Pvt. William Sonny Ball
Born: 21 September 1917 – Chicago, