| Born: 11 January 1923 - Minnesota
Mother: Edith O'Connor
Home:
2631 Fourth Avenue South - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nickname: Pat
Education: Miller Vocational High School
Inducted:
- U. S. Army
- 20 September 1940 - Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Training:
- Fort Lewis, Washington
- A Company,
194th Tank Battalion
- received
orders to go overseas
Note: The decision for this move - which had
been made on August 15, 1941, at Ft. Knox,
Kentucky - was the result of an event that took
place in the summer of 1941. A squadron of
American fighters was flying over Lingayen Gulf,
in the Philippines, when one of the pilots, who
was flying at a lower altitude, noticed something
odd. He took his plane down and identified a
flagged buoy in the water and saw another in the
distance. He came upon more buoys that lined
up, in a straight line for 30 miles to the
northwest, in the direction of an Japanese
occupied island which was hundred of miles
away. The island had a large radio
transmitter. The squadron continued its
flight plan south to Mariveles and returned to
Clark Field.
When the planes landed,
it was too late to do anything that day. The
next day, when another squadron was sent to the
area, the buoys had been picked up by a fishing
boat - with a tarp on its deck - which was seen
making its way to shore. Since communication
between the Air Corps and Navy was difficult, the
boat escaped. It was at that time the
decision was made to build up the American
military presence in the Philippines.
Overseas Duty:
- 4 September 1941 -
-
battalion traveled by train to Ft. Mason in San
Francisco, California
- Arrived: 7:30 A.M. - 5
September 1941
-
ferried to Ft. McDowell, Angel Island on U.S.A.T.
General Frank M. Coxe
- given
physicals and inoculations
- men
with medical conditions replaced
- Ship: U.S.S. President Coolidge
-
Boarded: Monday - 8 September 1941 - 3:00 P.M.
-
Sailed: 9:00 P.M. - same day
-
Arrived: Honolulu, Hawaii - Saturday - 13
September 1941 - 7:00 A.M.
-
Sailed: 5:00 P.M. - same day
- escorted by the heavy cruiser - U.S.S.
Astoria and an unknown destroyer
- smoke seen on horizon several times
- cruiser intercepted ships
- ships from friendly countries
-
Arrived: Manila - Friday - 26 September 1941
- disembark ship - 3:00 P.M.
- taken by bus to Fort Stostenburg
Stationed:
- Ft. Stotsenburg
-
lived in tents until barracks completed - 15
November 1941
- 1
December 1941
- tanks ordered to perimeter of Clark Field
- 194th guarded north end of airfield with
192nd guarding south portion
- two crew members of each tank and half-track
remained with vehicle at all times
- meals served by food trucks
- those not assigned to a tank or half-track
remained at command post
Engagements:
- Battle of Luzon
- 8
December 1941 - 6 January 1942
- 8 December 1941
- lived Japanese attack on Clark Field
- planes did not go after tanks
- after attack 194th sent to a bivouac three
kilometers north of Clark Field
- from there they were sent to Barrio of San
Joaquin on the Malolus Road
- 12 December 1941
- moved to new bivouac south to San Fernando
near Calumpit Bridge
- arrived 6:00 A.M.
