95712 Quan Pages:95712 Quan Pages - Philippine Defenders Main

The 

VOLUME 60 PITTSBURGH, PA — NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 2005 NUMBER 3 

VA Appoints New Chief of Research 

Joel Kupersmith, M.D., has been 

appointed VA’s new Chief Research and 

Development Officer (CRADO) effective 

May 31, 2005. Dr. Kupersmith will oversee 

the Office of Research and Development’s 

(ORD) four research and development 

services: biomedical laboratory, clinical 

science, rehabilitation, and health services. 

He also will set VA research priorities and 

manage all aspects of the national research 

program with a budget of over $400 million, 

supporting the veteran-focused research of more than 3,000 

investigators at over 115 VA facilities across the country. 

A Navy veteran, Dr. Kupersmith is a graduate of New York 

Medical College, where he completed his clinical training in 

internal medicine. Subsequently, he completed cardiology 

training at Beth Israel Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. 

Most recently, Dr. Kupersmith was Dean of the School of 

Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Vice 

President for Clinical Affairs at Texas Tech University and CEO 

of the Faculty Practice. 

Dr. Kupersmith is a Scholar-in-Residence at both the 

Institute of Medicine and the Association of American Medical 

Colleges. In these roles he has completed projects and 

published papers on a number of health and research policy 

topics including how to fund, oversee, and promote effectiveness 

research; how Academic Medical Centers should be 

accountable; quality of care in teaching hospitals; regional 

IRBs; medical manpower; and other issues. 

In addition to 150 publications, he has authored two books on 

electrophysiology and the management of heart disease, respectively. 

His research interests include the causes and treatment of 

heart rhythm abnormalities, as well as the cost-effectiveness of 

heart disease treatments and outcomes following heart attacks. 

Most recently his work has focused on health policy issues. 

Dr. Kupersmith brings a breadth of talent, expertise and 

enthusiasm to his new position as CRADO. On behalf of HSR&D, 

we welcome him and look forward to working together toward the 

continuous improvement of our research organization. 

USS Bataan

2 — THE QUAN 

The 

HAROLD A. BERGBOWER JOSEPH L. ALEXANDER, PNC 

Commander Sr. Vice Commander 

8412 W. Planada Ln. 9407 Fernglen 

Peoria, AZ 85383 San Antonio, TX 78240 

EVERETT D. REAMER EDWARD JACKFERT, PNC 

Jr. Vice Commander National Treasurer 

London Bridge Town 201 Hillcrest Dr. 

2301 S. Jamaica Blvd. Wellsburg, W.Va. 26070 

Lake Havasu, AZ 86403 304-737-1496 

MRS. JEAN PRUITT 

Merchandise Sales 

109 Young Dr. 

Sweetwater, TN 37874 

MEMBERS OF THE INVESTMENT BOARD 

Edward Jackfert Secretary Joseph A. Vater 

EXECUTIVE BOARD 

Henry Cornellisson Charles Graham 

Charles Dragich Pete Locarnini 

Charles B. Heffron Carlos Montoya 

All Incumbent State Commanders 

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 

504-B North Thomas St. 

Arlington, VA 22203 

703-527-6983 

Dedicated to those persons both living and dead who fought against 

overwhelming odds against the enemy at the outbreak of World War II. 

Official Publication of the 

AMERICAN DEFENDERS OF BATAAN & CORREGIDOR, INC. 

(INCLUDING ANY UNIT OF FORCE OF THE ASIATIC FLEET, PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO, 

WAKE ISLAND, GUAM OF THE MARIANA ISLANDS, AND DUTCH EAST INDIES) 

PUBLISHED 5 TIMES A YEAR 

HONORARY OFFICERS 

Paul Reuter ........................................................Honorary Vice Commander 

PAUL ROPP 

Executive Secretary 

504-B North Thomas St. 

Arlington, VA 22203 

703-527-6983 

ANDREW MILLER 

Historian 

1605 Cagua Drive N.E. 

Albuquerque, NM 87110 

REV. ROBERT W. PHILLIPS 

Chaplain 

1620 Mayflower Court A-418 

Winter Park, FL 32792 

DR. WILLIAM R. BRENNER 

Surgeon 

1006 State St. 

Larned, KA 67550 

JOSEPH A. VATER PNC 

Editor of Quan 

Co-Chairman Site Committee 

18 Warbler Drive 

McKees Rocks, PA 15136 

412-771-3956 

Fax: 412-875-6606 

PAUL REUTER 

Adjutant & Legislative Officer 

516 Sandy Pl. 

Oxon Hill, MD 20745 

MARTIN S. CHRISTIE 

Necrology Committee Chrmn. 

23424 Mobile St. 

West Hills, CA 91307-3323 

The National D-Day Museum 

New Orleans 

AGAPITO E. SILVA 

Past Commander 

1820 La Poblana, N.W. 

Albuquerque, N.M. 87104 

RALPH LEVENBERG, PNC 

Special Projects 

2716 Eastshore Dr. 

Reno, NV 89509 

PAST NATIONAL COMMANDERS 

*Harold Spooner *James K. Cavanaugh Henry J. Wilayto 

*Rev. Albert D. Talbot *Thomas A. Hackett *Charles Bloskis 

James McEvoy *Bernard Grill Arthur Beale 

*M/Gen. E.P. King Jr. Louis Scahwald Andy Miller 

Simme Pickman *Jerome A. McDavitt *Joseph Matheny 

Albert Senna John M. Emerick *George Wonneman 

*Maurice Mazer *Joseph T. Poster *Frank Bigelow 

Joseph A. Vater *John Bennett *Charles L. Pruitt 

*Lewis Goldstein *James D. Cantwell Melvin L. Routt 

*Albert C. Cimini Ralph Levenberg James R. Flaitz 

*Samuel M. Bloom, M.D. *Elmer E. Long, Jr. *John Koot 

*Kenneth J. Stull *Philip Arslanian *Roy Y. Gentry 

*Harry P. Menozzi *John Rowland Edward Jackfert 

*John F. Ray *John Crago Joseph L. Alexander 

*Samuel B. Moody Edward Jackfert *Joseph Ward 

*Arthur A. Bressi *John R. Lyons Omar McGuire 

*John E. Le Clair *Ken Curley John H. Oliver 

Agapito E. Silva 

Greetings from The National D-Day Museum! 

I am writing to inform you and your organization that New Orleans and the National D-Day Museum will be hosting one of the 

largest, most significant World War II gatherings to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II. Historians, World 

War II veterans, authors, journalists, and other participants from all over the world gathered to discuss the war and its lasting impact 

for more than half a century. 

The International Conference on World War II, October 5-9, 2005, not only covered how and why the war was fought and 

won, but also what it means today. Keynote speakers included Madeleine Albright, Gen. Paul Tibbetts, Walter Cronkite, Andy 

Rooney, James Bradley, David Kennedy and many others. 

Another great benefit of attending the conference was Memory Hall. Within Memory Hall you had the opportunity to meet 

World War II Medal of Honor recipients, members of the flight crews on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki missions, German concentration 

camp survivors, POW’s, Navajo Code Talkers, and those who fought at home against Jim Crow Laws. Memory Hall provided 

the opportunity to hear about the price of freedom and the American Spirit free of charge (though registration was still required), 

thanks to The Brown Foundation, Inc. 

Best Regards, 

Dr. Gordon “Nick” Mueller 

President & CEO 

Editor’s Note: I don’t know if it has been affected by Katrina.

Survivor Helps Mark Legacy 

of WWII Veterans 

By Volt Contreras 

Inquirer News Service 

Editor’s Note: Published on 

page A1 of the March 7, 2005 

issue of the Philippine Daily 

Inquirer. 

A bowl of lugaw (porridge) that 

seemed to get lighter by the day. 

The morning and evening roll calls 

in the corridors. The need to bow 

before Japanese sentries. The 

crackle of distant gunfire. The burning night sky over Manila. 

These are a little girl’s memories of World War II. 

Leslie Ann Murray was just a little girl when Japanese troops 

detained her American family and hundreds of other foreigners 

on the University of Santo Tomas campus. 

Now 65, Murray has made Manila her home for the last 43 

years and has devoted a part of her life making sure that the 

stories and sacrifices of WWII veterans in the Philippines would 

never be lost to postwar generations. 

She is the first vice president of the Filipino-American 

Memorial Endowment Inc. (FAME), which has been particularly 

active these days as the country commemorates the 60th 

anniversary of the end of the Pacific War. 

In an interview last week, Murray couldn’t help but air her 

frustration, particularly over the scant attention and respect 

given to the country’s various war shrines. 

Since 2000, FAME, an organization under the auspices of 

the american Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, has 

been working on the restoration of the “Death March kilometer 

markers” from Bataan to Tarlac, she said. 

The original markers — concrete obelisks 1.37 meters (4.5 

feet) tall and numbering 130 — were installed in the last ’60’s 

during the Marcos administration, in memory of the Filipino and 

American prisoners of war who were forced to walk for days by 

their Japanese captors from the Bataan peninsula to Camp 

O’Donnell in Capas town, Tarlac. Of the 60,000 to 80,000 

captives, only 54,000 prisoners reached the camp alive. 

Each marker indicated a POW’s ordeal at each stage, 

starting in Bataan’s Mariveles town. It had an emblem with the 

figures of a fallen soldier and two others who continued to 

march, wearily clinging to each other. 

But by the time Am-Cham began the restoration, only “10 to 

15” of the original markers were found still standing. Some had 

been knocked over, defaced, or chopped off. The rest of the 

markers had simply gone missing, carted away by the locals 

and reportedly even “offered to tourists as souvenirs,” she said. 

Through the years, parts of the original Death March route 

had virtually been erased, mainly with the construction of the 

Subic export processing zone, changes in the road system, and 

the landscape-altering eruptions of Mount Pinatubo, she said. 

Missing markers 

To date, FAME has replaced 83 markers, with the latest 

marker to be planted in time for this year’s Bataan Day 

observance on April 9, Murray said. Helping fund the project 

are both local and U.S. donors, including individuals, families 

and groups not at all associated with WWII commemorations. 

“But it’s still sadly disappointing; we tried to place them in 

front of schools, homes and businesses, hoping they will finally 

get the right kind of attention. But they are still getting the 

wrong kind of attention,” she told the Inquirer. 

In last year’s national elections, for example, many of the 

restored markers were “slapped with campaign posters,” she 

said, adding: “Again they were vandalized, they were not 

respected. And I just feel that the youth, the population in 

general, whoever is doing the desecration, should understand 

that it’s like [writing] graffiti on tombstones.” 

“Basically the markers are memorials to the dead, so it’s 

such a shame,” she said. 

Murray was among the american expatriates and tourists 

who attended memorial services on historic Corregidor Island 

on March 2 marking the retaking of the island fortress dubbed 

“The Rock” by American paratroopers in 1945. 

Memories of the war 

“I was only 5 [years old] during Liberation so my memories 

are a little dim, but I do remember the fires and the bombings,” 

Murray said. 

She confided that hearing gunshots and cannon fire — 

even the “peacetime” gun salutes during the corregidor ceremonies 

— would trigger childhood wartime fears. “I still carry 

that part with me.” 

Leslie resides in Makati City with her British husband Brian, 

a naturalized Filipino citizen. She was born in California and 

was only 6 months old when her family came to Manila 

because her father, who was with an import-export company, 

was posted here. 

An only child, her family was living in Del Pan when they 

were rounded up together with other foreign nationals and 

incarcerated at the University of Santo Tomas at 1942 to 1945. 

After the war, her family spent the next 10 years in the 

United States and later moved to Hong Kong. She was back in 

the Philippines by the time she was 21, and had since traveled 

extensively around the country. 

Murray had also worked for local travel agencies and was 

one-time country manager for Scandinavian airlines. She’s 

now an editorial consultant for Am-Cham. 

Going to school 

She had no ready anecdotes about the war during the 

Inquirer interview. But after a few questions, hazy images 

started to surface. 

The foreign prisoners were not exactly held in cells but in 

“classrooms” at the UST, she said, with the women and children 

kept in the main building and the men in another. 

Her father was among those who worked in the camp’s 

kitchen. “There wasn’t much food. There was only lugaw 

(porridge), and it got less and less throughout the years until 

[meals were served] just once a day.” 

Asked if it was hard growing up during the war, Murray, not 

surprisingly, managed to dig up the more pleasant and innocent 

of memories. Since the UST inmates were composed of 

professionals — teachers, priests, doctors, businessmen — 

they were able to form a “community” so elders held classes 

for the youngsters, she recalled. 

“We actually had a nursery, a school for small children and 

a high school,“ she said. 

Know your history 

Murray could not easily recall any close encounters with 

their Japanese captors. “All I know was that we had to bow [to 

them] and there was a roll call every morning and evening. My 

parents were there and I’m just very glad that we all survived,” 

she said. 

Six decades later, whatever she lacked in war yarns, she 

more than made up for in sentiment and determination to keep 

the veterans’ legacy alive and relevant. 

“Even though I don’t have vivid memories of the war, I’m 

saddened by the fact that little is known of World War II here,” 

she said. 

“I don’t know what they’re teaching in History, but they’re 

not telling them here. Even in the States, there’s a lot of 

emphasis on Europe. Everybody knows about Normandy but 

not too many people know about the Leyte or Lingayen landing,” 

Murray noted. 

“History is not being taught, or if it’s taught, it’s not really 

being absorbed, which I think is a pity for the Filipino youth,“ 

she lamented. 

“I think it’s very important for the students, the present 

generation, to know their history and appreciate what their 

fathers, uncles and grandfathers had fought for.” 

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 2005 — 3


I’m Not a Hero … 

By George Wallace 

“I’m not a hero … I’m just an ordinary man who tried to do his duty.” 

With those humble words Edward Jackfert of Wellsburg began a brief narrative of what took place when Japan attacked a 

completely unprepared America; first at Pearl Harbor, then in the Philippine Islands, where he was based. 

His presentation was one describing unimaginable hardship, illness, brutality, hunger and death. It was a recounting of the 

capture of more than 27,465 American soldiers along with over 120,000 Philippine troops in what came to be known as the worst 

surrender in the history of the United States military. 

While the infamous “hellships” and “Bataan Death March” are somewhat known, it is the courage and determination of a 

dramatically outnumbered and under-equipped allied force which demands equal time and great honor. 

Jackfert’s comments came at the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and the naming of August 15, 

2005, as Edward Jackfert Day in Brooke County. 

A crowd of over 100 interested individuals, officials and veterans joined Jackfert and two of his fellow POW’s for the event, 

held at the Brooke County Public Library. 

The library in Wellsburg houses the Edward Jackfert Collection of memorabilia, maps, documents, photos and paintings. It 

has been entitled “1941 Defenders of the Philippines — POW’s 1945 Collection.” 

Since its dedication in November, 2003, the original Jackfert Collection has become the nucleus for a national depository of 

thousands of similar materials relating to the period and events. 

Jackfert was an aircraft mechanic at Clark Field when the initial bombing attack came on December 8, 1941. 

“We all were given rifles and told we are now infantry,“ Jackfert said. 

Thus began a period of fighting by valiant, starving, under-equipped troops who had no chance for victory against the well 

trained and equipped Japanese Army. 

Reinforcements and supplies were promised but never came, and later it was learned that the Pacific front had been written 

off from the start by the War Department. 

America simply didn’t have enough resources to fight in Europe and the Philippine Islands. 

Allies captured were sent to Japan on the hated “hell ships”, taken to area POW camps on the “Death March” or some went 

through both. 

The atrocities were unimaginable. Said Jackfert, “You had to be there” to understand. 

“The Jackfert Collection came to be,” said George Wallace, master of ceremonies, “when this little lady who had her pilot 

light lit in Butler, Pennsylvania, by meeting the ‘Ghost of Bataan,” Abie Abraham.” 

Coming to Wellsburg and meeting Ed Jackfert fueled the flame and she was determined to assemble his materials for their 

historical value, Wallace said as he introduced Mary Kay Wallace, library director and his wife. 

Mrs. Wallace received a standing ovation following her introduction and she told the audience that the display is one of the 

largest and most complete collections in existence for a public library.” 

There are, she said, some 1500 “catalogued items currently in the collection with even more waiting to be catalogued.” 

Following the initial dedication of the materials donated by Jackfert and his wife, Henrietta, news of the collection was printed 

in the national POW newsletter, The Quan, and materials from other POW’s from all over America began to flow into the local 

library, she said. 

Mrs. Wallace spoke of her interest and passion for “telling the story which has been glossed over in text books.” 

“Their story must not ever be forgotten,” she asserted to a spontaneous and lengthy round of applause. 

Brooke County Commissioners Bernard Kazienko and Norma Tarr were on hand to read the proclamation declaring Edward 

Jackfert Day, drafted by David B. Cross, county attorney and prosecutor. 

Ed Bowman, executive director of the West Virginia Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves, read a letter of regrets 

from Adjutant General Allen E. Tackett who was initially expected as the “keynote” speaker. General Tackett was unable to attend 

since his 146th MedEvac unit was returning from the War Zone that morning and his first responsibility was to greet his troops when 

they returned after a year’s deployment. 

He sent his regards and respects to Jackfert and those present. 

Joseph Vater, a survivor from McKees Rocks, PA, and editor of the national publication, The Quan, spoke briefly of his 

experiences and congratulated Jackfert. Vater and Jackfert are both past commanders of The American Defenders of Bataan and 

Corregidor, a national organization seeking an apology and compensation for those captured and enslaved by the Japanese. 

Also on hand was Abie Abraham of Butler, PA, author of “The Ghost of Bataan Speaks” and “Oh God Where Are You?”. 

Tom Hess of New Cumberland, who served as a pilot in the Army, and Mrs. Hess were invited back to participate. Hess gave 

the invocation and benediction. 

In concluding the program, Wallace drew attention to “the empty chair”, which represented the death of nearly three quarters 

of a million World War II veterans since the initial dedication in November, 2003. 

One such loss was that of Harold Feiner, a death march survivor and close friend of the POWs and who was on hand at the 

initial program in 2003. 

A reception arranged by Ms. Connie Waugh and Dr. Ruth Lewis followed, and Jackfert and Abraham signed their books for 

those purchasing copies. 

Please Help 

August 25, 2005 

Dear Mr. Vater, 

I was recently given a copy of The 

Quan by a fellow co-worker that knew of 

my interest in WWII, Pacific. 

My Uncle, Frank William Ferguson, Lt. 

Col. (Ret.) was captured on Corregidor 

and sent to Bilibid Prison. He survived, 

and on his return I was too young to 

appreciate all the details of his Marine 

Corps military history. 

I would appreciate any information on 

how to go about finding out details of his 

complete military career. He designated 

me as the historian of our family. In 

James Belote’s book — “Corregidor, the 

Saga of a Fortress,” he is written about in 

several places in the book. 

I am enclosing my check #7914, dated 

August 25, 2005 for $25.00 for a one year 

subscription to The Quan. 

Thank you for your helping me. 

Sincerely, 

Frank David Ferguson, Sr. 

