches of the 31st
Unlike most Regular Army Infantry Regiments, the 31 st Infantry has not had an enduring
historical affiliation with a "parent" division. It instead served many masters. Until 1957, it
as the only regiment in the Army to have never served in the Continental US, earning it
the unofficial nickname" America's Foreign Legion". Illustrated below are the shoulder
insignia worn by the regiment and its successor battle groups and battalions.
Siberia (1918-1920)
he first shoulder patch worn by the 31 st Infantry was that of the American Expeditionary
Force, Siberia
Philippines (1921-1942)
From 1921 to 1931 , the division was assigned to the Philippine Division (left). In 1931 ,
the 31 st Infantry was reassigned to the Philippine Department (right). In 1941 , the
regiment was again assigned to the Philippine Division, with which it served in combat
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houlder Patches of the 31st
"
Ft Devens, Ft Lewis, and Vietnam 1965-1971
•' .. .. .. . . -.; .
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In 1965, the 4th Battalion 31 st Infantry was activated at Ft Devens, Massachusetts as
part of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade (left). The Battalion served in Vietnam with the
196th from 1966 to 1969 when it was incorporated into the 23d Infantry Division
"Americal" (center left). The 4th Battalion returned to the US in 1971 and was inactivated
at Ft Lewis. The 6th Battalion 31 st Infantry was activated in 1967 at Ft Lewis and was
assigned to the Sixth Army (center right) during its training for service in Vietnam. It
deployed to Vietnam in 1968 where it served with the 9th Infantry Division until 1970
when it returned to the US and was inactivated at Ft Lewis.
Ft Irwin (1981-1988)
The 6th Battalion 31 st Infantry was transferred from Ft Ord to Ft Irwin in 1981. There it
was reassigned to the 177th Armored Brigade supporting the National Training Center.
The battalion was inactivated at Ft Irwin in 1988.
Ft Sill (1971-1995)
In 1971, the 4th Battalion returned from Vietnam and was assigned to the Field Artillery
School at Ft Sill, Oklahoma (left). It remained assigned to the Field Artillery School until
1978 when it was reassigned to III Corps (center) at Ft Sill. From 1982 to 1995, it was
assigned to the Field Artillery School's training support organization, the 214th Field
Artillery Brigade ( right).
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houlder Patche of the 31 t Page 4 of4
Fort Drum, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Djibouti (1996-)
In 1996, the 4th Battalion 31 st Infantry was reactivated at Ft Drum, NY and assigned to
the 10th Mountain Division (right). The battalion subsequently served in Bosnia,
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Djibouti. It is the only infantry battalion in the Army's history to
serve on three continents at once.
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anghai Bowl Page 1 of2
31st U.S. Infantry Regiment Association I History I Association I Reunions I
embership I Honors I In emoriam I Taps I Shanghai Bowl I Ne letters I
News I 4-31st Fort Drum I Photos I Contact Us I Related Links I 31st Infantry
Store
emini cences of the Shanghai Bowl • Recovery of the Shanghai Bowl • Purchasers of
he Shanghai Bowl • Shanghai Revisited • Shanghai Cup Returned • Shanghai Bowl
Ceremony • Shanghai Cups
Shanghai Bowl
e Shanghai Bowl was made in 1932 by a Shanghai silversmith. it was purchased along
with 65 matching silver cups at a cost of $1,600.00 donated by officers of the 31st
Infantry stationed in Shanghai when it was sent to help protect the International
Settlement during heavy fighting between Chinese and Japanese forces. Lieutenant
Colonel R.C. Davis, Medical Corps, the Regimental Surgeon, formally presented the
Shanghai Bowl to Colonel Lorenzo D. Gasser, the Regimental Commander, with the
following dedication on 7 July 1932 at the Army and Navy Club in Manila:
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hanghai Bowl Page 2 of2
"This pre entation is made in commeration of the clo e bonds which united the officers
together under all the difficultie of the emergency services in Shanghai and i forever
deeded to the Regiment in hope that the performance of the 31 t Infantry in Shanghai
will be perpetually fresh in th minds of those to come. "
The Shanghai Bowl, distinctive in design, is 18 inches in diameter and 10 inches deep.
The handles are in the form of the traditional Chinese dragon, and the bowl rests on the
backs of three lions. The overall height of the bowl is 14 inches. On the sides are
engraved lotus blossoms and the inscription "Presented to the 31 st Infantry by the
Officers of the US Army Troops in Shanghai, China, in 1932." The triangular teakwood
base, which was lost at Bataan, for the Shanghai Bowl was inset with silver hexagons,
inscribed with the names of the Officers of the Regimental Staff, Headquarters and
Service Companies. On the sides of the base are silver plates which have inscribed the
names of the officers of each Battalion.