- 15 December 1941
- received 15 Bren gun carriers
- turned some over to 26th Cavalry, Philippine
Scouts
- 22 December 1941
- sent to Rosario
- west and north of the of barrio
- ordered out of the 71st Division Commander
- said they would hinder the cavalry's
operation
- 22/23 December 1941
- operating north of Agno River
- main bridge at Carmen bombed
- 24/25 December 1941
- tank battalions make end run to get south of
Agno River
- ran into Japanese resistance but
successfully crossed river
- 25/26 December 1941
- held south bank of Agno River from west of
Carmen to Carmen-Akcaka-Bautista Road
- 192nd held from Carmen to (Route 3) to Tayug
(northeast of San Quintin)
- 26/27 December 1941
- ordered to withdraw
- 1 platoon forced its way through way through
Carmen
- lost two tanks
- one tank belonged to company commander -
Captain Edward Burke
- believed dead, but was actually captured
- one tank crew rescued
- new line Santa Ignacia-Gerona-Santo
Tomas-San Jose
- rest of battalion made a dash out
- lost one tank at Bayambang
- another tank went across front receiving
fire and firing on Japanese
- Lt. Petree's platoon fought its way out and
across Agno River
- D Company, 192nd, lost all its tanks except
one
- the tank commander found a crossing
- Japanese would use tanks later on Bataan
- 29/30 December 1941
- new line at Bamban River established
- tank battalions held line until ordered to
withdraw
- 30/31 December 1941
- tank battalions held Calumpit Bridge
- covering withdraw of Philippine Divisions
south on Rt. 3, San Fernando
- 2 January 1942
- both tank battalions ordered to withdrawal
to Lyac Junction
- 194th withdrew there on Highway 7
- 5 January 1942
- C Company and A Company, 192nd Tank
Battalion, withdrew from Guagua-Poraline Line
and moved into
position
between Sexmoan and Lubao
- 1:50 A.M. - Japanese attempted to infiltrate
- bright moonlight made them easy to see
- tanks opened fire
- Japanese lay down smoke which blew back into
them
- 3:00 A.M. - Japanese broke off engagement
- suffered 50% casualties
- Remedios - established new line along dried
creek bed
- 6/7 January 1942
- 194th, covered by 192nd, crosses Culis Creek
into Bataan
- both battalions bivouacked south of
Aubucay-Hacienda Road
- rations cut in half
- Battle of Bataan
- 7
January 1942 - 9 April 1942
- January 1942
- tank companies reduced to three tanks per
platoon
- 8 January 1942
- composite tank company made up of tanks from
the 192nd and 194th sent to protect
East Coast Road north of Hermosa
- their job was to keep the East Road
open north of Hermosa and prevent the
Japanese from driving into
Bataan
before the main battle line had been formed
- remainder of tanks ordered to bivouac for
night south of Aubucay-Hacienda Road
- tankers had been fighting for a month
without a rest
- tanks also needed overdue maintenance
- 17th Ordnance
- all tank companies reduced to ten tanks
- three per tank platoon
- sent to reopen Moron Road so General
Segunda's forces could withdraw
- tanks knock out an anti-tank gun
- two tanks disabled by landmines but
recovered
- mission abandoned
- Gen. Segunda's troops escaped using beach
but lost their heavy equipment
-
12 January 1942
- C Company, with D Company, 192nd, sent to
Cadre Road
- forward position with little alert time
-
13 January 1942
- mines planted by ordnance prevented them
from reaching Cadre Road
- returned to battalion
-
16 January 1942
- C Company sent to Bagac to reopen
Moron Highway
- highway had been cut by Japanese
- Moron Highway, and Junction of Trail 162
- tank platoon fired on by antitank gun
- tanks knock out gun
- cleared roadblock with support of infantry
-
20 January 1942
- Banibani Road -tanks sent in to save 31st
Infantry command post
-
24 January 1942
- tanks order to Hacienda Road in support of
troops
- landmines planted by ordnance prevented them
from reaching road
-
26 January 1942
- the battalion held a position a kilometer
north of the Pilar-Bagac Road
- four self-propelled mounts with the
battalion
- 9:45 A.M. - warned by Filipino a large
Japanese force was coming
- when the enemy appeared they opened up with
all the battalion had
- 10:30 A.M. - Japanese withdrew after losing
500 of 1200 men
- prevented new defensive line being formed
from being breached
-
28 January 1942
- 194th tanks given beach duty protecting
southern beaches
- guarded coast from Limay to Cabcaben
- half-tracks patrolled roads
- maintained radio contact with on-shore and
off-shore patrols
It was at this time the tank battalions
received these orders which came from Gen.
Weaver, "Tanks will
execute maximum delay, staying in position
and firing at visible enemy until further
delay will jeopardize withdrawal. If
a tank is immobilized, it will be fought
until the close approach of the enemy,
then destroyed; the crew previously taking
positions outside and continuing to fight
with the salvaged and personal weapons.
Considerations of personal safety and
expediency will not interfere with
accomplishing the greatest possible
delay."