4547 Misty Moor Ln., Memphis, TN 38141 

E-mail: fdavidfergis@msn.com 

Work: (901) 544-0896 

Home: (901) 365-1603

POWs Who Don’t Forget 

By Steve Earley 

Freeman staff 

KINGSTON — It’s been 60 years since the end of World 

War II and events are being held across the globe to mark the 

anniversary. Yet the story of a group of American POWs 

captured by Japan has only recently begun to be told. 

Survivors of the Japanese work camp in Mukden, 

Manchuria, who held a reunion in Kingston recently, lived 

through a death march on which close to 1,000 died. Veterans 

of the Philippines’ battles of Bataan and Corregidor, the men 

were used as a source of forced labor and for medical experiments. 

Those who made it to the end of the war were liberated 

days before the Japanese were to execute them. 

But when they returned home they were told by the government 

to keep quiet. And, for the first four decades after the 

war, most did. 

Jim Bolich of Lafayette, La., among a handful of Mukden 

survivors to have now written a book about their experience, 

said it was only about 15 to 20 years ago that former POWs 

began speaking out. 

Suzanne Zimbler of Kingston, who is organizing this week’s 

reunion along with her husband, Sheldon, said her great uncle 

Abraham Garfinkel, an Army colonel in Bataan, was forced to 

sign an oath promising not to talk about what happened. 

Bataan and Corregidor’s place in the larger war effort is 

slowly gaining recognition. Soldiers there with minimal supplies 

held off the Japanese for months in battles that were expected 

to take 30 days. Historians now credit the men with halting 

Japan’s plans to invade Australia, which proved to be a vital 

staging ground for Allied forces. 

“We’re trying to make sure that people know that there was 

another part of World War II,” said Mrs. Zimbler. “These men 

were heroes. Not that the men in Europe weren’t, of course, 

but these men didn’t get the kind of respect that they’re due.” 

After a four-month battle, Bataan was surrendered on April 

9, 1942. Prisoners were led on the death march to Camp 

O’Donnell, where an additional 2,000 men died. Corregidor 

was surrendered, like Bataan by the men’s general, on May 6. 

The troops were sent to Cabanatuan, another POW camp. It 

was here soldiers from Corregidor first met up with those from 

Bataan. In November 1942, 1,500 men were transported by 

ship from Cabanatuan to Mukden. 

Oliver “Red” Allen of Tyler, Texas, who related tales about 

the Bataan Death March in his book, “Abandoned on Bataan,” 

said those at Mukden quickly made peace with death. 

“Well, sir,” he remembers saying to a superior. “We’ve 

been through hell so we’re definitely going to heaven.” 

Even before they were forced to endure the horrors of 

Mukden, the soldiers at Bataan and Corregidor already had 

proven themselves as ultimate survivors, Zimbler said. 

“During those six months of war they were told constantly 

they were going to get airplanes, they were going to get 

weapons, they were going to get food,” he said. “And that just 

didn’t happen.” 

As they would have to throughout and even after the war 

—recognized as POWs and not as veterans, Mukden survivors 

did not get military benefits until 1951 — the soldiers made do 

with what they had. 

A shrapnel wound suffered by sailor George Edwards on 

the way to Mukden, for example, had to be operated on without 

an anesthetic, said Edwards’ son, Coit, of Rockaway, NJ. 

Coit Edwards was among about 40 relatives of survivors 

who are deceased or unable to travel attending the reunion in 

Kingston. George Edwards died of cancer in August at age 84. 

Bolich, 84, said sabotage at the work camp was widespread. 

For information, an American soldier would hide a weekly 

Japanese newspaper in the hollowed-out heel of his shoe, and 

pass it along to a New Zealand officer who could read it. 

“We would have a kind of news report when one of the 

papers came in,” Bolich said. “We tracked the (Allied) advance 

over the islands.” 

Bolich said he never got mail or wrote home, however, and 

did not find out until after the war that both of his older brothers 

had perished in North Africa. But he said not knowing was 

probably best. 

“Had I known about their deaths when I was in the prison 

camp, I think it would have made the experience a lot harder to 

take.” 

Men would disappear for days at a time, ostensibly used as 

subjects for medical experiments, Bolich said. But he said he 

could never prove it because it did not happen to him. 

“They were as cruel as the Germans,” she said. “The only 

things they didn’t have were concentration camps.” 

Why Americans were treated so harshly can be begun to 

be explained by the unwavering allegiance of Japanese soldiers, 

Mrs. Zimbler said. Their approach to war drove them to 

carry out suicide airplane missions and would have made an 

Allied invasion of Japan’s main islands extremely bloody. 

“Surrendering, to the Japanese, was a disgrace,” she said. 

“(The Americans) had disgraced themselves by not fighting to 

the death.” 

Confounding the tragedy, the United States had no clue the 

factories at Mukden were POW work camps and had no way of 

knowing if Japanese boats were carrying prisoners. Zimbler 

said friendly fire killed thousands of prisoners aboard Japanese 

“hellboats“ and one american bombing of Mukden killed 19 and 

wounded 60. 

The roar of American B-29s that dropped those bombs, 

nonetheless, provided some comfort. 

“That was the first indication the war was getting closer to 

being ended,” Bolich said. 

The reunion ran through September 11 and included a 

memorial service at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, a 

tour of Kingston, a boat ride on the Hudson and a visit to an 

area middle school. 

———————— 

Pacific War Study Group 

Needs Your Help 

The Pacific War Study Group is seeking World War IIrelated 

items which will be used for displays and exhibits in the 

organization’s planned museum and research center. We need 

items such as battlefield souvenirs, uniforms, helmets, caps, 

medals, awards, swords, bayonets, weapons, canteens, 

diaries, photographs, books, magazines, newspapers, documents, 

flags, naval artifacts, aircraft artifacts, etc. Especially 

needed are items related to the Battle of Bataan/Corregidor. 

Also needed for the museum’s library are military history 

books (all eras, all conflicts). If you have a few books on the 

shelf that you no longer want, we can put them to good use — 

no matter what condition they are in. We also need back 

issues of The Quan. 

Additionally, we are interested in interviewing ADBC 

veterans (via telephone or email) for our Oral History Project. 

The history of the Second World War is an important part 

of our heritage and needs to be preserved. We need your help 

to make it happen! 

Please contact the organization at one of the following: 

Pacific War Study Group, Museum Committee, 

1985 Stonecrest Court, Vista, CA 92081; (760) 727-4355; 

pacificwarstudygroup@gmail.com 



POWs Future 

This is a translated copy of the directive sent by Japanese 

Military Headquarters, Tokyo to all commanding officers of 

Japanese Military POW Facilities. This specific copy was taken 

from Taiwan POW Hqrs dated 1 August 1944: All POW Camps 

received duplicate orders to kill all allied POWs on the 

Japanese mainland and other POW camps in WWII. 

Document No. 2701 (Certified as Exhibit “O” in Doc. No. 

2687). From the Journal of the Taiwan POW Camp HQ in 

Taihoku, entry 1 August 1944: 

1. (entries about money, promotions of Formosans at Branch 

Camps, including promotion of Yo Yusuku to 1st 01 Kaibiin 

— 5 entries) 

2. The following answer about the extreme measures for 

POWs was sent to the Chief of Staff of the 11th Unit 

(Formosa POW Security No. 10) 

“Under the present situation if there were a near explosion 

or fire; a shelter for the time being could be had in nearby buildings 

such as the school, a warehouse, or the like. However, at 

such time as the situation became urgent and it be extremely 

important, the POWs will be concentrated and confined in their 

present location and under heavy guard the preparation for the 

final disposition will be made. 

The time and method of the disposition are as follows: 

(1) The Time. 

Although the basic aim is to act under superior orders, 

individual disposition may be made in the following 

circumstances: 

(a) When an uprising of large numbers cannot be 

suppressed without the use of firearms. 

(b) when escape from the camp may turn into a hostile 

fighting force. 

(2) The Methods. 

(a) Whether they are destroyed individually or in 

groups, or however it is done, with mass bombing, 

poisonous smoke poisons, drowning, decapitation, 

or what, dispose of them as the situation dictates. 

(b) In any case it is the aim not to allow the escape of a 

single one, to annihilate them all, and not to leave 

any traces. 

(3) To: The Commanding General 

The Commanding General of Military Police 

Reported matters conferred on with the 11th Unit, the 

Kiirun Fortified Area H.Q., and each prefecture concerning 

the extreme security in Taiwan POW Camps.” 

3. (The next entry concerns the will of a deceased POW.) 

The above is a fax transmittal from the National Archives, 

Washington, D.C. Documents from Record Group 33, Int’l. 

Prosecution Section, GHQ SCAP, Tokyo, Japan — Declassified 

after July 1974. 

———————— 

Can You Help? 

You probably knew ADBC PNC John Bennett, so can you 

help John Lewis find Bennett’s unit name? John is building a 

huge database from material you gave him, but Bennett’s unit 

information is missing. 

If you can help, please send the information to either John 

Lewis directly or fax it to me and I’ll pass it on to John. 

Joe Vater 

Book Information 

Linda G. Holmes 

30 Dinah Rock Road P.O. Box 546 

Shelter Island, NY 11964 

631-749-1202 

email: lghnews@hamptons.com 

July 20, 2005 

Stephen R. Tritch 

President and CEO 

Westinghouse Electric Company 

4350 Northern Pike 

Monroeville, PA 15146 

Dear Mr. Tritch, 

Enclosed is a copy of my 2001 book, Unjust Enrichment: 

How Japan’s Companies Built Postwar Fortunes Using 

American POWs. I ask especially that you read chapter 9, 

“Mitsubishi: Empire of Exploitation.” At least 3176 American 

prisoners of war worked as slave laborers in the factories, 

mines and shipyards of Mitsubishi subsidiaries. We have their 

names — and so does Mitsubishi. (Japanese companies kept 

meticulous records on the POWs they used for labor.) 

Companies were responsible for housing, food and medical 

care for the POWs; the Japanese government ordered them to 

pay the prisoners Japanese soldiers’ pay — an order which 

was rarely carried out. 

Forty percent of American POWs died in Japanese captivity; 

most of these deaths occurred on company property. By contrast, 

just one percent of American POWs died in Nazi military stalags. 

If you are considering Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a 

worthy candidate to purchase Westinghouse Electric 

Company, you can do no greater service to our veterans of the 

Pacific War than to urge Mitsubishi to lead the way in offering a 

sincere apology and some gesture of compensation to these 

survivors of our “Greatest Generation.” While some Japanese 

officials have expressed personal remorse for WWII mistreatment 

of Asian neighbors, none has apologized to Americans. I 

hope you will encourage Mitsubishi to set a new path as we 

observe the 60th anniversary of the war’s end. 

Sincerely, 

Linda Goetz Holmes 

Perhaps some ex-POWs would like to join me in writing a 

letter to Stephen R. Tritch, President and CEO of Westinghouse 

Electric Co., 4350 Northern Pike, Monroeville, PA 15146. 

Westinghouse is considering selling this nuclear facility to 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Mitsubishi used at least 3200 

American POWs for slave labor in its shipyards, steel mills, 

factories and mines. No voice would be stronger than that of a 

veteran who worked for Mitsubishi in urging Westinghouse to 

insist that Mitsubishi make a public sincere apology and offer 

some form of compensation to you. We are told that 

Westinghouse will make its decision some time in October. Let 

them ponder their patriotism! Especially if you worked at Sendai 

#3 (Hosokura), Sendai #5 (Hanawa), Sendai #6B (Osaruzawa), 

Fukuoka #14 (Nagasaki & Saiwaimachi & Nagoya), Osaka #4 

(Ikuno), or Osaka #6 (Akenobe), or Mukden. I urge you to join 

me in making your views known to the Board of Directors at 

Westinghouse. 

If Mitsubishi can be persuaded to lead the way, other 

Japanese companies will follow suit — Mitsubishi will insist on it! 

Linda Goetz Holmes

Western States Chapter 

Commanders Column: Well, we’ve just mailed out the last 

of the “Thank You’s” to those wonderful people and merchants 

who were generous enough to provide us with door prizes. 

Weren’t they really something??? Kathie and I certainly hope 

that all of you winners enjoy whatever the prize was that you 

won. Let us not forget to give a great big Thank You to those of 

our own group who are always there to help with our meetings 

— Audrey Locarnini, Charlie Mills, Esther Jennings, and there 

are some others. Forgive me if I’ve overlooked you. 

Now, we begin another year of our Western States group. 

It’s an honor for me to have been chosen your leader … once 

again … this is my third “hitch”! 

We really missed a lot of you folks who usually grace our 

tables. We are hoping that whatever problems caused you to 

miss or cancel this reunion have by now disappeared. We 

realize that illnesses do take a toll on us all. Just remember … 

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN! As I explained to our general 

business attendees, we have been bound together by an 

experience that makes us “blood-brothers”. No one, but we, 

know what this means. And, no one or nothing will ever break 

this bond that we have and cherish. 

Now, to some business at hand … We have a new 

Treasurer. He is John Perkowski of Minden, Nevada. John and 

his wife, Jean, have attended our reunions for many years. 

John is a retired businessman and CPA. 

Audrey Locarnini has requested to remain Membership 

Chairman, and our Board has approved this request. We owe 

she and Peter a vote of thanks for a job well done over the 

many years that they were Treasurers for the chapter. In that 

capacity, she will be in charge of keeping our membership 

roster up to date. I would ask each of the members to be sure 

to keep her informed of any changes that occur to our 

members: new addresses, new marriages, new deaths. 

The Executive Secretary of ADBC National … Mr. Duane 

Heisinger joined us at the reunion. Duane is a retired Navy 

Captain. His father was with us in the Philippines and died on 

the Oryoko Maru. Duane has volunteered to work with National 

in helping out administratively. He has been a tremendous help 

to National staff. Duane had requested Western States to consider 

joining with national for the May 2006 national convention 

which will be held in Phoenix, AZ at the Embassy Suites 

(North). The Board and members of the chapter have approved 

this request. We will issue additional information in a later issue 

of the Sea Lion. Speaking of the Sea Lion, our Editor, Bill Braye 

has indicated his desire to continue in that position, an we are 

truly grateful for that. 

A SERIOUS MATTER: We are all getting older. I would ask 

you to give some thought as to: (1) What you want from the organization? 

… (2) What should happen when no one is capable of 

assuming officer responsibility? … (3) Should Western States 

continue until the last man is standing? … (4) Should we consider 

having a “Last Hurrah” gathering and use our money to pay for 

everything? … (5) To maintain communication, should we not 

continue the Sea Lion to let one another know what’s going on in 

our lives? 

Let’s all come up with some ideas and suggestions. That’s 

it for now. Take care of yourselves. 

Ralph 

Hell Ships Memorial 

Thanks so much for all who have 

chosen to contribute towards the building 

of the Hell Ships Memorial to be placed on 

the shores of Subic Bay in the Philippines. 

The Memorial is dedicated to all those who 

died and those who survived from those 

hell ships trips. The contribution process is 

going well (mail checks to Alex Keller, 535 

Rolling Rock Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 

45255. Make checks out to FAME and in 

memo line, Hell Ships Memorial). Money 

raised to date (August 2005) is over 

$27,000. We expect the construction to be 

completed well ahead of the Memorial 

dedication on 22 January 2006. A Valor 

Tours scheduled eight day tour flying out 

Information 

Alfred Leo Goudge was born at Coleraine, MN on April 14, 

1922 to Russell Goudge and Louise Pallister, the 5th of 6 

children. Brothers were William R., Ralph, and David and 

sisters Beatrice and Marie. David was killed by Japanese 

ambush in New Guinea in September 1944. Marie is now Al’s 

only surviving sibling. 

Al grew up on a farm in Blackduck, MN and attended a 

one-teacher, country school from 1st to 8th grade, then 9th and 

10th grade in Blackduck High School, and 11th grade in Hoover 

High School in San Diego, CA where he was enrolled in ROTC 

and Sea Scouts. 

Al joined the Navy on August 9, 1940 at age 18. His first ship 

was the USS Arizona 4th Division. His second ship was the USS 

Lexington CV-2, V-1 Division, then transferred to USS Tulsa 

(Gunboat), South China Patrol. The ship was on mine patrol off 

Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. He was in Cavite Naval 

Shipyard during bombing 8/9/10 of December 1941 where he 

was wounded by shrapnel in his left leg. He was sent to an Army 

hospital (Sternberg) in Manila amongst more bombing raids. 

He was first captured in Pasay Provence on January 2, 1942 

and escaped in April from a work detail and was hidden by two 

Filipinos who took him to Corregidor Island in Bianca and covered 

him with banana leaves. He was assigned to Inshore Patrol 

under Lt. Cmdr G.G. Harrison, who retired as a Rear Admiral. Al 

was re-captured when Corregidor Island was surrendered by 

Gen. J. Wainwright and loaded on a barge with about 150 other 

prisoners and taken to Pasay Elementary School, then to Bilibid 

Prison, then to Port area detail — Cabanatuan #3, Clark Field for 

a period of 2 1 ⁄2 years. He was taken to Japan in fall of 1944 on 

Hellship Noto Maru. This was a nightmare voyage in which 39 

prisoners died. From Moji, Japan, he was transported by railroad 

car to Hanawa to work for Mitsubishi in their copper mine. While 

there a piece of shrapnel was removed from his leg by an Army 

captain. He was provided a gunny sack coat and pants and wore 

only grass shoes in freezing temperatures down to 20 degrees 

below zero. Barley and Seaweed soup became a subsistence 

diet. He was at least twice threatened to be beheaded. 

He was liberated (RAMP) 9/2/45, having disintegrated from 

156 to 89 pounds in body weight. He was returned to the USA 

on October 1, 1945 and was promoted from G-M3 to Chief 

Boatswain’s Mate. Al was a POW for a total of 3 1 ⁄2 years. 

He was in Tsingtau, China in 1948-49 on the USS Kermit 

Roosevelt — ARG-16 when the communists took over the area. 

In 1950, he was stationed in Adak, Alaska as a Fire Chief. 

In 1951-52 he was in the Korean War. In 1953, he was Tugmaster 

of YTB-264 at Vallejo, CA. In 1956, he was in the USS 

Cape Esperance. In 1958-59, he was petty officer in charge of 

fuel docks in Subic Bay-Cubi Point, Philippines. 

On 10/30/59, Al retired from the Navy. He was awarded 

many medals and citations. After retirement, Al was a driver for 

school bus and charter trips for 1 1 ⁄2 years in Pittsburg, CA. 

He then worked in Civil Service for 16 years at the US Naval 

Weapons Station (QEEL) in Concord, CA and retired as GS-9 

on April 14, 1977 as Planning and Coordinating Specialist. Al 

now enjoys life and resides in WA with his wife, Lucille, where 

Mt. Rainier provides a serene, peaceful and majestic view. 

Alfred L. Goudge 

13816-51 51 Ave. East 

Tacoma, WA 98446-4106 

of San Francisco, (phone: 800-842-4504) 

will be present at the dedication. Call Valor 

Tours, check their web site or e-mail me if 

you desire more information. 

Duane Heisinger 

(703) 222-2480 

E-mail: heis56@aol.com 


‘We’re Thankful We’re Alive’ — 

Film Stirs Memories for Veterans 

The former POWs said their eyes filled with tears 

at images of the infamous camp where they were 

starved, beaten and tortured. 