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http://www.31stinfantry.orglshanghai_bowl.htm 111812009

emml cence of the hanghai Bowl Page 1 of5
Reminiscences of the Shanghai Bowl I Recovery of the Shanghai Bowl I Purchasers of
the Shanghai Bowl I Shanghai Revisited I Shanghai Cup Returned I Shanghai Bowl
Ceremony I Shanghai Cups
Reminiscences of the Shanghai Bowl
My dad, Captain Robert L. Wright, had just finished a year at Ft. Benning, Georgia
attending the Infantry Officers Advanced Course. We had a fairly good year there, but
Dad knew he was due for an overseas assignment. We, or at least I, was hoping for
Hawaii, but that was not to be. I think Mother was hoping for China since she was not
fond of excessive heat. No air conditioning in those days, just hand fans. When Dad's
orders came, they were for the Philippines, departing on the USAT (US Army Transport)
Ulysses S. Grant, a troop ship left over from World War I -- captured from the Germans or
part of the treaty settlement. We sailed from New York in August 1931 and headed down
the east coast for the Panama Canal. Two weeks with nothing to see but ocean. When
we were getting close, the heat and humidity and no breeze told us Panama was near.
We spent the night waiting offshore and in the morning, the ship was hooked up to mules
hat pulled it through the first set of locks. Most people got off the ship and took the train
across the Canal Zone, stopping of course to do some shopping along the way. They
caught up to us at the other end. We had a chance to shop at the official dock shop, but
Dad decided everything was too expensive, so we should wait to buy things later.
Two more weeks and we were in San Francisco. Then on to Hawaii, Guam, and Manila.
It took 52 days in all! At sea, we watched whales, sea turtles, and porpoise, played cards
and jacks, and generally drove the adults crazy. When we disembarked in Manila, we
were surprised at the crowds of people scrutinizing us. All the wives were looking at the
clothes we wore to see what the latest fashions were back in the states. It was really a
desire to reach out and touch someone who had so recently been "home" in the USA.
What a homesick lot. Little did we realize we would be right there with them every time a
ship docked in the years to come. We could not disembark until everyone had been
through the health examiners to be sure we had our shots for smallpox, typhoid, cholera,
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Rernini cence of the hanghai Bowl Page 2 of5
and a few other things. They had punched so many holes in me I was afraid to drink any
water for fear it would all leak out.
What a revelation landing in Manila. It was incredibly hot and Filipino children ran around
in T-shirts -- no pants or diapers and they used the bathroom wherever they happened to
be. We were picked up by another family who took us to their place until Mother and Dad
could find a place to rent. Everyone seemed to talk about how much longer they had to
stay and which ship would take them back. If someone "went native," they were accused
of missing too many boats. Imagine our horror, when an executive order of President
Herbert Hoover, it was decided to save some money by extending everyone in their posts
for an extra year.
Dad and Mother finally found a house, a typical Spanish style place with no screens and
lacking a lot of other amenities. This was because Dad decided we should learn about
the customs and ways of the Spanish upper class that still lived in Manila. Mother hired a
cook, a houseboy, and "Iavendera," all of whom came every day. The cook and
houseboy had quarters in the back of the garage. We didn't stay long in that house after
Mother discovered bedbugs in the crack of her bedroom floor. I couldn't sleep at night
because of the large geckos (lizards) crawling on the ceiling. We soon found a place with
screens where most of the other officers had found accommodations. They were called
the Sequia Apartments, connected houses with tiled and terrazo floors and windows with
bars and shutters. Dad bought some rataan furniture, put our piano between the living
and dining area, and draped mosquito netting over each bed.
We went to school from 7 to noon each day, enabling everyone to get home for lunch
and a siesta since studying was impossible in the heat. School lasted from September to
March because of the heat. We had our first Christmas with a branch of some trees
brought over in the cooler of the next arriving transport. Boughs were distributed military
style, according to rank. Dad was a captain, commanding Company B at the Cuartel de
Espagna so our branch was two feet tall. Nevertheless, we turned it into a real tree and
hung stuff on it, remembering the trees we had back in the states.
We had heard rumors of trouble in China where the Japanese were causing problems in
the International Settlement at Shanghai. On Monday, February 1, 1932, we came home
to find Dad hurriedly packing. The USAT Chaumont had docked the night before and the
entire 31st Infantry Regiment was to sail that night for Shanghai. They were sent to help
the Marines and "other allies" protect the International Settlement. We all drove over to
the Cuartel with Dad to say goodbye. They arrived in Shanghai 4 days later, off-loaded
troops and equipment, and marched to the horse track where they set up camp in the
infield.