-
February 1942
- tank battalions on their own guarded
airfields
- battalions also guarded beaches to prevent
Japanese from landing
troops
-
March 1942
- two tanks were bogged down in mud
- the tankers were working to get them out
- Japanese Regiment entered the area
- Lt. Col. Miller ordered tanks and artillery
to fire at point blank range
- Miller ran from tank to tank directing fire
- wiped out Japanese regiment
- 4
April 1942
- Japanese launched major offensive
- tanks sent into various sectors to stop
Japanese advance
- 6
April 1942
- four tanks sent to support 45th Philippine
Infantry and 75th Infantry, Philippine Scouts
- one tank knocked out by anti-tank fire at
junction of Trails 8 & 6
- other tanks covered withdraw
- 3rd Platoon sent up west coast road
- near Mount Samat ran into heavy Japanese
force
- the tanks withdrew to Marivales
- 8
April 1942
- fighting on East Coast Road at Cabcaban
Tank battalion commanders received this order, "You will make plans,
to be communicated to company commanders
only, and be prepared to destroy within
one hour after receipt by radio, or other
means, of the word 'CRASH', all tanks and
combat vehicles, arms, ammunition, gas,
and radios: reserving sufficient trucks to
close to rear echelons as soon as
accomplished."
- 10:30 P.M. - Gen. King announced that
further resistance would result in the
massacre of 6,000 sick or
wounded troops and 40,000 civilians
- less than 25% of his troops were healthy
enough to continue fighting
- he estimated they could hold out one more
day
- sent his staff officers to negotiate the
surrender of Bataan
- 11:40 P.M. - ammunition dumps blown up
Prisoner
of War:
- 9 April 1942
- Death March
- received order to destroy equipment and report
to kilometer marker 168.2.
- Provisional Tank Group Headquarters
-
Japanese officers told Col. Ernest Miller to keep
them there until ordered to move
- 10 April 1942
- 7:00 P.M. - started march from Provisional Tank
Group headquarters
- 3:00 A.M. - halted and rested for an hour
- 4:00 A.M. - resume march
- at times slipped on remains of dead who had been
killed by Japanese shelling
- 11 April 1942
- 8:00
A.M. -reached Lamao
- allowed to forage for food
- 9:00
A.M. - resumed march
- Noon
- reached Limay and main road
- officers, majors and up, separated from lower
ranking officers and enlisted men
- Death March
- 4:00
P.M officers put on trucks
- officers arrived at Balanga
- Japanese find handgun in field bag of an officer
- he was clubbed and bayoneted
- because of this they were not fed
- Dusk
- officers ordered to form ranks and marched
- marched through Abucay and Samal
- 12 April 1942
- 3:00
A.M. - officers reached Orani
- herded into a fenced in area and ordered to lie
down
- in morning found they had been lying in human
waste
- latrine in one corner was crawling with maggots
- Noon
- fed rice and salt
- first meal
-
Afternoon - lower ranking officers and enlisted
men arrive at Orani
- 6:30
P.M. - ordered to form 100 men detachments
- POWs marched at faster pace
- fewer breaks
- when given break, the POWs sat on road
- North
of Hermosa the POWs reached pavement
- made march easier
- 13 April 1942
- 2:00
A.M. - POWs given an hour rest on road
- those who attempt to lay down are jabbed with
bayonets
- POWs march through Layac and Lurao
- rains - POWs drank as much as they could
- 4:30
P.M. - reached San Fernando
- POWs put in groups of 200 to be fed
- one POW sent to get a box of rice for each group
- pottery jars of water given out the same way
- 14 April 1942
- 4:00
A.M. - POWs awakened
- formed detachments of 100 men and marched to
train station
- POWs put into small wooden boxcars used to haul
sugarcane
- each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
- 100 POWs packed into each car
- POWs who died remained standing
- 9:00
A.M. - Capas - dead fell to floor as living left
boxcars
- as POWs formed ranks, Filipinos threw sugarcane
to POWs
- also gave them water
- POWs walked last 8 kilometers to Camp O'Donnell
POW
Camps:
- Philippine Islands:
- Camp O'Donnell
- 1 April 1942 - unfinished Filipino training base
Japanese put into use as a POW camp
- Japanese believed the camp could hold 15,000 to
20,000 POWs
- POWs searched upon arrival at camp
- those found with Japanese money were accused of
looting
- sent to guardhouse
- over several days, gun shots heard southeast of
the camp