By Ronni Gordon 

rgordon@repub.com 

Leaving the movie “The Great Raid” after its opening 

recently, Dominic Pellegrino gently touched his friend Antonio 

Casanova on the shoulder. 

Simultaneously, silently, both gave a thumbs-up. 

The two survived the horrors of the Japanese prison camp 

Cabanatuan in the Philippines, a little-known chapter of World 

War II that is the focus of the movie. It tells of a band of outnumbered 

U.S. Rangers and Filipino guerrilla fighters who freed 511 

U.S. prisoners from the camp in January 1945. 

“People don’t believe that things like that place existed,” 

84-year-old Springfield veteran Casanova said outside the 

Eastfield Mall Cinemas. “I’m a witness and he’s a witness, too. 

I think it’s good that this movie got out to show what those 

people were like.” 

Both said their eyes filled with tears as the big screen 

flashed images of the place where they were starved, beaten 

and tortured more than 60 years ago. 

“When you actually witnessed something like that, it really 

hits home,” said Pellegrino, 85, a Longmeadow resident. 

Both survived the infamous Bataan Death March that 

followed the fall of Bataan in the Philippines in April 1942. 

Some 5,000 men died during the 70-mile trek to Japanese 

prison camps, where many thousands more died. 

Pellegrino and Casanova were held in Cabanatuan for two 

and a half years. In July 1944, some six months before the 

rescue raid, they were moved by ship to the island of Kyushu 

in Japan, where they were liberated at the war’s end. 

The movie has another local connection: Capt. John Francis 

Murphy of Springfield was a platoon leader with the Army’s 6th 

Ranger Battalion that staged the rescue. He died September 5, 

1964 at age 53. 

Casanova, now frail and suffering from throat cancer, came 

to the movie in a wheelchair pushed by his son, Jim, one of his 

five children. He speaks in a hoarse whisper, but looked jaunty in 

a bright red cardigan and an American Ex-Prisoners of War cap. 

He said the least realistic part of the movie was how good 

the captives looked. 

Having begun his military service at 130 pounds, he 

dwindled to just 77 in captivity. At one point, suffering from 

malaria and dysentery, he was given up for dead and tossed 

naked into a pile of bodies, pulling himself out just before he was 

to be buried alive. 

“I didn’t see any (actors) there that looked like 77 pounds,” 

he said. 

Pellegrino, who went from 165 pounds to 92, almost died 

from a cerebral form of malaria. He watched the movie with his 

hands folded in his lap, running his hand over his face at one 

point where Japanese guards shoot 10 men as payback for a 

prisoner’s escape attempt. 

Pellegrino said later over coffee that scene reminded him of 

their indoctrination into the camp, when Japanese guards shot 

five men and pushed them into graves they had been forced to 

dig, to demonstrate what would happen if anyone tried to escape. 

Pellegrino and Casanova each went to the Philippines as 

aircraft mechanics with the Army Air Corps in the months 

before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. 

When the U.S. planes in the Philippines were decimated by the 

Japanese, they were assigned to the infantry. 

After the war, Casanova taught special education at Putnam 

Vocational high School. Pellegrino is retired from the quality 

control division of Pratt & Whitney. Casanova is commander of 

the Western Massachusetts chapter of the American 


Ex-Prisoners of War Association, and Pellegrino is senior vice 

commander. 

Both said they only discuss their war experiences if asked. 

“We open our eyes in the morning and we’re thankful we’re 

alive,” Pellegrino said. “I’ve been a lucky guy. I’ve got such a 

beautiful wife,” he said of Rosemarie Pellegrino. “Thinking of 

her and the nice times we’ve had for 56 years, I don’t care.” 

Still, he said, “I won’t buy anything if I know it’s Japanese.” 

———————— 

Information 

Frank Victory Exline 

Pleasant Hill, Iowa 

April 20, 2005 

On October 1, 1942, I boarded the hell ship Totori Maru in 

Manila, Philippine Islands. We set sail on October 2 with 600 

prisoners of war in each of 2 cargo holds. There was a stairway 

to the next deck down and the hatch was covered. We barely 

had room to sit down. 

On October 3, I went topside to relieve myself. When I got 

there, I saw something peculiar at a distance (my eyesight was 

exceptional). I was standing forward of the bridge, portside. I 

started waving my arms and pointing out at the water when a 

soldier on the wing of the bridge raised his rifle to shoot me. An 

officer stopped him and looked out to see what I was pointing 

at. Then he went to get his binoculars. He saw the two 

torpedoes coming at us. 

That was when all hell broke loose — sirens, whistles, and 

the ship turning. I saw the torpedoes pass along the side of the 

ship, the nearest one inches away. 

We stopped at Formosa on October 13 (my 24th birthday). 

We offloaded long enough to have a glass tube stuck up our 

rectum. 

On November 2, we docked in Osaka, Japan. My first four 

year enlistment was up. On the trip, we were allowed one 

canteen cup of water and a small handful of oyster crackers a 

day. I was in great shape: malaria, dysentery, diphtheria and 

pellagra. 

Six men were buried at sea (dumped over the side) from the 

cargo hold I was in. One was a shipmate of mine from Tracy, 

California. My action saved hundreds of POWs. It also saved a 

freighter and its crew. 

On August 14 or 15, 1945, I was in a POW camp in Nagoya, 

Japan. I witnessed the blast from the last atomic bomb dropped 

on Japan. I believe we were about 20 miles away from the blast 

site. I was looking across a body of water and had a clear view 

of the blast. 

I retired from the Navy a Chief Boatswain’s Mate after 20 

years service. 

The following is a list of the citations I received for service: 

Bronze Star National Defense Medal 

POW Medal Asiatic/Pacific Theater 

Presidential Unit Citation WWII Victory Medal 

Distinguished Army Unit Citation Korean Service 

Philippine Defense Medal United Nations 

American Defense Medal Good Conduct (3 Stars) 

———————— 

Please Help 

Frank Exline 

Dear Joe, 

My uncle, William George (Jimmy) Jamison, was a crew 

member of the USS Oahu and was KIA April 17, 1942 near Ft. 

Hughes. We were told he and a fellow shipmate, Frank 

Cavender, were in a small boat returning to Ft. Hughes from 

Corregidor. Does anyone have any information on Jimmy or 

Frank that they could share? Please forward to his family: Wes 

Shoop, 500 Auten Road #3A, Hillsboro, NJ 08844 or telephone 

(732) 594-7138.

Surrendered, Yes. Defeated, NO! 

I have always been told, “to start a letter with an apology is 

not a good idea”. However, I am sorry at the delay in getting 

this off to you. It is a pleasure to have my computer back in 

operation, my health reassured and to get this off of my mind. 

While the Holiday Inn was in the process of an owner 

changeover, they did their best to make our stay a pleasant 

one, once we managed to get to the correct Holiday Inn, 

Arlington. Seems like there are 3 or 4 Holiday Inns in Arlington 

and I think Don Versaw got to visit all of them before getting to 

the right one. 

Two units with connecting doors served as our hospitality 

area, can’t really call it a suite, but it was free. We had plenty of 

room for the usual camaraderie, tall tales about pre-war 

Shanghai, Manila and post WWII Lives. 

We did purchase beverages, set-up a bar with different 

people pitching in and mixing drinks as they were asked for. 

David George escorted us to the AAFES PX and Pete and I 

purchased needed beverages and other supplies. 

The hotel ownership changeover eliminated our having an 

open bar in the banquet area. A bartender was hired to tend an 

open bar in our hospitality area during the hour before dinner 

was served. 

The Color Guard and Guest Speaker Sergeant Major 

Gregory Leal are members of the Marine Aircraft Group-41 

located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Using a computer and 

projector, Sgt. Maj. Leal took the audience through the Marine 

Task Force operation from entry into Iraq through their occupation 

of Baghdad. He received thunderous applause and many 

questions. 

Something new was added to our dinner entertainment, a 

raffle. Ruth Johnson and June Warner sold tickets at the sign in 

table. After the Guest Speaker had finished and the Colors were 

retired, items purchased and wrapped by Ruth, June and the 

Pete George ladies were raffled and a good time was enjoyed 

by all. 

Well, Pete and Juanita did it again. Their former record for 

the George family and guests at our annual banquets was 22. 

A new record of 53 family and guests was set. I seriously doubt 

that it will be broken. A total of 116 meals were served at the 

banquet. The largest attendance we have had in many years. 

We will, as voted on at the 2005 reunion, join ADBC 

National in Phoenix in the latter part of May, 2006. Information 

on the site is the August 2005 Quan. I have touched base with 

Joe Vater and suggested he increase the room reservations by 

40-50. 

Ernie Bell and I will be making a trip to Phoenix to firm up a 

hospitality suite and an area for our dinner. It would be helpful if 

I had a “guestimate” of the number of Marines, family members 

and guests that plan on attending. A phone call (818-348-4492) 

or e-mail (retire539@yahoo.com) with a number would help. 

Take care of yourself, you are important. 

Semper Fidelis 

Martin 

———————— 

Searching for Book 

Dear Mr. Vater, 

I am looking for a book, “The Secret Camera” by Terance 

Kirk. I saw something about this book on TV but neglected to 

get the address as to how to order it. Mr. Kirk’s book has pictures 

of men he was with in a Japanese prison camp during 

WWII. My deceased husband was in the same prison camp 

and I would be interested to see if he mentions my husband in 

his accounts. 

Sincerely, 

Barbara McKinley Collum 

21 Resaca del Sol S. Drive 

Los Fresnos, TX 78566 

956-233-4974 

e-mail: Collumdiet1@aol.com 

The Chaplain’s Corner 

“God Bless You, Ruthie J.” 

Over the past seven years many of you have logged onto 

the ADBC Web Site to read about the people of the Philippine 

Defense Campaign, the POW experiences of most of us and to 

stay in touch with each other. The authoress of our Web Site 

worked quietly at home to make it possible for us to enjoy that 

experience. Her name is Ruth Jorgenson. 

We have called her Ruthie and we have learned to treasure 

her and patient husband, Warren Jorgenson, 4th Marine 

veteran from the Corregidor defenses. Recently she has had 

health problems which dictated that she resign as “Web 

Mistress” so she could recuperate and let “Jorgy” nurture her 

back to good health. 

You may remember the touching story about Jorgy and 

Ruthie: they were childhood sweethearts back in Iowa, only to 

have that romance disrupted by the War. Decades later when 

both of them had been widowed, they “found” each other again 

and were married; what a heart-warming story! 

Seven years ago when it became clear that the ADBC 

needed to have a web site, Ruthie stepped forward and volunteered 

to develop such a site and to maintain it for the ADBC. 

She would do all the programming and other technical aspects 

if we would furnish her with the information to post. She has 

given freely of her time, talents and resources; we have come 

to love her for doing so much for the ADBC. She has given 

sacrificially to bring us all together in the electronic age. Words 

cannot describe the benefits we have received from her work. 

So, Ruthie J., we salute you again as you put all your 

efforts into regaining your health and strength. We salute Jorgy 

also for supporting his wife in this work and for protecting her 

from overwork; he shared her with all of us. 

May God bless you and Jorgy both now and unto the ages! 

In His service, 

Fr. Bob Phillips SSC 

National Chaplain and Web Site Chairman 

American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Inc. 

———————— 

ADBC Web Site Changes 

The ADBC Web Site is now under the skilled care of John 

Lewis. We thank John for taking over the reins of the site. Of 

necessity, the site has a new URL (Web Address) but retains 

all of the look and feel of Ruthie’s site. The URL is: 

http://www.west-point.org/family/adbc/ 

We invite you to visit our site at its new location, meet 

some old friends, make some new ones, send us your biographical 

sketch (digital photos welcome). Read about future 

conventions, reunions and meetings; find out how you can find 

help with your VA claim and many more things. Go there for 

names and addresses of all of your elected and appointed officers. 

Send us your e-mail address, etc. so we can post your 

name on the Web Site. 

For more information, e-mail me at frphillips@sprintmail.com 

or other Committee members; we will make sure that our Web 

Master, John Lewis, receives the information. 

Martin Christie: 

Warren Jorgenson: or 

Don Versaw: 


Christmas Wishes 

Sincere “Holiday Greetings” 

Agnes and Art Akullian 

“Merry Christmas and 

a Happy, Healthy New Year” 

Mildred Arslanian and Family 

A “Merry Christmas and 

a Happy, Healthy New Year” 

Martina Aldred 



Happy New Year” 

Ceil Ayres 

Our Best Wishes for “A Happy, 

Healthy Holiday Season” 

Norma and P/N/C Joe Alexander 


A Happy New Year” 

Rose Aquilian and Family 

“My Very Best Greetings to 

All Quan Members” 

Walter L. Bell 



Mukden #687 

patnhersh@wavecable.com 

Hersheal and Pat Bouskey 


A Happy New Year to All” 

Annette Bloskis and Family 


Best Wishes to All” 

Phyllis Baltzer and Family 

“Happy, Healthy Holidays” 

Ella Barna and Family 


Best Wishes to All” 

Grace Brehm and Family 

“From Every Branch of Our Family 

Trees Go Our Best Wishes to All. 

We Hope It is a Season of Merriment 

and Good Tidings to All” 

Gold Star Mother Brazeau’s Family 

Our Sincere Wishes for 

“A Merry Christmas and 

A Happy New Year” 

Rose Bridges and Family 

“Best Wishes for a Happy, 

Healthy Holiday Season” 

Thelma Bensing 


a Happy New Year to All” 

Hoping to See You in Phoenix in 2006 

Commander Harold Bergbower 

A Very Merry Christmas and 

A Healthy and Happy New Year 

“God Bless” 

Ruth Castor and Family 



Mary Curley and Son 

“Happy Christmas Wishes 

to Old and Dear Friends” 

Gerry Cantwell 

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas 

and a Happy New Year 

Eve Christ and Family 

Merry Christmas and 

A Happy New Year to All 

Teresa Copley 


a Happy New Year 

Tom and Rose Calderone 

I Wish Each of You 

a Blessed Christmas Season and 

a Happy, Healthy 2006 

Love, 

Lora Cummins 

A Very Merry Christmas and 

a Happy New Year to All 

Charles and Ann Dragich 

and Family 

“Season’s Greetings” 

Anabel C. Dunigan 

Hope You’re on Your Merry Way 

to a Very Special Holiday 

Floramund and Wally Difford 

and Family 


a Joyous New Year 

P/N/C John Emerick 

Happy Holidays to All 

Mrs. Betty Earhart and Family 

A Truly Blessed Christmas 


Glenda Elliott and Family 

May God Bless All 

Our Friends in the ADBC 

P/N/C Jim and Peggy Flaitz 



Joe Filko 

Enjoy “The Christmas Season” 

Keep Healthy 

Love, 

Peg Frantz and Family 

Christmas Greetings and 

New Year Wishes to All the 

Surviving 19th Base Squadron Men 

In Memory of My Husband Joseph 

Risa Fragale and Family 

May “The True Spirit of Christmas” 

Bring You “Peace and Happiness” 

Helen Gease 


and a Healthy New Year 

Enos Gould 

Best Wishes for a Blessed Christmas 


Sue Gagnet 

All Good Wishes for 

The Holidays 

The John Glusman Family 


a Happy New Year to POWs 

Port Area Detail 

Clark Field Cab #3 — Hanawa, Japan 

Have Many More 

Al Goudge 

k k k k

To All ADBC Members and 

Their Families 

“A Blessed Holiday Season and 2006” 

Arie Geurtz 

To All the ADBC Troops 

“Happy Holidays” 

Dolly Goodrow 

Season’s Greetings to 

“All the Philippine Notebook People” 

Virginia Gage 



Mary Hank 

Greetings to All 

and to All Palawan Group 

Yours in Faith 

Jim and Barb Hammond, Sr. 

May Your Heart Overflow With 

Joy and Love This Christmas 

Dorothy Hassler 



Judith and Duane Heisinger 

“Season’s Greetings to All” 

God Bless 

Elise Houser 

“Happy Holidays to All 

of Our Friends of ADBC” 

Nick and Ann Hionedes 

Merry Christmas 

Peace Throughout the World 

in the New Year 

Catherine Houser 

A Blessed Christmas and 

a Happy, Prosperous, Healthy 

New Year to Our Fellow “Defenders” 

and Their Families 

Walter and Helen Helkowski 

Season’s Greetings to All 

Henrietta and P/N/C Edward 

Jackfert 


Happy New Year to All 

Georgia Jordan 



Mary Jaggers and Family 

To All ADBC Members 

a Thankful, Merry Christmas and 

a Healthy, Happy New Year 

Shelby and Doris Johnson 

17th Ord. Co. Bataan 



Darlene and Bryon Kearhy 


Ed Kluemyser 

Season’s Greetings and Good Health 

to All Members of ADBC 

Eileen and Jim Kneafsey 


All of God’s Blessings for 

the New Year 

Merle and Frances Lype 


May the New Year Bring 

Good Health and Peace to All 

Charlotte Long and Family 

Wishing You a 

Happy, Prosperous New Year 

Kathie and P/N/C Ralph 

Levenberg 

Very Merry Christmas and 

a Happy, Prosperous New Year 

Walter Lamm and Family 


P/N/C Andy Miller 

Happy Holidays to All 

Francis and Dorothy Mosher 

“Mele Kalikimaka Hanoli 

Makahihi Hou” 

John Moyer 

Season’s Greetings and 

Best Wishes to All 

Irene Minier 



Peg Miller 


Bea Menozzi 

Season’s Greetings to 

Kentuckianna Chapter Members and 

All ADBC Members 

Louise and Joe Mihok 


a Happy New Year to 

All ADBC Members 

Hilda Miller 

Our Best Wishes for 

a Merry Christmas and 

a Healthy New Year 

Norma Mascavage and Family 

Wishing All My Dear Friends 


a Healthy New Year 

Love, 

Rose Marangiello 


to All Members of ADBC 

Lucy and P/N/C Omar McGuire 

Our Good Wishes to All 

for a Happy Holiday Season 

and a Healthy New Year 

The John McCorts Family 

It is Joy to Wish You 



Love, 

Joseph and Ruth Nespojohn 

Glasgow, KY 42141-1404 



Eva Neil 

J J J J J J J J J J 


God Bless Everyone with 

a Blessed Christmas and 


Captain Mary J. Oberst — A.N.C. 


to All of Our Friends in ADBC 

Dorothy Oestreich 

We Wish All Our Friends 

A Merry Christmas and 

a Happy, Healthy New Year 

Mary Oleksa and Family 


a Happy, Healthy New Year 

Margaret Petak 

Good Health and Happiness 

in the Year “2006” 

Ted and Marvella Provost 



Mr. and Mrs. Leo J. Padilla 

Love, Good Health and 


Doris Perez and Family 



Jean Pruitt and Family 

Very Best — Holy and 

Happy, Holiday Season 

Dorothy Patrizio 

A Blessed Christmas 2005 

to You and Yours 

Audrey and Fr. Bob Phillips 

“Christmas Blessings and 

a Happy New Year” 

In Memory of 

John S. Matulewicz (803 Eng.) 