About 6 weeks later, Mother received a letter from Dad saying all was well and we could
join him. He and several other officers had rented suites of rooms at the Cathay
Mansions Hotel. Mother booked passage on the US President lines, (I can't remember
the ship's name) and we were on our way. The ship stopped at Hong Kong for a day and
we went ashore to see the sights. We had "Tiffin" for lunch and mother spent some
money on a lovely jade necklace and earrings which I had redone many years later and
still have. We arrived at Shanghai after dark and everything was moved by "lighters" from
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Reminiscence of the hanghai Bowl Page 4 of5
So the wives of the 31 st had a large part in the selection of the silversmith, the style of
the bowl, and the type of cups. Later when Douglas MacArthur came back to the
Philippines, he had larger, footed cups made, lined with gold. Those were all stolen,
which is why the ones the regiment now has are so valuable and why an armed guard is
needed whenever the bowl has to travel.
We learned form Dad after we returned to Manila that the medics had been so impressed
with the fact that the company commanders had achieved a zero VD (venereal disease)
rate they felt the bowl and cups would be a good reward. It was done by each company
setting up "houses" with Chinese woman available for use by any soldier, or I suppose,
officer of the company. The "ladies" were examined regularly by regimental medics. That
was not legal in the U.S. but it was perfectly legal in china and an accepted practice
among other internationals at Shanghai, who may have suggested the idea. In any case,
Dad was the first to set up a "house" for his company and the others followed suit. The
other problem that tempted the men was opium dens. Until recently, I retained a small
piece of wood with the name of an opium den on it in Chinese that served as a pass for
Dad to go look for his men to be sure none had strayed.
All in all, it was an interesting time in a very complex era. We all learned a great deal
about China and the Chinese, as did the Chinese about Americans. Many of the
momentos from that era still grace my home and others are in the 31st's museum. it is
important that stories like this are told by those who were present at the time in all the
wars and "police actions" the 31 st was involved in.
This is a reprint of a presentation given by Mary Wright Neil at the 31 st Infantry Regiment
Association's Reunion '96 Banquet at Arlington, Virginia on June 30, 1996. It is reprinted
with the author's permission for the exclusive use of the 31 st Infantry Regiment
Association.
Historical Context
In 1932, the setting of this story, Douglas MacArthur was the Army's Chief of Staff, the
Great Depression was on, Hitler had not yet come to power in Germany, and Japan had
just annexed Manchuria. The U.S. Army, with 132,000 men, garrisoned 130 posts and
was composed of only 6 understrength infantry and horse cavalry divisions.
About the Author
Mary Elizabeth Wright (Neil) was born into an Army family, the daughter of Robert L.
Wright, who commanded Company B, 31 st Infantry Regiment in Manila and Shanghai.
She was 11 years old when she joined her Dad at Shanghai in 1932. Her brother, Homer
Wright commanded Company K of the 31st Infantry Regiment during the Korean War and
is past National Commander of the 31 st Infantry Regiment Association. Mary is an
accomplished marksman pilot, writer, and painter, as well as a living treasury of
memories of an aspect of American history generally overlooked by historians.
Postscript
The famous Shanghai Bowl that today graces regimental headquarters at Ft Drum, NY
followed the regiment to Manila in July 1932. When Bataan fell to the Japanese in April
1942, the bowl and cups were buried on the nearby island of Corregidor, where they
were retrieved after the war. When the 31 st Infantry was sent from Japan to participate in
the Inchon landing in Korea in September 1950, the bowl and cups were sent back to the
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emini cence of the hanghai Bowl
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U.S. for safekeeping in a bank vault in Seattle. It returned to Korea after the war and
remained there with the regiment until 1974, when it was transferred to the 2d Battalion
at Ft Ord, California. In 1987, when the 2d Battalion was inactivated, the bowl was
transferred to the 4th Battalion at Ft Sill, Oklahoma where it remained until June 1995
when the last company of the 31 st Infantry on active duty was inactivated. It was kept on
display at the Infantry Museum at Ft Benning until the 4th Battalion was reactivated at Ft
Drum, NY in April 1996. Today, the Shanghai Bowl and cups are a treasured part of the
regiment's history and an enduring reflection of the bond between the regiment and its
families
Next Page
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Unit Awards
edal of Honor I Distinguished Service Cross I Unit Awards I Campaigns I
Regimental Commanders I Duty Station I Polar Bear Insignia I Coat of Arms
Shoulder Patches of the 31 st I Polar Bear Poem I References
Unit Awards
Unit Awards of the 31 t Infantry Regiment and its Successor Battalions
Presidential Unit Citation (Army)
Luzon 1941-1942 (31 t Infantry Regiment)
Bataan (31 t Infantry Regiment)
Defense of the Philippines (31st Infantry Regiment)
Korea 15-16 October 1952 (G and I Companies 31st Infantry Regiment)
Quang Tin Province August 1969 (4th Battalion 31st Infantry)
ttp://www.31tinfantry.orglunit_awards.htm
Presidential Unit Citation (Navy)
Chosin Reservoir (31st Infantry Regimental Combat Team)
Hwachon Reservoir (31st Infantry Regiment)
Valorous Unit Award
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MI gt Abraham
31 T REGIMENT
32 YEARS
Retired A. Abraham