- POWs who had money on them had been executed
- Japanese took away any extra clothing from POWs
as they entered the camp and refused to return it
- since no water was available for wash clothing,
the POWs threw soiled clothing away
- clothing was taken from dead
- few of the POWs in the camp hospital had
clothing
- POWs were not allowed to bathe
- only one water spigot for entire camp
- POWs waited 2½ hours to 8 hours to get a drink
- water frequently turned off by Japanese guards
and next man in line waited as long as 4 hours for
water to
be turned on again
- mess kits could not be cleaned
- POWs had to carry water 3 miles from a river to
cook their meals
- second water spigot installed a week after POWs
arrived
- slit trenches overflowed since many of the POWs
had dysentery
- flies were everywhere including in camp kitchens
and food
- camp hospital had no water, soap, or
disinfectant
- the senior POW doctor wrote a list of medicines
he wanted to treat the sick and was told by the
camp
commandant, Capt. Yoshio Tsuneyoshi, never to
write another letter
- Tsuneyoshi said that all he wanted to know about
the American POWs was their names and numbers when
they died
- refused to allow a truckload of medicine sent by
the Archbishop of Manila into the camp
- 95% of the medicine sent by Philippine Red Cross
was taken by the Japanese for their own use
- POWs in camp hospital lay on floor elbow to
elbow
- operations on POWs were performed with mess kit
knives
- only one medic out of six assigned to care for
50 sick POWs, in the hospital, was well enough to
work
- as many as 50 POWs died each day
- each morning dead were found everywhere in the
camp and stacked up under the hospital
- ground under hospital was scrapped and cover
with lime to clean it
- the dead were moved to this area and the section
where they had laid was scrapped and cover with
lime
- usually not buried for two or three days
- work details: if a POW could walk, he was sent
out on a work detail
- POWs on burial detail often had dysentery and
malaria
- POWs
volunteer to go out on work details to get out of
camp
-
Cabanatuan
- original name: Camp Pangaian
- Philippine Army Base built for 91st Philippine
Army Division
- actually three camps
- POWs from Camp O'Donnell put in Camp 1
- Camp 2 was four miles away
- all POWs moved from there because of a lack of
water
- later used for Naval POWs
- Camp 3 was six miles from Camp 2
- POWs from Corregidor and from hospitals sent
there
- work details sent out to cut wood for POW
kitchens, plant rice, and farm
- when POWs lined up for roll call, it was a
common practice for Japanese guards, after the
POWs lined up, to
kick the POWs in their shins with
their hobnailed boots
- they also were frequently it with a pick handle,
for no reason, as they counted off
- POWs on the rice planting detail were punished
by having their faces pushed into the mud and
stepped on
- the POWs had to go into a shed to get the tools,
as they came out, they were hit on their heads
- if the guards on the detail decided the POW
wasn't doing what he should be doing, he was
beaten
- many POWs on details were able to smuggle in
medicine, food, and tobacco into the camp
- to prevent escapes, the POWs set up patrols
along the camp's fence
- men who attempted to escape and caught were
executed after being beaten
- the other POWs were forced to watch the beatings
- daily POW meal - 16 ounces of cooked rice, 4
ounces of vegetable oil, sweet potato or corn
- Camp
Hospital:
- 30 Wards
- each ward could hold 40 men
- frequently had 100 men in each
- two tiers of bunks
- sickest POWs on bottom tier
- each POW had a 2 foot by 6 foot area to lie in
- Zero Ward
- given name because it had been missed when
counting wards
- became ward where those who were going to die
were sent
- fenced off from other wards
- Japanese guards would not go near it
- POWs sent there had little to no chance of
surviving
- hospitalized - Thursday - 2
July 1942 - malaria & beriberi
Died:
- Saturday - 12 September 1942 - malaria
- approximate time of death - 5:00 AM
Buried:
- Cabanatuan Camp
Cemetery
- after the war, his remains could not be positively
identified
- buried as an "Unknown" at the new American
cemetery
Memorial:
- Tablets of
the Missing - American Military Cemetery - Manila,
Philippine Islands
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