Eleanor and Edward Pessolana 

“Peace” and the Blessings of 

“Good Health and Joy at this 

Blessed Holy Season” 

Elizabeth M. Peace 

Widow of David Peace, Jr. 

803rd Engineers Co. “C” 




Elizabeth and Robert D. Rosendahl 



Paul V. Rouse — Co. 803rd Eng. 

Best Wishes for 

a Happy Holiday Season 

Bertha Ray 

Best Wishes and 

God Bless Everyone 

Nicki and Paul Reuter 


Happy New Year to 803rd 

Meda Rutz 

Wishing All the Members of ADBC 



Joyce and P/N/C Melvin Routt 

Happy-Healthy 

Holiday Season 

Camille Romanzo 

We Wish All 

a Very Merry Christmas and 

the Happiest New Year 

Anna and Carl Ray 

“Happy Holidays” 

Josie and Gil Soifer 

My Prayer for All 

“A Blessed Christmas and 

Peace for the New Year” 

P/N/C Al Senna 

To All Our Ex-POW Friends 

a Blessed Christmas and Health and 

Happiness Through the New Year 

Commander Agapito E. and 

Socorro Silva 


Healthful New Year 

Fern Theriac 

“Season’s Greetings and 

May God Bless the New Year” 

Marj Taylor (Ralph’s wife) 

Happy Holiday Season to 

“All My Friends” 

Janye Troy 

Holiday Greetings to 

All Our Friends and the 

Canadian Hong Kong POW 

Pat Urban 


Bob and Berni Vogler 


A Peaceful, Healthy New Year to All 

Helen and P/N/C Joe Vater 


Healthy New Year to All 

Irene Wonneman and Family 

We Wish All a Blessed 

Holiday Season 

Brocky Wright and Family 


Best Wishes for a Healthy New Year 

Alice Ward and Family 

Peace and Joy to All 

Helen and P/N/C Hank Wilayto 

Happy Holidays to 

All Our Friends in ADBC 

Elsie Wheeler 



Wesley and Irene Wells 



Dorothy Wells 

Holiday Greetings and 


Stella and John Yale 

Co. C 31st Inf. 


Happy 2006 to All 

Genevieve and Milton Young 

F F F F 

F

60 Years Later: World War II and 

the “Ruptured Duck” 

By Major Micki Sotta 

In today’s world, a ruptured duck might sound like a broken cartoon character, but 

World War II veterans and their families know the “Ruptured Duck” as a badge of 

service and honor which represents a job well done. 

The Honorable Service Lapel Pin, affectionately nicknamed by returning GI’s as the 

“Ruptured Duck” pin, was issued to every World War II service member honorably 

discharged between September 1939 and December 1946. 

The small badge was earned by more than 12 million 

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and 

Merchant Mariners who returned to civilian life after WWII. 

Young men and women who served during World 

War II are now in their 80s and 90s. Accordingly, the 

Department of Defense is hosting an event honoring all 

World War II veterans, family members and homefront 

workers for their outstanding service and sacrifice. 

The ceremony was held on Friday evening, September 2 at 7 p.m. at the World 

War II Memorial, located on the National Mall. 60 years prior, on September 2, 1945 

Japan surrendered, bringing WWII to an end. 

During the ceremony on September 2, all military services and the Merchant 

Marines were represented and honored for their service. Former Chairman of the Joint 

Chiefs of Staff and WWII veteran, General John Vessey, shared his thoughts on the 

“greatest generation”. There was music, fireworks and a live performance by the Liberty 

Belles, a USO 1940s-style show. Seating, including disabled access, accommodated 

more than 6,000 attendees. The event was free, open to the public and tickets or 

advance reservations were not required. 

Additionally, all WWII veterans attending were presented with an authentic 

Honorable Service Lapel pin, or “Ruptured Duck” pin to thank them again for their 

service to their country. 

The origins of the term, “Ruptured Duck” are unknown, but the prevailing theory is 

service personnel thought the eagle looked more like a duck and, because it meant 

they were going home, the popular saying was, “They took off like a Ruptured Duck,” 

hence the nickname. 

The “Ruptured Duck” initially had to be made out of plastic because all brass 

available in the country was restricted to war-time needs only. Unfortunately, the blue 

plastic pin could not be seen against a blue suit jacket so it was adjusted to gold-plated 

plastic. Later, when metal restrictions were lifted, the button was produced in goldplated 

brass. 

As veterans earned their “Ruptured Duck” pin and returned home, they found 

American textile manufacturing completely geared toward making uniforms and other 

service-related items, causing a significant clothing shortage, which today is hard to 

imagine. 

The pin, when worn on uniforms above the right shirt pocket, allowed an honorably 

discharged service person to continue to wear their uniform for up to thirty days in 

recognition of this shortage. The badge also showed patrolling Military Police that the 

individual was honorably discharged or in transit and not absent without leave (AWOL). 

“Ruptured Ducks” can be found all over the world and, in 1998, a “Ruptured Duck” 

took a trip to the heavens. On April 17, 1998, the Space Shuttle Columbia launched 

from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with a ruptured duck pin owned by Mr. Wilfred 

Kelly aboard. Mr. Kelly joined the United States Coast Guard in July of 1942 as an 

Electrician's Mate Second Class and served aboard the USS Gloucester, until he was 

honorably discharged in 1946. Space Shuttle Commander Richard Searfoss agreed to 

carry the pin in his personal effects bag. Upon the shuttle’s return, the pin was given 

back to Mr. Kelly’s family as a lasting memorial to Mr. Kelly’s World War II service. 

The Department of Defense established the World War II 60th Anniversary 

Commemoration Committee, headquartered in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 

service of veterans of World War II and the entire “greatest generation”. The 

Committee has sponsored events throughout the United States in places such as 

Tampa, San Antonio, San Diego, Boston, Chicago and Vancouver, Wash. Event 

specifics and WWII educational information can be found at www.60wwii.mil or by calling 

the Committee at 877-868-2058. 

Major Micki Sotta, United States Army, is a public affairs officer for the World War II 

60th Anniversary Commemoration Committee, in Washington, D.C. You can reach her 

at 703-588-7630 or at Micki.Sotta@hqda.army.mil. 

Telemedicine: 

Bringing VA Health Care 

Closer to the Veteran 

Advancements in technology have 

brought many positive changes to health 

care. One of these advancements is 

telemedicine, which is now being used by 

VA Stars & Stripes Healthcare Network 

facilities to make health care more easily 

available to veterans. 

Telemedicine is simply “using electronics 

and technology to provide health 

care,” according to Tom Patts, tele - 

medicine and telehealth coordinator for 

the VA medical center in Wilkes-Barre. 

Here’s how it works: A health care 

provider at one facility and a patient at 

another talk with each other face-to-face 

using video equipment. “It’s live, not 

taped,” says Patts, “and it’s designed to 

be confidential and secure.” 

An example is the telesleep clinic at the 

Erie VA Medical Center (VAMC). Erie 

patients with sleep disorders have an 

initial appointment with a health care 

provider at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare 

System. Follow-up visits are done at the 

Erie VAMC using telemedicine. Jean 

Spires, RN and team leader for specialty 

clinics at the Erie VAMC, says that in 

addition to the sleep disorders clinic, 

telemedicine also plays a large part in 

Erie’s behavioral health program. 

“Telemedicine is a wonderful tool,” she 

says. “Patients like it because of the easy 

access.” 

In addition to being used between medical 

centers, telemedicine is also a tool for 

medical centers and their communitybased 

outpatient clinics (CBOCs). In the 

area served by the Wilkes-Barre VAMC, for 

instance, some patients live as far as a 

three-hour-drive away from the medical 

center, but only a few miles from a CBOC. 

To save patients the time, distance, and 

stress of excess travel, telemedicine is 

used between the CBOCs and the medical 

center in Wilkes-Barre, and even between 

the CBOCs themselves. 

There are several benefits to telemedicine. 

Veterans are able to reduce the 

distance they drive to appointments, saving 

time and, during the winter months, 

avoiding risky travel. It also allows health 

care providers to see more patients, 

reducing the time that a veteran must wait 

to schedule an appointment. According to 

Patts, telemedicine is also reducing the 

number of “no shows” — appointments 

missed by veterans, sometimes because 

of travel difficulties. 

While it has mainly been used in 

specialty clinics, telemedicine has also 

taken place in some other areas, such as 

occupational therapy, nutrition, and pharmacy 

education. 

To learn more about the availability of 

telemedicine, talk to your VA primary care 

provider. 



“Book of Honor” 

Hellships Memorial 

(Subic Bay, The Philippines) 

DESCRIPTION and INTENT 

A “BOOK OF HONOR” — dedicated to those who participated in defense of the 

Philippines, Asia and South West Pacific in World War II — is a part of the Hellships 

Memorial. The actual “BOOK OF HONOR”, with these tributes, will be accessible within 

Hellships Memorial space in the nearby Museum. It honors whose who survived and 

those who died aboard these ships. Tributes will include brief text tribute, picture(s) and 

a personal web site if appropriate. There will be NO cost to participate. 

WEB SITE 

Each tribute will also be included in an internet web site for family and others to review, 

both at the “BOOK OF HONOR” and over the internet. See below. 

ACCESS TO “BOOK OF HONOR” 

The “BOOK OF HONOR” with tributes will be created and placed on line in the 

Hellships Memorial in the Philippines. 

ACCESS TO INTERNET WEB SITES 

This internet web site database will be accessible at these web sites: 

—American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor web site at: 

http://www.west-point.org/family/adbc/ 

—The Hellship Memorial web site at: 

http://www.hellshipsmemorial.org./ 

Other websites as appropriate and as designated. 

MANNER OF CREATING: 

Create a brief document, with text and pictures, honoring a specific person. E-mail your 

document, if possible, before January 2006 to: 

John Neiger — “BOOK OF HONOR” Coordinator jjneiger@aol.com 

or mail to: 

4011 Lakeview Parkway 

Lake of the Woods, Virginia 22508 

Any changes to existing tributes can be made using the same procedure as creating 

the original tribute. No one will edit or change your tribute. 

QUESTIONS — COMMENTS — SUGGESTIONS: 

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions — please contact John Neiger 

540-972-0612, e-mail, or mail to the above address. 

———————— 

Memories of Kindness Bring Veteran 

Back to Philippines 

“They would fall by the side of the road, only to be shot, but more often bayoneted … 

There was nothing, nothing we could do but to look straight ahead and keep on walking.” 

By Grant Segall 

Plain Dealer Reporter 

Richard Francies couldn’t stand his first sergeant at Fort Monmouth, N.J. 

“How far away from here can I get?” Francies asked in 1939. 

“The Philippines,” he was told. 

“Put me in for the Philippines!” he replied. 

Francies liked the country, which seemed as different as possible from his native 

Cleveland. Still, he was glad in December 1941, when he drew within a week of his 

departure date for home. 

Then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and America was dragged into World 

War II. 

“Nobody went home,” Francies said. 

The Philippines fell in April 1942. Over the next 31 ⁄2 years, Francies survived the 

infamous Bataan Death March, a Japanese “hell ship” and slave labor camps at both 

ends of the voyage. 

Yet Francies has returned to the Philippines six times. 

“I just enjoy the people,” the former technical sergeant said recently at his 

Cleveland Heights apartment. “They were so good to us.” 

(Continued on Page 26) 

Western States Chapter 

Commander’s 

Farewell Address 

Sparks, Nevada — March 17, 2005 

First of all, on behalf of our Western 

States Chapter, ADBC, I want to thank 

Ralph and Kathie Levenberg for making all 

these wonderful arrangements. The hotel 

has been outstanding, the food excellent. 

I personally thank all of you for attending. 

It has been suggested that our group 

should encourage family members to join 

our group as associate members. Mem - 

ber ship would be open to descendants of 

survivors of Bataan & Corregidor. Trudy 

Real has agreed to be the representative 

to accomplish this. She has the expertise 

to get it done. I trust this will be done to 

increase family participation and also to 

ensure that our group will continue into 

the future. 

It has been my privilege to serve this 

illustrious group for this second term as 

your Commander. I wish to call upon my 

good friend, our next Western States 

Chapter Commander, Ralph Levenberg to 

receive on behalf of himself and his wife 

Kathie, our token of appreciation for the 

services they have rendered to our group. 

(Award presented and accepted by Ralph) 

The next award will be presented to 

Esther Jennings for her dedication to our 

late Commander Clinton Jennings who 

served our Chapter for two terms as 

Commander. Esther is to be commended 

also for her efforts on behalf of our Health 

and Welfare Department, sending cards to 

the sick and bereaved among us. She also 

serves as our Associate Secretary. (Award 

presented and accepted by Esther.) Other 

awards presented to: William E. Braye for 

Sea Lion Editor; Andrew Aquila for 

Secretary; Peter & Audrey Locarnini for 

Treasurer; Houston Turner for Chaplain. 

Bernice and I wish you all God’s Speed 

and a Safe Journey Home! 

Cmdr. Everett D. Reamer 

———————— 

Memorials 

Over the years there have been various 

memorials made to honor the men who 

served in the Philippines. 

Some are buildings, some parks, some 

libraries, some items of interest such as 

flag poles, monuments, plaques or other 

memorabilia. 

I would like to publish them in one issue. 

Check those old pictures or write up a 

story for any type of building. I would like to 

have color. If you have any of the pictures, 

send them to me for the next issue. 

Joe Vater, Editor

Hoten POW Camp 

Camp Hoten No. 1 — unofficial rough-draft chronology 

11 November 1942 — 1188 U.S. enlisted men (ordinary soldiers) and 14 officers 

arrived in Mukden (Shenyang) from Manila via Korean Peninsula as American POWs, 

sent to POW Camp Hoten No. 1, then a group of old Chinese Army earth huts half 

underground (an additional 60 English and 40 Australian and New Zealand troops have 

joined them, live in Barracks No. 13; there are eventually 19 barracks in all) 

March 1943 — burial of 176 POWs, most of whom died in the first 90 days at Camp 

Hoten; by summer 1943, a total of 205 have died, more than 17% of the American 

enlisted men in Camp Hoten 

July 1943 — the camp is moved to a new location, two-story brick structures c. four 

miles away, about half a mile from the Mitsubishi Ko-Kan Machine and Tool Factory, a 

former Ford Co. factory where some of the camp inmates work under Chinese super - 

vision, disassembling machinery so that Japanese technicians can make blueprints of it; 

camp inmates also work as farm and construction labor; new camp is an improvement 

on the old one, and rations are increased slightly, to above starvation level; at this point, 

11 American and 2-3 British officers are still alive 

June 1944 — c. 150 American POWs sent from Camp Hoten to Kamioka, Japan, to 

work in the lead mines there, as punishment for sabotaging work at the Mitsubishi 

Factory in Mukden (Linda Goetz Holmes, ‘Unjust Enrichment’) 

7 December 1944 — Allied B-29 air raids on Shenyang factories and rail lines drop two 

bombs within the Camp Hoten perimeter, killing 19 of the POWs, and injuring more 

than 30 

April 1945 — 316 senior officers, orderlies, and four civilians (mostly American, British, 

and Dutch generals and colonels; senior officer is U.S. Maj. Gen. George M. Parker, 

Jr.) are moved to Camp Hoten from Camp Chang Chia. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, 

highest-ranking American POW, and a few close aides and officers, is held elsewhere 

in Liaoning, at Si’an (Japanese: Seihan), along with Britain’s highest-ranking POW, 

Gen. A.E. Percival, former commander of Singapore 

5 August 1945 — newly-appointed International Committee of the Red Cross head 

delegate to Tokyo, Dr. Marcel Junod, visits Mukden en route to Tokyo, first visit to 

Camp Hoten by an ICRC representative 

6 August 1945 — Dr. Junod visits Gen. Wainwright at Si’an 

8 August 1945 — Russia enters the Pacific War 

17 August 1945 — four-man American OSS parachute group arrives in Shenyang 

18 August 1945 — low-flying Allied plane scatters leaflets announcing that Japan has 

surrendered 

20 August 1945 — advance Soviet tank units enter Shenyang 

9 September 1945 — American POWs leave Camp Hoten No. 1 to return home 

———————— 

To ADBC Members and Descendants 

Thank you so very much for your prayers, cards, emails and phone calls during 

this time while Judith and I am fighting my lung cancer, diagnosed right after the 

Cincinnati convention. The chemotherapy is doing its job and the cancer is currently 

much reduced in size. The doctors are encouraging me to continue with my plans to 

host the Valor Tours trip to the Philippines in January for the dedication of the Hellships 

Memorial. My best to you all. 

Duane Heisinger 

Florida Chapter Closing 

Mr. Joe Vater, PNC 

Editor, The Quan 


McKees Rocks, PA 16136 

Dear Joe: 

The time has come to close the Florida 

Chapter of the American Defenders of 

Bataan & Corregidor, Inc. This is a sad 

duty to perform. Our shrinking numbers 

and lack of attendance forces this action. 

The members voted to donate what was 

left in our treasury to the Andersonville 

Trust, in the hope that the history of the 

American Prisoners of War experience 

will forever be available to the public. 

We have closed our bank account, and 

a check in the amount of $1,662.17 has 

been sent to the Andersonville Trust. 

The Florida Chapter of Defenderettes 

also closed, and they too voted to donate 

the remainder of their funds to the 

Andersonville Trust. Their check in the 

amount of $959.03 was mailed with ours. 

The Ladies of the Defenderettes gave 

their unconditional support to our chapter 

for many years and we appreciate them 

more than my words can express. 

We hope to see our Florida members at 

the National ADBC Convention in Phoenix, 

AZ come May 2006. 

The letterhead this letter is written on 

has the remaining members in good 

standing at the time of our closing. 

Do you or anyone reading this know 

where we can send our chapter historian’s 

records? We will pay the cost of 

packaging and mailing. 

Respectfully submitted by, 

Byron Kearbey, Past Secretary 

Florida Chapter ADBC 

———————— 

Seeking Information 

August 16, 2005 

Dear Sir, 

In 1955 I worked with a survivor of the 

Bataan Death March. We were both 

students in the maintenance school for 

Gilfillan GCA Radar in Fontana, 

California. I would like very much to find 

this friend. His first name was Gene or 

Eugene. Unfortunately, I cannot remember 

his last name. Gilfillan Human 

Resources Dept. would not go back and 

look in their records. Could you please 

place this note in the next edition of The 

Quan? 

Sincerely, 

Jerry Figgins 

A404 

300 Willow Valley Lakes Dr. 

Willow Street, PA 17584 

figgins@dejazzd.com 


Florida Convention May 2004 — Memorial Service 


WWII Memorial 

Joseph E. Lopez WWII Memorial 

Mary Kay Wallace, George Wallace, Abie Abrahams, 

Ed Jackfert, and “Cookie” Jackfert 

Hell Ships Memorial 

Iwo Jima Memorial — Joseph an 

Joe and Norma Alexa

Bataan Memorial Library Exhibit — Brooke County Library WWII Memorial 

d Helen Vater, 

nder 

Hell Ships Memorial Rear of M.K.K. Mukden 

WWII Memorial 

Antonio Casanova of Springfield, left, and Domenic Pellegrino of Longmeadow 

stand by a poster for “The Great Raid” at the Eastfield Mall Cinemas in 

Springfield. Both were prisoners of war at the camp depicted in the film. See 

Story Page 8. 



Robert C. Allen 

Robert C. Allen, engaged in every facet 

of Hawaii’s tourism industry for more than 

35 years, died May 25 in the Center for the 

Aging at Tripler Army Medical Center. 

The 92-year-old Kaneohe resident, commonly 

referred to as “Bob,” was the president 

and director of various organizations 

including the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, 

Grayline Hawaii and the Hotel Operating Co. 

He served as chairman of numerous 

tourism committees and co-founded the 

Hawaii Skal Club, which consisted of business 

leaders in the field. 

Allen pioneered Hawaii’s marketing and 

sales program by informing travel agents on 

the mainland and in Southeast Asia about 

the islands’ customs and attributes. He 

worked with prominent individuals such as 

premier industrialist, Henry J. Kaiser, and 

hotel guru, Roy Kelley, to incorporate the 

world’s largest catamaran into the Pearl 

Harbor sightseeing tour. 

His efforts created marketing conditions 

that opened the door for future travel in both 

directions. The number of Hawaii travel 

agents grew from a few hundred directly 

after the war to more than 25,000 by 1990. 

Allen’s book, “Creating Hawaii Tourism,” 

published in 2004, described the events and 

people that contributed to the industry’s 

dramatic growth and development. 

“He was greatly respected within the 

tourism industry and was often referred to as 

‘Mr. Tourism,’ ” said Ernie Albrecht, former 

Skal Club president and Pan American 

Airways manager. “I have a tremendous 

respect for his ability and what he was trying 

to do for the state.” 

Albrecht, who knew Allen for about 50 

years and referred to him as a “brother,” 

often ate lunch with him or watched him 

play polo. Allen was a former Hawaii Polo 

Club president and frequently played at 

local parks. 

Prior to Allen’s involvement with tourism 

and polo, he attended Southwestern Uni - 

versity School of Business Adminis tra tion, 

Los Angeles, and became the chief accountant 

for a mining company in the Philippines. 

While in the Philippines, he served in the 

U.S. Navy Reserve and was captured by the 

Japanese during World War II. Allen spent 

the next three years as a prisoner of war in 

two Japanese camps where he met his 

future wife, Helene, who is often referred to 

as “Billie.” The couple would have celebrated 

their 60th wedding anniversary. 

“He was a loving husband, caring father 

and wonderful grandfather,” Helene Allen 

said. 

Robert Allen is also survived by 

daughters Linda and Sherry, and two 

grandchildren. 

A private funeral service was held. 

———————— 

~ Deceased ~ 

Sasoun Samuel Boghosian 

Sasoun Samuel “Sam” Boghosian 

passed away on Saturday, August 20, 

2005 at the age of 84, of natural causes. 

He was born on August 2, 1921. He was a 

member of the “Greatest Generation”. 

Boghosian enlisted in the U.S. Army Air 

Corps at the age of 19, in April of 1941. 

Shortly after the outbreak of the war, he 

was captured and served three and a half 

years as a prisoner of war on the Island of 

Mindanao in the Philippines, two years of 

which he was listed as missing in action. 

Following Boghosian’s liberation in 

September of 1945, he spent two years in 

military hospitals slowly recovering from 

the injuries and illnesses he had suffered 

during the war. 

He then met and married the love of his 

life, his “sweetheart” Arpie “Penny” 

Kavoukjian, and they had two sons Jeffrey 

and Richard. 

He was awarded the Purple Heart with 

two Oak Leaf Clusters, and 16 other 

American and Philippine military awards 

and decorations, in addition to the Air 

Combat Crewman’s Award for Aerial 

Gunman Wings. 

After military service, Boghosian was a 

theatre projectionist for 34 years and 

newsreel cameraman for Fox Movietone 

News. 

He loved his country and continued to 

serve it all his life. He was nominated by 

Governor George Deukmejian and appointed 

by President George H.W. Bush to serve 

on the Selective Service Board. 

Boghosian was preceded in death by 

Arpie “Penny” Boghosian, his loving wife 

and “sweetheart” of over 50 years; his son 

Jeffrey; his father and mother Ohannes 

and Asdik; his sisters, Hasmig Boghosian 

and Joan Haroutunian; and his nephew, 

John Boghosian. 

He is survived by his son Richard; 

sisters, Shirley Paboojian of Fresno, and 

Joyce Boghosian of Martinez; brothers, 

Joe Boghosian of Fresno, Sirag Sam 

Boghosian of Indian Wells, and Marty 

Boghosian of Montclair, NJ; sisters-in-law, 

Hasmig Aaronian and Queenie 

Marsoobian; and 13 nieces and nephews. 

Visitation was held at Whitehurst, 

Sullivan, Burns & Blair Chapel, 1525 E. 

Saginaw Way on Thursday, August 25, 

2005, from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. 

A funeral service was held at Holy Trinity 

Armenian Apostolic Church, 2226 Ventura 

Street on Friday, August 26, 2005, at 10:00 

a.m. Interment followed at Ararat 

Cemetery. 

———————— 

Philip Brain, Jr. 

By Trudi Hahn 

Star Tribune Staff Writer 

Philip Brain, Jr. found the purpose he 

had promised himself during a grueling 

segment of harsh captivity that followed his 

capture by the Japanese on the Bataan 

Peninsula of the Philippines during World 

War II. 

He decided to serve, spending 35 years 

as an executive with the YMCA and 

becoming active in the service group 

Rotary International. 

Services were held for Brain, of Bloom - 

ington. The longtime resident of Edina, 

who suffered from dementia, died May 5 of 

natural causes involving poor blood circulation, 

which may have stemmed from his 

wartime deprivations, said his wife, 

Deloris, of Golden Valley. He was 89. 

Born in Libby, Mont., Brain moved as a 

toddler with his family to Minneapolis, 

where his father, Phil Brain, Sr., became a 

tennis coach for the University of 

Minnesota. 

Brain, Jr. was a tennis player at Roose - 

velt High School and for the University of 

Minnesota. He graduated in 1939. 

He attended graduate school at George 

Williams College in Chicago, and took his 

first job with the YMCA at Camp Menogyn, 

north of Grand Marais. 

He was drafted in April 1941 and, as a 

member of the 194th Tank Battalion, which 

included many Minnesotans, was among 

about 12,000 retreating troops captured a 

year later on Bataan by the Japanese. Their 

captors forced the troops into what became 

known as the Bataan Death March — days 

of starvation and fatal brutality for those 

who couldn’t keep up. 

That was followed by prison camps and 

a trip to Japan on a “hell ship,” where prisoners 

could not sit or lie down until enough 

men died to thin the numbers. In Japan 

came the slave labor — for Brain, that 

meant descending 478 steps daily into a 

copper mine and climbing back out again 

at workday’s end. 

The Bataan experience “was something 

so dreadful that living through it had to 

shape a direction in my life,” he said in 

1992. “On those prison ships, I decided 

that I would try to find a purpose if I ever 

got out of them. I think serving is the best 

purpose.” 

He worked for the YMCA as Camp 

Menogyn director, branch executive secretary 

and associate general secretary in 

personnel, programs, financial management 

and financial development. 

After his retirement in 1980, he started a 

consulting firm to help nonprofit groups 

with fundraising. The longtime Mason also 

(Continued on Page 19)

(Continued from Page 18) 

worked as the financial-development 

officer for the Masonic Homes in 

Bloomington. 

He spoke publicly about his Bataan 

experience for the first time on April 9, 

1965, the 23rd anniversary of the surrender. 

The talk, his first attempt to collect his 

memories, “was an emotional ordeal,” he 

wrote in “Soldier of Bataan,” a book of 

three of his talks published by the 

Rotarians in 1990. He spoke of rifle shots 

and bayonets and dead prisoners left at 

the side of the road, and of the two work 

details in his first camp, named O’Donnell: 

“[B]ury the dead and dig latrines. And 

neither could be done fast enough.” 

Brain was grateful for his 31 ⁄2 years as a 

prisoner of war, he wrote, for the chance it 

gave him to assess his values. One began 

to realize the relationship he must have 

with his God and the need of God to find 

his way with men.” 

In addition to his wife, Deloris, whom he 

married in 1947, survivors include daughters 

Beth Moorhead and Sue McConville 

of Plymouth and four grandchildren. 

Services were held at the Washburn- 

McReavy Edina Chapel. 

———————— 

Floyd O. Conn 

Floyd was born November 12, 1917 and 

passed away December 24, 1968. He was 

captured on Corregidor May 6, 1942. He 

survived 42 months in Japanese POW 

Camp. 

No other details were available. 

———————— 

John A. Crago 

John A. Crago, who survived the notorious 

Bataan Death March in World War II, 

died at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, July 12, 2005 

at the United Methodist Memorial Home in 

Warren, where he was a resident. He was 

84. 

Mr. Crago was a former resident of 

Huntington. He graduated from Lancaster 

High School, Wells County, in 1940, and 

joined the Army in 1941. He was a member 

of the 38th Infantry Division and 

attained the rank of staff sergeant. 

He was captured in April, 1942 by the 

Japanese and survived the Bataan Death 

March, a 60-mile forced march, with little 

food or water, from the Bataan Peninsula 

on Manila Bay to an inland prison camp. 

Crago was a prisoner of war for 31 ⁄2 years, 

was liberated in Japan in 1945. He was 

awarded several decorations, including the 

World War II Victory Medal, the American 

Defense Service Medal, the Philippines 

Independence Ribbon, the Prisoner of War 

Medal, the Philippines Liberation Medal, 

and the Bronze Star. 

He was a production controller for Dana in 

Marion, retiring in February 1977. He held 

memberships at St. Peter’s First United 

Church of Christ, 32nd Degree Mason of 

Amity Lodge 483, York Rite Lodge, Scottish 

Rite Lodge, Shrine, Hapzim Shrine, Order of 

the Eastern Star 75, American Legion Post 

7, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He 

served as a national commander of the 

American Defenders of Bataan and 

Corregidor from 1983 to 1984, and he was 

in the National Guard until 1952. 

He enjoyed woodworking and had a particular 

interest in clockmaking. 

Mr. Crago was born April 3, 1921, in 

Huntington County to Charles O. and 

Mabel V. Sharp Crago. He married 

Florence Walters on April 19, 1947. She 

survives in Warren. 

Other survivors include four daughters, 

Mary Ann Thomas, Kathy Shockley, 

Martha Forst and Kay Lynn Bradley; a 

brother, Kenneth Crago; eight grand - 

children; and four great-grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by four 

sisters, Dora Hite, Rosella Miller, Stella 

Eppard, and Edna Paul. 

Calling, with Mizpah Rites services, was 

at the McElhaney-Hart Funeral Home, 715 

N. Jefferson St. There was also one hour 

of calling prior to the funeral service at the 

United Methodist Memorial Home 

Applegate Chapel in Warren, with Rev. 

Brian Damrow officiating. 

Burial was at Gardens of Memory 

Cemetery. 

Preferred memorials are to the Shrine 

Crippled Children’s Hospital in care of 

McElhaney-Hart Funeral Home, 715 N. 

Jefferson St., Huntington, IN 46750. 

Online condolences: 

www.mcelhaneyhartfuneralhome.com. 

———————— 

Joseph Emile Dupont, Jr. 

Joseph Emile “Mr. J.E.” Dupont, Jr., a resident 

and native of Plaquemine, died 

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 at 11:25 a.m. at his 

home. He was 83 and a retired Iberville 

Parish veterans service officer. He was a 

U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Japanese 

prisoner of war in the Philippines during 

World War II. Visitation was at St. John the 

Evangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine, on 

Thursday, July 7, from 9 a.m. until religious 

service at noon, conducted by the Rev. 

Dave Capucao and the Rev. Jerome Dugas. 

Interment was in St. John the Evangelist 

Church Cemetery, Plaquemine. 

He is survived by his four daughters and 

three sons-in-law, Kathy Fulton, Teal and 

Dan Wintz, Angela and Mike Watts and 

Andrea and Terrell Robinson; three sons 

and two daughters-in-law, Joseph E. “Pat” 

Dupont III, David and Ruthie Dupont and 

Adrian and Marsha Dupont; two sisters and 

a brother-in-law, Barbara Burgeois, and 

Adrienne “Willie” and Don Milliken; 19 

grandchildren and nine great-grand children. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, 

Joseph Emile and Vera Landry Dupont; 

wife, Angela Hannon Dupont; daughter, 

Margaret Elizabeth Dupont; brother, 

Thomas Dalton Dupont; granddaughter, 

Trista Parro; and brother-in-law, Alfred 

“Buddy” Bourgeois. Pallbearers were his 

grandsons. 

He was very active in his church and was 

a member of Knights of Columbus Council 

970 and St. John Father’s Club. He 

coached football at St. John Ele men tary 

School for 19 years, served as Scoutmaster 

of Troop 23 and was a member of the 

Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. 

Please make memorial donations to St. 

John School. Wilbert Funeral Home, 

Plaquemine, was in charge of 

arrangements. 

———————— 

George Verl Edwards 

George Verl Edwards, 84, passed away 

on Saturday, August 13, 2005. 

Mr. Edwards was born on July 4, 1921 

in Crellin, MD. He lived in Fairfield for 33 

years. 

Mr. Edwards was a member of Fairfield, 

BPOE #1976 since 1947; AF&AM Mountain 

Lodge #99 in Frostburg, Maryland; 32 

Scottish Rite in Cumberland, MD; Ali Ghan 

Shrine Temple in Cumberland, MD; 

Aahmes Shrine Temple in Oakland; 

Montezuma Shrine Club; American Legion; 

VFW Simmons Sheldon Post 2333 in 

Suisun City and Air Force Sergeants 

Association. He was a lifetime member of 

American XPOW and also American 

Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. He 

was a Prisoner of War in both the 

Philippines and Manchuria, China. 

Mr. Edwards owned and operated 

Silverado Tax Service in Napa since 1973. 

He worked six years with an automobile 

dealership. He was also an enrolled agent 

to practice before the IRS. 

He served eight years in the U.S. Navy 

and a total of 18 years with the Air Force 

before retiring from Travis Air Force Base. 

He was a World War II veteran. 

George Edwards is survived by his wife 

of 63 years, Caroline Edwards of Fairfield; 

son, Coit and Linda Edwards; two granddaughters, 

Chera Demarest and Crista 

Doughtery; and two great grandchildren, 

Angel Doughtery and John Patrick 

Doughtery. 

Services for George V. Edwards were 

private. 

———————— 

Arthur Jones 

Arthur W. Jones (Art), 85, of Del City, 

passed away September 13, 2005. He 

was born July 26, 1920 in Rush Springs, 

OK to William Arthur & Bettie (Gunn) 

Jones. On July 14, 1946, Art married 

Dorothy J. Longstreet and in 1950 they 

moved to the Del City area. 

Art served in the F Co., 2nd BN 4th 

U.S.M.C. December 1939 to February 1946 

serving in WWII; POW during the Pacific 

Theater; Battling Bastards of Bataan. 

Among numerous military decorations and 

honors, Art was awarded the Bronze Star 

with V device for Valor and the Purple 

Heart. He retired from Civil Service at 

Tinker AFB and was a Past Master of Del 



(Contiued from Page 19) 

City Masonic Lodge #536, life member of 

the American Defenders of Bataan and 

Corregidor, life member of DAV, former service 

officer of Mid-Del DAV Chapter #39, 

member of the National Chapter of POW 

and Central Okla. Chapter of POW. He 

enjoyed fishing, hunting, helping veterans, 

family, and friends. 

Art is survived by his wife Dorothy; 

daughters Marilyn Smith, Stella Fouche 

and Anita Buchanan; son Marvin Jones; 

sister Stella Coffee; step-brother Bill 

Joyce; grandchildren Tanya Fouche, 

Kimberly Norman, Melissa Wright, Darron 

Buchanan; four great-grandchildren, 

numerous nieces and a nephew. He was 

preceded in death by his daughter Janice 

Rhinehart; father W.A. Jones; mother 

Bettie and stepmother Elsie. 

———————— 

Frank Kazerski 

By Jack Williams 

Staff Writer 

Frank A. Kazerski couldn’t have picked 

a worse time to be treated for yellow jaundice 

in a Manila, Philippines, hospital. 

It was Christmas Eve 1943. The 

Japanese were on the defensive, and the 

hospital’s staff, including the doctors and 

nurses assigned to his care, hastily 

evacuated. 

For Mr. Kazerski, a sergeant in the 

Army’s military police, it only would get 

worse. 

He managed to escape the abandoned 

hospital and reunite with troops in Bataan. 

But on April 9, 1942. He was among 

25,000 undernourished and woefully 

outmanned Americans and Filipinos who 

surrendered to the Japanese. 

For the next several days, he was subjected 

to the infamous Bataan Death 

March that left up to 10,000 dead. Then he 

spent three days and four months in 

Japanese prison camps, enduring malaria 

and dysentery as his 165-pound body 

withered to 118 pounds. 

More than 30 years after being liberated, 

he chronicled his World War II memories 

in a term paper that led to a bachelor’s 

degree in creative writing at San Diego 

State University. 

Mr. Kazerski, who retired from the Army 

as a chief warrant officer in 1960, died in 

his sleep August 24 at his Imperial Beach 

home. He was 90. 

He had become increasingly frail and 

suffered from an irregular heartbeat, said 

his son, Francois. 

At the end of World War II, Mr. Kazerski 

was liberated from a prison camp in 

Mukden, Manchuria, by the Russian Army 

and celebrated with a Russian pilot. 

Proficient in foreign languages, he had 

learned enough Japanese in captivity to 

act as a liaison between fellow prisoners 

and his captors. 


“A Japanese guard gave him a 

Japanese/English dictionary, and he was 

one of two or three Americans in the camp 

who could speak Japanese,” his son said. 

“He had studied Spanish and German as a 

kid at Boston Latin School. The Army rated 

him as a linguist.” 

Mr. Kazerski underwent postwar training 

in counterintelligence. While assigned to 

Germany, he met his future wife, Margo 

Kuerten, whose father had been a political 

prisoner of the Nazi regime. Their marriage 

ended in divorce after 13 years. 

When Mr. Kazerski left the Army, he 

began a civilian career in security for 

Lockheed Aircraft Co. in the Bay area. In 

1972, he retired and pursued a college 

degree, a quest that started at the 

University of the Americas in Mexico and 

continued at San Jose State University, 

and SDSU. He graduated in 1976. 

Inspired by his father’s patriotic spirit 

and heroism, Mr. Kazerski’s son, Francois, 

wrote a song, “Red, White and Blue — 

God Bless You” and led “Save the Cross” 

prayer vigils atop Mount Soledad. The 

song was registered with the Library of 

Congress and has been played on radio 

and TV stations. 

Frank A. Kazerski was born September 

8, 1914, in Needham, Mass. He graduated 

in 1932 from Boston Latin School, where 

he studied Spanish and German. 

During the Depression, he found work as 

a night manager for a Boston restaurant. 

After being injured in an automobile 

accident, he received a $300 insurance 

claim and rode a freighter to Buenos Aires, 

Argentina. Employed at an Armour meatpacking 

plant, he rose to sales inspector 

and broadened his mastery of the Spanish 

language. 

Mr. Kazerski returned to the United 

States in 1940 and enlisted in the Army. He 

rose from private to operations sergeant 

and was assigned to a provost marshal in 

the Philippines. 

After his imprisonment, he regained his 

health and eventually returned to his 

normal weight. While in his 40s, he began 

suffering what his son described as heart 

palpitations, a condition that — with a 

physician’s advice — led to a marked 

change in his lifestyle. 

“He gave up smoking and reduced his 

drinking to an occasional glass of wine,” 

his son said. “He had a midlife crisis.” 

Inspired by the writings of natural foods 

advocate Adele Davis, Mr. Kazerski modified 

his diet, restricting his salt intake, and 

took copious vitamins. 

His health began to decline in 2001 after 

his son, Steven, was shot by a sheriff’s 

deputy in Imperial Beach. Steven Kazerski 

died two months later. Mr. Kazerski filed a 

wrongful-death suit that has not been 

resolved, Francois Kazerski said. 

Mr. Kazerski suffered another setback in 

June when a fall resulted in a compression 

fracture in his spine. 

“He was never outwardly religious, but 

he made his peace with God five days 

before he died,” Francois Kazerski said. 

His son, Francois of Imperial Beach, is 

his lone survivor. 

Services were September 8 at First 

Baptist Church, Imperial Beach. Dona tions 

are suggested to The Salvation Army. 

———————— 

Doris A. Kehoe 

Col. Doris A. Kehoe passed away June 

22, 2004. She entered the service on 

October 9, 1935 and served until 

December 31, 1963. 

———————— 

Jack Weldon King 

Jack Weldon King, age 94, went on to 

his heavenly home on June 6, 2005, due 

to complications from Alzheimer’s 

Disease. Weldon was born January 19, 

1911, in Springfield, MO., to Clyde King 

and Blanche Murphy King. An accomplished 

musician, Weldon graduated from 

Drury College in 1934, with a degree in 

music. One of his earliest jobs was accompanying 

silent movies on a theatre pipe 

organ. Weldon loved the music of the pipe 

organ so much he had a room in his home 

made especially for his pipe organ. It was 

in the organ room that Weldon charmed, 

entertained and so graciously hosted 

many friends. 

A sergeant in the Army, he was captured 

during World War II in Corregidor. 

Weldon was a Prisoner of War for three 

years, four months and eight days in 

Mukden, Manchuria. After the war, he 

began touring the world as a photographer. 

For 30 years Weldon was the primary 

photographer for GAF Viewmaster Slide 

Series, as well as a set photographer in 

Hollywood. His talent as a photographer 

garnered him one of the first color covers 

of “Life” magazine in the 50’s. 

Perhaps his most important work was 

photographer for the Gatti Expeditions to 

Africa. Weldon spent four years photo - 

graphing his beloved Africa, and it was his 

photography that opened the eyes of the 

world to what was at the time considered a 

dark and unknown continent. 

Weldon King was a gentleman. He was 

a man of dignity, honor, hospitality, and 

courtesy; even during the final stage of his 

life as he fought his battle with 

Alzheimer’s, his gracious and caring spirit 

was a comfort and joy to all who knew and 

loved him. Weldon King will be greatly 

missed. We will miss his stories and the 

hours of listening to him play his pipe 

organ. But mostly, we will miss this true 

hero and gentleman we loved. 

Services were held on Friday, June 10 

at 1 p.m. in Greenlawn Funeral Home 

South, with interment in St. Mary’s 

Cemetery. 

Memorial contributions are suggested to 

the Gillioz Theatre for the installation of 

Weldon’s pipe organ. 

————————

Karl King 

Karl King, 80, a news journalist, Marine 

hero, former prisoner of war, author and 

loving husband and father, passed away 

Monday, July 25, 2005. The funeral was 

held in Forest Ridge Funeral Home Chapel 

in Hurs. Interment was in the Dallas-Fort 

Worth National Cemetery with full military 

honors. Visitation was at the Forest Ridge 

Funeral Home. 

Karl was born December 5, 1924, in 

Dallas. He attended Adamson High School 

in Dallas for one year, in 1939. In October 

1939 he enlisted in the Texas National 

Guard in Dallas at the age of 14. The battery 

commander entered his date of birth 

on his enlistment papers as 5 December 

1920. Karl enlisted in the U.S. Marine 

Corps in San Francisco, Calif., on 

November 29, 1939, still at the age of 14. 

The recruiting officer requested “senior 

service priority discharge” from the Texas 

National Guard. He attended boot camp in 

San Diego, Calif. His first duty assignment 

was prison chaser, Naval prison, Mare 

Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., from 

March 1940 to June 1940. 

In November 1941, orders were cut for 

stateside on the first available transportation, 

USS Chaumont, due in Manila Bay, 

Philippines, on December 10, 1941. On 

December 8, 1941, at 2:58 a.m. (Manila 

time), ONI received word of the Japanese 

attack on Pearl Harbor. Sgt. King was on 

the switchboard at Cavite Marine 

Barracks, and received a message for OD 

to a hands. He was on assignment from 

Manila when Japanese planes bombed the 

Navy Yard and part of Manila on 

December 10. 

Isaac C. Williams, Jr. and Sgt. King 

swam 2 1 ⁄2 miles to Corregidor from Bataan. 

He was assigned to Company L, 3rd 

Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. At age 17, 

he was the youngest man in the 4th 

Regiment. He was wounded by enemy fire 

April 14, 1942. He shot down an enemy 

plane over Corregidor with a .50 caliber 

machine gun. Sgt. King was taken as a 

prisoner of war May 6, 1942, and was held 

as a prisoner of war until August 29, 1945. 

He was honorably discharged March 27, 

1947, with 80 percent disability. His disability 

was changed to 100 percent due to 

residual effects of the POW experience. 

Some of his combat experience included 

engaging the enemy in three major battles 

during the Philippine campaign: Battle of 

Longoskawayan Point, Battle of Big 

Pocket and Beach Defense Corregidor. 

Some of his decorations include a 

Bronze Star with V, Purple Heart with two 

Oak Leaf Clusters, Naval Presidential 

Citation, two Army Presidential Unit 

Citations, POW Medal, Marine Corps 

Good Conduct Medal with Star, Philippine 

Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine 

Defense Medal with three battle stars, 

K’ang Chan-nien Chang (Chinese War 

Memorial Medal for Service in China), 

Asiatic Theater, China Service, American 

Defense U.S. Combat and victory medals; 

the Armed Forces Expeditionary Ribbon 

and the American Campaign Ribbon; and 

Sharpshooter for Rifle and Pistol. 

After his military service, Sgt. King 

attended Texas Christian University in Fort 

Worth and obtained a B.A. in journalism. 

He was a member of the Veterans of 

Foreign Wars, American Defenders of 

Bataan and Corregidor, Marine Corps 

League, Veterans of the OSS, Military 

Order of the Purple Heart, Society of 

Professional Journalists and friends in high 

places club. 

He was a broadcast journalist for 25 

years. Some of the major stories he covered 

was the airline hijacking at El Paso in 

1960, the Kennedy assassination and Jack 

Ruby’s shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald 

and subsequent trial. He also wrote the 

book “Alamo of the Pacific,” which tells the 

story of the famed “China Marines” on 

Bataan and Corregidor and what they did 

to the enemy as POWs. 

Survivors are: Loving wife of 35 years, 

Peggy King; daughter, Karen S. Noah; 

grandsons, James A. Noah and Thomas 

B. Noah; great-granddaughter, Myranda 

Thi Newman-Noah; and a host of friends 

and extended family members who will all 

miss him dearly. 

———————— 

John Miehel 

Captain John Miehel, USNR, USNA ’39, 

died May 26, 2004. He was buried in 

Arlington National Cemetery June 22, 

2004. 

———————— 

John Tillman Nelson 

John Tillman Nelson, 82, beloved husband, 

father, and brother died at his home 

in Indialantic, Florida, on June 23, 2005. 

John was born on January 23, 1923, in 

Jacksonville, Florida, to John Henry and 

Caroline “Lessie” Nelson and grew up in 

the Titusville area. At the age of sixteen he 

joined the Army in December 1941. He 

served with distinction as an anti-aircraft 

gunner in Battery M of the 60th Coast 

Artillery and was twice wounded in action. 

Taken prisoner by the Japanese on 

Corregidor Island when they overran the 

Philippines in May of 1942, he remained a 

Prisoner of War for three and a half years. 

During those years he suffered from 

malnutrition, disease, and beatings. In 

addition, as a slave laborer in a Mitsubishi 

copper mine in Hanawa, Japan, he was 

forced to weld without eye protection. As a 

result, he lost total vision in both eyes. He 

never complained about his fate and had 

the courage to forgive his torturers. John 

was liberated in August of 1945 and was 

awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, the 

Purple Heart for wounds, the Prisoner of 

War, Good Conduct and eight other 

victory and campaign medals from the 

United States and Philippine Govern - 

ments. In 1946 he married Marjorie Mary 

Wallace, originally from Connecticut, 

where he met her while undergoing rehabilitation. 

They have one son, James of 

Burlingame, Kansas, and three daughters, 

Austin and Marjorie Nelson of Melbourne, 

Florida, and Susanne Andrews of Burling - 

ton, Conn., all of whom survive him. 

John worked for the Fuller Brush 

Company in Hartford, Connecticut, for 27 

years and retired to Indialantic, Florida in 

1978. Although sightless, among many 

other things, he was a great cook, car 

mechanic, bowler, guitarist, and for many 

years could mow his lawn without missing 

a beat. John was a true American hero to 

both his family and to his many friends. 

Any ADBC members who knew John 

and are willing to share stories of their time 

with him are encouraged to contact his 

son: E-mail: jlnelson@osprey.net. 

———————— 

Owen B. Pickle 

Owen B. Pickle, of Florissant, MO, died 

Thursday, July 28. He was born August 25, 

1922 in LaFollette, Tennessee. He left high 

school in 1940 to enlist in the Army Air 

Corps to serve in World War II. His unit, 

27th Bomb Group, fell in the infamous 

American loss of the Philippines at Bataan 

Peninsula. The unit was transformed from 

an aviation support group to light infantry, 

but had little supplies or equipment. 

Starvation rations caused Mr. Pickle’s 

weight to drop from 115 to 70 pounds. 

Equipment provided included 1916 British 

Enfield Models with worn out barrels for 

their large guns which did not have sufficient 

range. Injured and captured during 

the defense of Bataan, Mr. Pickle was hospitalized 

in Cabcabin Hospital, which was 

surrounded by Japanese guns firing at 

Corregidor. He survived the defense of 

Bataan, survived the transport to Fukuoka, 

Japan by “Hell Ship” Nissyo Maru, and survived 

slavery in a Japanese steel mill. He 

was a Japanese Prisoner of War for forty 

months. After WWII, Mr. Pickle attended 

business college and reentered the Army 

with a commission in January 1949. He 

subsequently served in the Korean War, 

was active duty during the Vietnam Era, 

and retired as a Major in 1963. 

During his service career, he received 

many awards and commendations, including: 

Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, 

Purple Heart, POW Medal, Asiatic-Pacific 

Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, 

Army Occupation Medal — Japan, Korean 

Service Medal with one silver and one 

bronze star, Philippine Defense Ribbon, 

Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Philippine 

Independence Ribbon, United Nations 

Service Medal, bars representing five 

years and six months overseas wartime 

service. 

Mr. Pickle lived an active life in 

LaFollette and Florissant until his death. 

He regularly attended reunions of the 27th 




Bomb Group. He was a lifetime member of 

the American Defenders of Bataan & 

Corregidor, member of VFW #4105, 

LaFollette Lodge #623 F&AM, Scottish 

Rite of Freemasonry — St. Louis, Moolah 

Shriners — St. Louis, and the Greater St. 

Louis Chapter, Missouri American 

Ex-POWs (Past Commander). 

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, 

Thelma Louise Shrum Pickle; daughters 

Judy Stewart and Linda Jablonski; sons 

Frank and Stephen Pickle; brother Roy 

Pickle; sisters Delphia Ann Moore, 

Barbara Jo Carroll, Elizabeth Dake; 14 

grandchildren and three great grand - 

children. He was preceded in death by one 

son, Carl Owen Pickle; one grand - 

daughter, Amanda Marie Jablonski; sisters 

Frankie June Pickle and Katherine Parrott, 

and brothers Gordon and John Pickle. 

———————— 

Robert Ping 

Robert Ping, 83, of Fort Wayne, died 

Monday, July 11, 2005 at Lutheran 

Hospital. Born in Malden, MO., he joined 

the Navy in 1940 and received the Bronze 

Star and two Purple Heart Medals for his 

service in the Pacific. He spent three years 

and nine months as a Japanese Prisoner 

of War. After World War II, he continued 

his Naval service in the Naval Reserves 

for a total of 42 years. A Journeyman 

Bookbinder by trade, he worked in the 

management level in Fort Wayne, Chicago 

and St. Louis. He was a member of 

Aldersgate United Methodist Church. He 

was also a member of Masonic Summit 

City Lodge, Mizpah Shrine, IOOF 

Harmony Lodge, Old Fort Chapter 

American Ex-Prisoners of War, the 

American Legion, and the Disabled 

American Veterans. 

He is lovingly remembered by his wife, 

Elaine; five children, Myra Ping Williams, 

Marshall Ping, Marva Moore, Marian Ping 

and Michael Ping; and four grandchildren. 

Services were held at 11 a.m. at 

Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 2417 

Getz Road, with calling one hour before 

the service. Memorials may be directed to 

the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. 

———————— 

Robert L. Renfro 

Robert L. Renfro, 84, a retired U.S. Air 

Force chief master sergeant, passed away 

Saturday, July 2, 2005, in Fort Worth. 

The funeral was at Altamesa Church of 

Christ. Burial was at Laurel Land Memorial 

Park. 

Memorial donations may be made to the 

church to the Senior Citizens Group, in 

care of Jim Robertson. 

Robert was born July 21, 1920, near 

Atoka, Okla. His family moved to Texas 

when he was 2 years old and he grew up 

in Henrietta. 


He graduated from high school in 1938 

and joined the Army Air Corps in 1939. 

Robert went to the Philippines in 1940 

and was captured May 10, 1942, on the 

island of Mindanao by the Japanese. As a 

POW, he spent three and a half years as a 

slave laborer in Japan. 

After he returned, he married Eloise 

Hefley of Henrietta May 30, 1946. 

They celebrated their 59th wedding 

anniversary during his hospital stay. 

He served during World War II and the 

Korean War. Robert received the American 

Soldiers’ Medal, Bronze Star, two Purple 

Hearts, plus many other distinctions. 

Robert was truly a patriotic American. 

He loved his Lord, family and his country. 

He had been a member of Altamesa 

Church of Christ since 1974, when he and 

Eloise moved to Fort Worth to spend their 

retirement years. 

He is survived by his loving wife, Eloise 

Renfro; son, Mark Renfro; brother, 

Raymond Renfro; sister, Billie Lou 

Gillespie; four cousins; and numerous 

nieces and nephews. 

———————— 

Ruth M. Stoltz 

Retired Army Lt. Col. Ruth M. Stoltz, 90, 

Tampa, and formerly of Bradenton, died 

June 22, 2005, at Brighton Gardens of 

Tampa Nursing Home. 

She was born October 13, 1914, in 

Dayton, Ohio, and came to Bradenton 

from there in 1962. She retired after 22 

years in the Army and had been a nurse 

who spent three years as a prisoner of war 

in the Philippines during World War II. She 

was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, 

Bradenton. 

Survivors include nieces and nephews. 

A memorial service was held at Christ 

Episcopal Church, Bradenton. Toale 

Brothers Funeral Home, Bradenton 

Chapel, was in charge. 

———————— 

Juan A. Trujillo 

With his loving family surrounding him, 

Juan A. Trujillo, 88, of Las Vegas passed 

away Saturday, May 7, 2005, and has 

gone home to be with the Lord. A beloved 

husband, dad, grandfather and friend, 

Trujillo was born in Trujillo, NM on June 

16, 1916 to the union of Santigo Trujillo 

and Anna Sena Trujillo who also precede 

him in death. 

Trujillo left his home at a young age in 

response to the call and need of his country, 

which resulted in his capture and participation 

in the Bataan Death March. As a 

prisoner of the Japanese Imperial Army, 

he survived unspoken atrocities, pain and 

suffering for over four years. After his liberation, 

he returned to New Mexico, met and 

married his surviving spouse of 59 years, 

Helen Baca Trujillo of the family home; his 

children Viola Trujillo, Chris Trujillo, and 

Edwina. 

Trujillo will surely be missed. A true gentleman, 

his acknowledgement of meeting 

someone always commenced with either a 

tip or complete removal of his hat. His 

availability, concern, love, and respect for 

his comrades of the Bataan Death March 

was never ending. 

Honorably discharged as a Corporal in 

the U.S. Army, he was taken as a Prisoner 

of War by the Japanese Army on April 9, 

1942, and was liberated on August 18, 

1946. For his service, he was awarded the 

following honors: Purple Heart, Asiatic 

Pacific Campaign Ribbon with one bronze 

star, Philippine Defense Ribbon with one 

bronze star, Distinguished Unit Badge, 

Victory Ribbon, one Service Stripe, eight 

overseas Service Bars and a Good 

Conduct Medal. 

———————— 

Rev. Odis E. Vinesett 

Rev. Odis Everett Vinesett, 85, of 1840 

N. Limestone St., loving father, devoted 

grandfather and great-grandfather, went 

home to be with his Lord on Thursday, 

August 4, 2005. 

A native of Cherokee County, Rev. 

Vinesett was the son of the late Oren and 

Dollie Vinesett. He was the widower of 

Virginia (Ginny) Pritchard Vinesett. 

A veteran of World War II, he was captured 

by the Japanese on May 6, 1942, 

and held a Prisoner of War from 

September 6, 1942-1945, being forced to 

work as a slave laborer for three years and 

four months in Kawaski Steel Mill. Finally 

being liberated on September 6, 1945, he 

re-enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1946. 

He retired from the U.S. Air Force on 

August 1, 1966, and began work as a 

Juvenile Detention Officer in Savannah, 

Ga. He was a lifetime member of Disabled 

Veterans Jack E. Daniel Chapter 54, serving 

as chaplain, and Veterans of Foreign 

Wars Post 3447. On May 30, 1991, he 

was inducted into the Cherokee County 

Hall of Bravery. 

Rev. Vinesett’s service in the Lord’s 

army began as a graduate of Fruitland 

Bible Institute. He became licensed to 

preach at Victory Drive Baptist Church in 

Savannah on June 15, 1961. He was 

ordained as pastor for Montgomery Bonna 

Bella Baptist Church on August 27, 1967. 

He was then called as associate pastor for 

Northside Baptist Church in Gaffney on 

July 4, 1972. He retired on December 31, 

1995, due to health reasons but remained 

a faithful servant and dedicated church 

member. 

He is survived by two sons, Jack 

Vinesett of Fisher, Minn., and Jerry 

Vinesett of Lakeland, Fla.; three daughters, 

Deborah Ellis, Connie Hardison and 

son-in-law, John Hardison, and Carol 

Vinesett, all of Gaffney; stepmother, Mary 

W. Vinesett of Gaffney; six grandchildren 

and seven great-grandchildren. 

(Continued on Page 23)


In addition to his wife, mother and father, 

he was preceded in death by a son, James 

Vinesett; a daughter, Dolly Thompson; and 

a granddaughter, Dede Ellis. 

God and Country Services were held 

Sunday, August 7, at Northside Baptist 

Church conducted by Dr. Edward McAbee 

and the Rev. Vernon Mullinax. Interment 

followed in Frederick Memorial Gardens 

with full military rites conducted by the 

South Carolina State Guard. 

Honorary pallbearers will be Disabled 

Veterans Chapter 54 and Veteran of foreign 

Wars Post 3447. 

Visitation was held at Shuford-Hatcher 

Funeral Home, 211 E. Frederick St. 

———————— 

Donald Thomas 

Donald H. Thomas, 83, of Winterset 

died July 8, 2005, at Madison County 

Memorial Hospital in Winterset. 

Funeral services were held Tuesday, 

July 12 at the First United Methodist 

Church in Winterset with pastor Bobb 

Barrick officiating. Burial was at Winterset 

Cemetery with military rites performed by 

American Legion Post 184 and V.F.W. 

Post 8142, both of Winterset. 

Don Thomas was born September 19, 

1921, to Harry M. and Alice, M. 

(McKeever) Thomas of Macksburg. He 

was a graduate of Macksburg High School 

and Central College and received his master’s 

degree from Drake University. On 

August 8, 1947, he married M. Jean 

Dingeman at Central College in Pella. 

Don, a lifetime Madison County resident, 

had been an art teacher in the Winterset 

Community School District from 1950 until 

his retirement in 1983. Active in the community, 

he was a founder and past chairperson 

for the Winterset Art Center and 

helped form and serve on the George 

Washington Carver Memorial Corporation, 

which raised money and developed the 

Carver Park. He also designed the large 

stone Winterset sign located on the north 

edge of town. Don was a member of 

American Legion Post 184, V.F.W. Post 

Deceased — 

No Details 

Robert C. Allen 

45-201 Nohonani 

Kaneohe, HI 96744-5327 

Mrs. Maxine Farmer 

3301 South Halderman 

Artesia, NM 88210 

Angel Florentino 

129 Guadalupe MB SUB 

Caloocan City 1400 

Roy L. Goettle 

103 14th Street 

Wheeling, WV 26003-3401 

8142, American Defenders of Bataan and 

Corregidor, Friends of the Winterset Public 

Library, Winterset Alumni Association and 

the Winterset First United Methodist 

Church. A Marine Corps veteran, he was a 

POW for three and one-half years during 

World War II. 

He is survived by his wife, Jean, of 

Winterset; one daughter, DeLynn Thomas; 

one son, Craig Thomas; two sisters, Doris 

Blank and Shirlee Harris; and three grandchildren 

and one great-grandson. 

———————— 

Norman P. Ward 

Norman “Pat” P. Ward, 85, of Enfield, 

formerly of Manchester of 33 years, 

beloved husband of Leslie (Lougee) Ward, 

passed away peacefully on Friday, May 

27, 2005 at Manchester Memorial 

Hospital. Pat was born March 20, 1920 in 

Cambridge, MA the son of the late Richard 

and Elsie (Patten) Ward. 

Pat was raised in Plainfield. Upon graduation 

he joined the U.S. Army Signal 

Corps (228th Signal Operations) and was 

stationed in the Philippines as a radio 

transmitter attendant, attached directly to 

General MacArthur on Corregidor at the 

onset of World War II in the Pacific. After 

surviving the fall of Bataan & Corregidor, 

he was held as a Prisoner of War by the 

Japanese for 42 months in the Philippines 

and Japan. Among his many awards were 

two Bronze Stars and three Presidential 

Unit Citations. 

Returning to Connecticut after the war, 

Norman worked for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. 

He attained his BS degree in Engineering 

from the University of Hartford and an MBA 

from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Pat 

retired from Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in 1987 

after 38 years as a Senior Technical Writer 

having written maintenance and repair 

manuals for the engines of the SR-71 

Blackbird. Pat was a life member of the 

Disabled American Veterans, a member of 

the ARRL (American Radio Relay League), 

American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor 

and the American Ex-POWs. 

He will be sadly missed by his wife of 34 

years, Leslie (Lougee) Ward; his son, 

Mrs. Bruce Harcus 

3840 Pinewood Terrace 

Falls Church, VA 22041-1215 

Mrs. Elinore Kleeman 

615 Walnut St. 

Ashland, PA 17921 

Col. Doris A. Kehoe, USAF, Ret. 

3827 Linkwood Dr. 

Houston, TX 77025-3519 

Leonard L. Merchant 

13610 McDonnell 

Moreno Valley, CA 92553-8469 

Velma Neighbors 

925 Woldfield St. 

Lancaster, CA 93534-3422 

Christopher R. Ward and his wife, Jennifer 

of Manchester; his grandchildren, Kayla 

and Dylan Ward; a sister, Elsie M. Dodge 

of Plainfield; sisters-in-law, Gertrude Ward, 

Candice (Lougee) Bell and her husband, 

Dr. Jerold Bell, Karyl Lougee; his faithful 

companion, “Katie” his dog; several loving 

nieces and nephews. Pat was predeceased 

by a brother, George William “Bill” 

Ward. 

A funeral service celebrating Pat’s life 

was held on Tuesday, May 31, at 6 p.m. at 

the Leete-Stevens Enfield Chapels, 61 

South Rd., Enfield. A military service was 

rendered immediately following the funeral 

service at the funeral home. The burial 

was at the convenience of the family. Pat’s 

family received relatives and friends during 

visiting hours on Tuesday, May 31, at the 

Leete-Stevens Enfield Chapels. Memorial 

donations in Norman’s memory may be 

made to the charity of one’s choice. For 

expressions of sympathy visit 

www.leetestevens.com. 

———————— 

George L. Yakopcic 

George L. Yakopcic, age 85, of 

Whitehall, passed away on September 16, 

2005. He was the husband of Mildred P. 

(Plevel) Yakopcic of 56 years; father of 

George K. (Rose) Yakopcic, Karla (Jeff) 

Blunier; grandfather of Christopher 

Yakopcic, Nicholas and Alexander Blunier. 

Visitation was at the Jefferson Memorial 

Funeral Home, Inc., 301 Curry Hollow Rd., 

Pleasant Hills. Mass of Christian Burial 

was celebrated at St. Elizabeth of Hungary 

Church. Interment was at Jefferson 

Memorial Park. 

———————— 

Elsie Ann Winter 

Elsie Ann Winter, 79, of San Diego, died 

May 23. She was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa 

on May 31, 1926, and was a homemaker. 

Survivors include her husband, Richard 

Winter; daughter, Joan Grauerholz; sons, 

Richard Winter, Jr. and Theodore Winter; 

four grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. 

Harold Newton 

Rt. #2 Box 3040B 

21305 Old Town Road 

Tehachapi, CA 93561-8838 

Orval L. Simpson 

1319 Lanse Aux Pailles Rd. 

Ville Platte, LA 70586-6815 

Albert M. Shuman 

64 High St. 

Woodbridge, NJ 07095-3018 

Joseph P. Warren 

27 N. Michigan Street 

Redlands, CA 92373-4629 

Richard E. Paget 

820 N. 72nd Place 

Scottsdale, AZ 85257-4205 


Quans Returned — 

Bad Addresses 

Mrs. Eleanor Amoroso 

101 S. Hills Drive 

Shepherdstown, WV 25443-9551 

Myles Abad Cables 

10804 Lakeview Ave., S.W. 

Tacoma, WA 98499-4225 

Robert Dertz 

6655 Robinwood Drive 

Franklin, WI 53132 

Benjamin S. Escano 

221 18th Ave., South #214 

Seattle, WA 98144-2140 

Mrs. Verna Ferrari 

9053 Lone pine 

Shelby Township, MI 48317-1445 

Capt. Florentino L. Galang, Ret. 

105 E T St. 

LFO Don Senior Apt. 206 

Wilmington, CA 90744 

Benjamin S. Gill 

209 Burns Street 

Charlevoix, MI 49720 

Mrs. Jennie Johannsen 

28570 Thone Road 

Rock Falls, IL 61071-9234 

Mrs. Theresa Johnson 

1327 State Rt. 8 

West Edmeston, NY 13485-9668 

Fred E. Koenig 

4064 Linda Drive 

Oceanside, CA 92056-4349 

Arthur L. Laffoon 

15 Pearl St. 

Denver, CO 80203-4108 

Mr. Frank G. Martin 

Rt. #5 Box 216DD 

Santa Fe, NM 87501 

John MacAdoff, Capt. USA Ret. 

P.O. Box 956 

Barboursville, WV 25504-2956 

Bob Paradise 

24 Las Posas Rd., Apt. 231 

Camarillo, CA 93010-2789 

Stan Patrick 

16455 E. Ave. of the Fountains 

#A107 

Fountain Hills, AZ 85268-8466 

Jean Roster 

417 Scott Avenue 

Jacksonville, NC 28546-7247 

Ms. Linda Ruszczyk 

126 Waite Street 

Howell, NJ 07731-1229 

Mrs. Meda Rutz 

1393 Clinton Street 

Aurora, CO 80010-3114 

Kenneth B. Thomson 

101 Southall Lane, Ste. 400 

Maitland, FL 32751 


Tentative Schedule 

Phoenix, Arizona 

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 

7:00 PM-11:00 PM Hospitality Host Bar 

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 

8:00 AM Church Service 

9:00 AM- 3:00 PM Registration 

10:00 AM-12:00 PM Executive Board Meeting 

2:00 PM- 4:00 PM Membership Meeting 


Thursday, May 18, 2006 




Friday, May 19, 2006 



12:00 PM Widows Luncheon 

7:00 PM-11:00 PM Quan Party & Dance Host Bar 

Saturday, May 20, 2006 


10:00 AM-11:30 AM Memorial Service 

6:30 PM Head Table Reception 

7:00 PM Banquet 

You need a seat assignment when you register so we know how many dinners to order. 

There will be some unit activities we will publish when arrangements are made. 

———————— 

Navy and Marine Corps WWII POWs 

May be Eligible for Back Pay 

The window for applications has been extended until January 10, 2007 

A number of Sailors and Marines who were held as prisoners of war (POW) during 

World War II (WWII) are authorized to receive promotion back pay under the provisions 

of the fiscal year 2001 (FY ’01) Floyd D. Spence Defense Authorization Act. The act 

provides for those who were selected for promotion but not available to accept the 

promotion because of their internment. The authorization enacted in FY ’01 will expire 

January 10, 2007. 

Only Navy and Marine Corps POWs held during WWII, December 7, 1941 to 

December 31, 1946, are eligible. If the service member is deceased, the surviving 

spouse is entitled to the back pay. The amount of back pay will be determined using 

the amount the member would have been paid, calculated using WWII pay rates and 

not adjusted for inflation. 

Department of the Navy will determine eligibility for back pay by researching each 

individual’s request. This will include obtaining and reviewing the member’s archived 

personnel and pay records. 

Applications postmarked before January 10, 2007 will be processed. Navy 

personnel should send applications to: 

Bureau of Naval Personnel 

Attn: World War II POW Back Pay (PERS-675) 

5720 Integrity Drive 

Millington, TN 38055-6200 

Marine applications should be sent to: 

Headquarters, USMC 

2 Navy Annex, RFL-F7 

Washington, DC 20380-1775 

Additional information regarding the program and application procedures may be 

obtained by calling (866) 827-5672 ext. 4410. USMC point of contact can be reached at 

(866) 472-7139. An application can be downloaded from Shift Colors website at 

www.npc.navy.mil/Reference Library/Publications/ShiftColors, look for the link ‘WWII 

POW Back Pay Application’.

“Goin’ Back: Bataan and Corregidor” 

(to benefit the HELL SHIP MEMORIAL) 

Copies of the Discovery Channel film, “Goin’ Back: Bataan and Corregidor” are now available for purchase. The film, presented by 

Dark Horse Media International, and shown on Discovery Channel’s Military Channel in May 2005, is 50 minutes long and is an 

excellent summary of the Bataan and Corregidor combat as well as the WWII POW experience in the Philippines from 1941-1945. In 

this it features both surviving POW’s as well as several descendants who made the return trip in January 2004. 

“Goin” Back: Bataan and Corregidor” DVD $30.00 

“Goin Back: Bataan and Corregidor” VHS tape 30.00 

Father Found book by Duane Heisinger and DVD 50.00 

Father Found book by Duane Heisinger and VHS tape 50.00 

Please circle your preference and return this form with your payment. Make checks payable to: Duane Heisinger 

Mail all orders to: Pat Henderson 

1729 NW Greenbrier Way 

Seattle, WA 98177 

206-782-1651 

prhendersonwa@yahoo.com 

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Phone number or e-mail address: ______________________________________________________________________________ 

Above prices include postage via media mail. All monies, less mail and the minimum DVD/VHS reproduction costs (through Dark 

Horse Media International) will benefit the HELL SHIPS MEMORIAL project which will be dedicated in Subic Bay in January 2006. 

The War Years — World War II 

December 8, 1941! We were told Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese 

around one o’clock in the morning. There was much excitement — our planes taking 

off, men reporting to duty stations, and preparations for war. The radio said that Clark 

Field was bombed, but we had not seen any Japanese yet. I was having dinner when 

the Japanese planes did come, the time 12:50. I ran outside, looked up at the formation 

of bombers and saw the first bomb land on the officers’ quarters. Then darkness. 

I awoke in the morgue at Fort Stotsenberg! Going back to my duty station I saw 

Robert Endres and he turned as white as a sheet. He said, “Bergbower, you’re dead!”. 

He had taken me to the hospital where I was pronounced dead. I had a very sore head 

for several days from shrapnel. 

During the week that followed, I made three flights in a Martin B-19, a two engine 

aircraft. We did not see any enemy aircraft on the first two flights, but on the third 

mission we dropped a bomb close to a Japanese war ship, but no hit. 

I received permission to go back to Rosales to gather my possessions. I hitched a 

ride on an Army truck. The truck driver said he would pick me up on his way back from 

Baguio. After waiting three days, I became very concerned. A troop of the 26th cavalry 

came by and seeing me told me I had better leave Rosales. The Japanese were just a 

few miles behind them. He offered me one of their extra horses. So, I fought with the 

cavalry from Rosales to Bataan. Food was so scarce that they used our horses and 

mules for food. 

I found out that my squadron was on Mindanao. There were three Filipino scouts 

going back home to Mindanao. They asked me to go along. Our boat was a native 

outrigger, one sail and oars. I was very scary to be so close to the water and often 

times not able to see land. We made Mindanao and I rejoined my squadron on infantry 

duty on the Pulangi river. 

So now I have served in the Army Air Corp, the 26th Cavalry, and the Infantry. 

Next, I was asked to be a messenger carrier between headquarters at Del Monte 

and the Davao front. They had an Army Harley motorcycle 45 for me to use. The roads 

were mostly dirt, some gravel but full of holes. I made four trips as a carrier. 

On another trip into the interior of Mindanao I came across a Japanese patrol. The 

officer spoke English and told me my General had surrendered all the troops in the 

islands. I stayed with the Japanese patrol until we reached Malaybalay, a prison camp. 

My squadron was already there. 

Next issue will be the POW Years. 

Harold A. Bergbower 

Many Thanks 

American Defenders of Bataan & 

Corregidor Inc. — Thank you very much 

for all you have done to insure our 

freedom here in the United States. 

I’m looking for George Kaiser who lived 

across the street from me and my 4 brothers 

and 3 sisters. George was an orphan 

who lived at 288 or 286 East 43rd Street, 

Brooklyn, NY. George lived with Matty 

Murphy (my godfather) and enlisted prior 

to the start of WWII. George was stationed 

in the Philippines when the Japs 

attacked. 

When he returned, George said that he 

fought in Bataan and later swam across 

to Corregidor where they eventually surrendered. 

George said he was in a 

Japanese prison near Nagasaki. 

We called George “Georgie Kosher” but 

I believe his real last name was Kaiser. 

My brother, Joe, and I who are still living 

from our family, would very much like to 

contact him if he is still living or send a 

mass card and pray for him if he is 

deceased. 

I am a totally disabled Army veteran 

from the Korean War and attend PTSD 

sessions at Ft. Dix with Tom Calderone 

who is a Bataan & Corregidor survivor. 

Tom suggested I write to you. 

Thank you very much. 

Jim Williams 

108 Berwick St. 

Whiting, NJ 08759 

Tel. # (732) 350-3250 

Editor’s Note: Please call this man if you 

can help. 


The Filipinos risked their lives to save the prisoners and 

defeat the Japanese. 

Francies, 87, took his latest trip recently, attending a ceremony 

for the 60th anniversary of the Philippines liberation. 

The slim, blue-eyed vet marches yearly in Memorial Day 

parades and gives a slide show about his ordeal to students 

and civic groups. He also spoke twice daily during last year’s 

opening of the U.S. World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. 

The death-march survivors are making a last stand. An 

estimated 60,000 of the 70,000 American and Filipino troops 

survived the ordeal, but only 200 were still alive last year, 

according to the military newspaper Stars & Stripes. 

Francies enlisted in the Army in 1937 and was assigned to 

fix radios and telephones with the 228th Signal Operations 

Corps. After Pearl Harbor, Washington sent few supplies or reinforcements 

to the Philip pines, which fell to Japanese invaders 

after a retreat to the Bataan peninsula. 

During the march, already undernourished prisoners were 

held in a camp for three days and marched for 11, in brutal 

sunshine with little water and no food. Locals tried to throw 

them food wrapped in banana leaves. The Japanese ordered 

them to stop — and killed some who continued. 

Many soldiers grew too weak to walk. The rest were too 

weak to carry them. 

“They would fall by the side of the road, only to be shot, but 

more often bayoneted,” Francies said. “There was nothing, nothing 

we could do but to look straight ahead and keep on walking.” 

Francies finally sneaked into bushes and collapsed. A 

Japanese medic secretly gave him a shot that revived him. 

The prisoners walked about 55 miles, rode awhile in airless 

railroad cattle cars, then marched a few more miles. Francies 

was too weak to remember the second walk. 

The prisoners finally reached Camp O’Donnell. The 

commandant said, “Forget you have names, forget you have 

parents, wives and children. Your loved ones no longer care,” 

Francies recalled. 

The prisoners finally got a little food — wormy, watery rice 

referred to as wall paper paste. Many were tortured. Some 

were beaten or stuck in tiny cages. Others, including Francies, 

had to bury comrades who were unconscious but not yet dead. 

When some prisoners escaped, Francies and others were 

interrogated and threatened on a firing line for six hours. 

Soon he got better work fixing radios — or mostly sabotaging 

them and smuggling parts to the Philippine resistance. 

Francies endured dysentery, malaria and two cases of 

appendicitis, only one of them treated by a POW medic. He 

lost about a third of his 160 pounds. 

He eventually survived a crammed voyage to Japan and 

worked at a copper mine that was hidden in the hills. 

When the commander finally announced the war’s end, the 

prisoners quickly painted “500 POWs” in yellow on the camp 

roof. Then they experienced a little of what they had missed in 

three years — a B-29 Superfortress swooped overhead and 

dropped something called penicillin. 

“Penicillin?” the prisoners painted on the roof. A plane 

dropped off instructions the next day. 

After the war, Francies spent several months in veterans 

hospitals. He said many of his countrymen refused to believe 

stories of Japanese torture. 

No group of men could have been treated that badly, they 

scoffed. 

Francies eventually recovered his health and used his electronic 

skills for 35 years installing telephones. 

He first returned to the Philippines in 1982, during the 40th 

anniversary of the nation’s fall. He went again in 1997 and in 

each of the past four years, sometimes with his two daughters 

or with friends. He travels with Valor Tours, a San Francisco 

business. 


Memories of Kindness 


The company’s Vicki Middagh says he is her last customer 

from among death-march survivors. 

“They’re just getting too old to travel,” Middagh said. “But 

the sons and daughters and now the grandkids are taking over 

for them.” 

Francies plans to keep going “as long as my health holds 

up and my cash holds up.” 

At home, he keeps busy with the Kiwanis and veterans 

groups. He walks regularly and audits classes at Cleveland 

State University. 

Francies hates how the United States has turned the tables 

lately, holding untold numbers of prisoners indefinitely and 

apparently torturing some. 

“It just bring us down to Japan’s level,” he said. 

Many elderly veterans warn youngsters to be prepared for 

war. Francies wants them to be open to peace. 

“Nobody wins a war,” he said. 

———————— 

Conduct Under Fire: Four American 

Doctors and Their Fight for Life as 

Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945 

By John Glusman 

Reviewer: Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) 

Author John A. Glusman has written a masterful book 

about the horrible conditions Allied POWs faced as prisoners 

of the Japanese. In particular, this book concentrates on the 

lives of four American doctors; Lt. George Ferguson, Lt. Fred 

Berley, Lt. John Jacob Bookman, and Lt. Murray Glusman. All 

were stationed in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked 

shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 

After enduring the defeat of Bataan, and later Corregidor, 

some 78,000 American and Filipino POWs were forced to 

march over seventy miles in what became known as the 

Bataan Death March. For the next three and a half years, 

Ferguson, Berley, Bookman, and Glusman were at the mercy 

of their Japanese captors. Food and water rations were virtually 

non existent, beatings were barbaric, and the doctors did the 

best they could to help the sick and wounded with virtually no 

medical supplies at all. 

Eventually, the doctors were loaded aboard Japanese “Hell 

Ships”; overcrowded freighters converted into ships to carry 

POWs to mainland Japan. The conditions on the ships were 

worse than in the camps. Men were placed in vastly over - 

crowded and stifling holds, given virtually no food or water, and 

were unable to even lie down due to the crowding. But the 

greatest fear faced by the POWs was attack by American 

submarines. Once torpedoed, the Japanese were known to 

machine gun the surviving POWs in the water. Indeed, George 

Ferguson died when the ship he was on was torpedoed. 

Once in Japan, the remaining three doctors were once 

again placed in concentration camps where they tended the 

wounded and sick. But as time wore on, they soon began to 

see hundreds of American B-29 bombers winging above them. 

They surmised that the Americans must be close to winning 

the war. However, they still had to endure the firebomb raids of 

Kobe and Osaka that virtually destroyed cities. However, after 

the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 

1945, the Japanese finally surrendered, and John, Murray, and 

Fred were finally able to return home. 

This is a spectacular book. John Glusman does an excellent 

job of describing the fall of the Philippines, the Bataan Death 

March, and the atrocities that the POWs faced at the hands of 

the Japanese. My favorite part of the book was the extremely 

vivid description of the firebombing raids on Japan in the spring 

of 1945. I give this book my highest recommendation. Read and 

see how four ordinary men from the heartland of the United 

States managed to survive against a brutal and unforgiving 

enemy.

Pre-Convention Registration 

Please read: 

For the ADBC National Convention in Phoenix during May 16-20, 2006, we must have advance information concerning 

each person that will attend. NOTE: At the last two ADBC National Conventions many people arrived at the convention 

without having pre-registered. This causes severe problems as we plan for the convention. Please submit the requested 

Pre-Convention Registration Forms so that we can reserve meeting and banquet rooms of adequate size, order the correct 

number of banquet meals and print name tags in advance of the convention. Completed pre-registration forms should be 

submitted NO LATER THAN three weeks prior to the convention. Your cooperation will greatly assist in making the Phoenix 

Convention a happy occasion for all. 

The top form is for ADBC Members and their guests. All others use the second form. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

ADBC MEMBER — REGISTRATION CARD 

(Please Print Legibly) 

First Name: _________________________________ M.I.: ____ Last Name: _________________________________ 

Nickname: (Submit if you want it on Name Tag) _________________________________________________________ 

Street (or P.O. Box): ______________________________________________________________________________ 

City:________________________________________________ State: ________________ ZIP: _________________ 

Phone #: ( _____ ) _______________________________________________________________________________ 

E-mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________________ 

Your Unit in the P.I.: ______________________________________________________________________________ 

Name of one POW Camp to go on Name Tag:__________________________________________________________ 

List of persons attending with the member: 

Full Name Relationship Attend Banquet Saturday night? 

(Yes or No) 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Non-Member — REGISTRATION CARD 

(Please Print Legibly) 

(For use by Widows, Descendants and Others) 

First Name: _________________________________ M.I.: ____ Last Name: _________________________________ 

Street (or P.O. Box): ______________________________________________________________________________ 

City:________________________________________________ State: ________________ ZIP: _________________ 

Phone #: ( _____ ) _______________________________________________________________________________ 

E-mail Address: __________________________________________________________________________________ 

Full Name of former POW Relative/Friend:_____________________________________________________________ 

Your relationship to the former POW: _________________________________________________________________ 

The former POW’s Unit in the P.I.: ___________________________________________________________________ 

List of persons attending with you: 

Full Name Relationship Attend Banquet Saturday night? 

(Yes or No) 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

_____________________________________________ _________________ ____________________________ 

Return to: John B. Lewis 

16415 Jersey Dr. 

Houston, TX 77040 


28 — THE QUAN

Name: 

Address: 

City: 

State: Zip: 

Phone: 

Arrival Date: 

Departure Date: 

Room Type Request (circle two) 

Smoking Non Smoking 

One King Bed Two Double Beds 

Name of: 

2nd Occupant: 

3rd Occupant: 

4th Occupant: 

Please list any additional requests: 

American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor 

2006 Convention 

May 17 - May 21, 2006 

$79/Night plus tax 

Credit Card Type: (circle one) 

Visa Master Card AMEX Discover 

Credit Card Number: 

Credit Card Expiration Date: 

Reservations due by: 

Friday, April 21, 2006 

Reservations received after this date will be accepted on an 

availability basis only and may not be eligible for the special group 

rate. 

Rates are subject to current occupancy tax (12.07%). 

Reservations must be accompanied by a credit card in order to be 

processed and confirmed. Or a deposit of one night’s room and tax 

may be made by check or money order and must accompany this 

reservation form. 

Complimentary Full Cooked To 

Order Brakfast Each Morning 

Complimentary 2 Hour Managers 

Reception Each Evening 

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM BY Friday, April 21, 2006 to: 

EMBASSY SUITES PHOENIX NORTH 

ATTN: Reservations 

2577 W. Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023 

Phone: 1-800-527-7715 

Fax: 602-375-4012 

Online reservations: 

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Display Honors 

WWII Chaplain 

By Chris Crytzer 

Correspondent 

At the Diocesan Pastoral Center in 

Downtown Pittsburgh, visitors can view 

two display cases that feature a World 

War II chaplain’s Mass kit. 

According to Ken White, director of the 

Diocesan Archives and Records Center, 

this Mass kit belonged to Father Herman 

Baumann, who was a military chaplain 

and prisoner of war during World War II. 

He was born in Etna on November 30, 

1908, and died May 25, 1990. 

“We don’t know if it was the actual kit 

he had in the prison camp or if it was a kit 

issued to him after his release. Either 

way, it shows the contents of the Mass 

kits carried by priests during World War 

II,” White said. 

The display cases are in the first-floor 

waiting room of the Pastoral Center, 111 

Boulevard of the Allies. About the display, 

Bishop Donald Wuerl said, “I am pleased 

to see that Father Baumann is given welldeserved 

recognition for his ministry, 

particularly as a chaplain during World 

War II.” 

When the diocese decided to establish 

a waiting room at the Pastoral Center, 

White said, “It was also decided to have 

some display cases to exhibit items 

reflecting the history of the diocese for 

these visitors to look at while they were 

waiting. There are five display cases, two 

of which contain Father Baumann’s Mass 

kit and supplies.” 

Retired Aux. Bishop John McDowell 

knew Father Baumann, saying, “He went 

through terrible suffering as a captive of 

the Japanese. He used to talk about it, 

but not much … He preferred not to talk 

about it. You could tell it had a very deep 

impression in his life.” 

Bishop McDowell said he never brought 

up the war — out of respect — unless 

Father Baumann did first. 

The bishop recalled a time when he 

told Father Baumann he was hungry. In 

response, Father Baumann told him 

about the incredible hunger pains he 

experienced while in captivity, saying, 

“You don’t know what hunger means.” 

Bishop McDowell also remembered a 

touching story Father Baumann told him. 

“He befriended a Japanese guard and 

they became very close. A lot of them did 

it (served as guards) because they were 

afraid of what would happen to them. 

Every once in a while, this guard would 

get them a piece of bread and some wine 

to say Mass.” 

In a speech Father Baumann delivered 

on the “Way of Life” program that was 

broadcast on WCAE, he was quoted as 

saying, “I will never forget how interested 

the Japanese guards were as we set up 

the makeshift altar.” 


Bishop McDowell said Father Baumann 

was a wonderful person. 

“I respected him so much. He was a 

close friend.” 

Prior to his death, Father Baumann was 

pastor emeritus of St. Conrad in Meridian. 

He became pastor at St. Conrad in 1961. 

Father Baumann died at Vincentian Home 

in McCandless Township following an 

illness. 

He was assigned to the U.S. forces in 

Corregidor in the Philippines during World 

War II, where he ministered to soldiers 

while the island was under siege. Father 

Baumann was captured by the Japanese 

on May 6, 1942, when Corregidor surrendered. 

He was held prisoner for 40 

months in the Philippines. 

Father Baumann was awarded the 

Silver Star, the Bronze Star, 

Distinguished Achievement Award, the 

Presidential Unit Citation and the Prisoner 

of War Medal. 

He attended All Saints School in Etna, 

Duquesne Prep School, Duquesne 

University and St. Vincent Seminary. He 

was ordained a priest on June 16, 1935, 

at St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe by 

Bishop Hugh Boyle. 

Father Baumann served as assistant 

pastor of St. Patrick in Pittsburgh’s Strip 

District from 1935 until March 4, 1941, 

when he left for active duty as an Army 

chaplain. 

After the war, he returned to serve at 

St. Patrick until 1950. Father Baumann 

then became assistant pastor at St. 

Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin in 

Whitehall, where he stayed until 1953. 

Then he became pastor of St. James in 

New Bedford, where he served until 1955. 

Father Baumann was assigned as 

pastor of St. Joseph in Carnegie from 1955 

until 1961. After his retirement from St. 

Conrad, he lived in Meridian until 1988, 

when he moved to St. John Vianney 

Manor in Crafton, followed by Vincentian 

Home. 

See Picture Page 32 

Protect Yourself with 

a Flu Shot 

By now, you’re probably aware of our 

position on flu shots. Each year, we tell 

about the importance of a flu shot, and we 

encourage you to have one. 

But last year, many of you were unable 

to have a flu shot because of national 

shortages of the vaccine. As a result, you 

may be wondering if we’ve changed our 

position on the flu shot. 

Absolutely not. We still believe that the 

flu shot is the best way to protect you 

from a deadly virus. 

Every year, the flu causes millions of 

people to get sick. Some become very ill 

and may even require emergency care. 

The flu vaccine can help you avoid many 

days of misery and can also help prevent 

serious illness, such as pneumonia. 

Getting a flu shot can also help you avoid 

passing the flu on to someone else. 

You can get a flu shot at either your 

doctor’s office or one of the flu shot clinics 

in the community. Ideally, we’d like you to 

be vaccinated in October. But if you’re 

unable to have the shot until November or 

December, don’t worry. The shot will still 

protect you during the months that the flu 

is most prevalent. 

If you received a flu shot last year, you 

should receive a shot again this year 

because the flu viruses change each 

year. Also, ask your doctor if you should 

receive the pneumonia shot. Most people 

need to receive this shot only one time. 

———————— 

Seeking Information 

Dear Sir, 

I was referred to you by Kelly M. 

McGrath, daughter of James Merrill 

McGrath. I am in search of three gentlemen 

that James McGrath referred to you 

in a journal of his, regarding his experience 

as a POW in WWII from the 

Philippines. 

The names of the men I am trying to 

get an address and/or phone number for 

are: Hubert (Hugh) McGowen, Clyde 

Huddelson and Al Gorsky. 

Any help you may be able to give would 

be much appreciated. If you have questions 

regarding this request, please call 

Jonathan Smith at 360-598-4438. 

Sincerely, 

Jonathan O. Smith 

6785 NE Madison Street 

Suquamish, WA 98392 

360-598-4438

By George … 

“I’m no hero … I’m just an ordinary 

man who tried to do his duty” 

Those were the words of Wellsburg’s 

Ed Jackfert as he spoke recently at the 

celebration of the 60th anniversary of the 

end of World War II. 

The gathering of more than 100 people 

at the Brooke County Library also were 

celebrating “Edward Jackfert Day”. 

Among those present were fellow POW’s 

Joe Vater of McKees Rocks, PA, and 

Abie Abraham of Butler, PA. 

In today’s world anyone who can put a 

basketball through a hoop or carry the 

football better than others is called a 

“hero”. 

They’re not. 

If Ed Jackfert, is not a hero then the 

word has no meaning. I believe it should 

be reserved for those who demonstrate 

courage and fortitude; for those who 

survive unimaginable physical and 

emotional trauma in serving their fellow 

man. 

These men were among those taken 

prisoner in 1941 as the Japanese Army 

invaded the Philippine Islands. At the 

time, the United States was totally committed 

to the war in Europe and was completely 

unprepared to fight on two fronts. 

Tremendously outnumbered and lacking 

adequate weapons, supplies, food and 

medicines, the Allies were surrendered to 

the invaders. 

The Japanese came from a culture 

where surrender was the ultimate humiliation; 

suicide by ‘hari-kari’ was far to be 

preferred. 

On the other hand, the upstart 

Americans had a different approach to life 

— when beaten down the goal is to 

survive at all costs. 

The American attitude toward captors 

was “Take your best shot now, because 

I’m gonna survive to fight another day and 

I’m coming after you!” 

General George S. Patton, Jr., was the 

one who said, “No one ever won a war by 

dying for his country. He won it by making 

the other poor dumb bastard die for his 

country.” 

American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Inc. 

(including any unit of force of the Asiatic Fleet, 

Philippine Archipelago, Wake Island, Mariana Islands, 

Midway Islands and Dutch East Indies. 12/7/41-5/10/42. 

For Dues: For Merchandise Sales: 

Edward Jackfert, PNS Mrs. Jean Pruitt 

Nat’l. Treasurer 109 Young Dr. 

201 Hillcrest Dr. Sweetwater, TN 37874 

Wellsburg, W.VA. 26070 

304-737-1496 

Life Membership — $25.00 

Subscription — Quan — $25.00 Yr. 

Fill in all Blanks 

Name (Please Print) _______________________________ Highest Rank _________________ 

Address __________________________________________________________________________ 

City _________________________________________ State __________ Zip Code ___________ 

Organization Complete Unit ________________________ Ser. No. ______________________ 

SS No. ____________________ Wife’s Name ___________ Tel. __________________________ 

Life ____ Pt. Life ____ Subscription ____ Last POW Camp ____________________________ 

Bo-Lo-Ties — W/Logo......................... 12.00 Tie Tacks............................................... 7.00 

Belt Buckle Decal................................. 4.00 Tie Bar .................................................. 7.00 

License Plates....................................... 4.00 Decal — Window .................................. 2.00 

Pins 3” X 2”........................................... 6.00 Decal — W/Logo ................................... 2.00 

Overseas Caps only sizes 67 ⁄8, 7.......... 28.00.....Caps, White W/Logo............................. 8.00 

All items shipped require 15% postage 

Surviving was the ultimate victory and 

when “another day” came, the hammers 

of hell fell on the Japanese and the rest is 

history. 

Sadly, the survivors of the “hell ships” 

and Bataan “Death March” have been 

abandoned again. 

The treaty signed following the war 

assured no apology nor compensation 

would be sought by the Americans, even 

through the legal system. This supposedly 

was to keep Japan from becoming a 

communist state of the USSR and China. 

School text books gloss over the 

atrocities and few people today have 

knowledge of the horrible treatment our 

heroes endured. A recent discussion with 

a local history teacher revealed to me that 

even those who are educated are generally 

ignorant of the horrors. 

Jackfert has been active in the American 

Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, an 

organization dedicated to seeking justice, 

as two-time national commander. 

Video Available 

Secret War in the Pacific, the video that 

tells the story of how one man helped organize 

and supply Philippine guerrillas 

through submarine special missions. 

Interesting Submarine, Bataan, Corregidor, 

PT Boat and other WWII footage, plus 

many interviews. Biography of Cmdr. Chick 

Parsons by his son Peter; 53 minutes; 

special section on the making of the video, 

48 minutes. 

$24.00 (includes postage and handling) 

for either DVD or VHS (same content). 

Check made out to Peter Parsons; 

mail to: 

Attention Dolores 

6960 Magnolia Ave.; Suite 200 

Riverside, CA 92506 

[Also visit web site:chickparsons.com] 

———————— 

Information 

Sorry to inform you of our Mother’s 

death. Delphine (Dilly) David, widow of 

Roy L. Davis (deceased 1996) passed 

away on September 14, 2005 at her 

home in Eugene, OR. She was born on 

March 16, 1915 in Fowler, KS. 

She is survived by 3 sons, 2 sisters, 9 

grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, 

many nieces and nephews and many 

close friends. 


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Can anyone who may have served with Fr. Baumann identify if this may be the Mass kit he had in POW Camp? See story on 

Page 30. 

The dipslay in the waiting room of the Diocesan Pastoral Center contains items that belonged to Father Herman Baumann, 

who was a military chaplain and prisoner of war during World War II.

95712 Quan Pages:95712 Quan Pages - Philippine Defenders Main

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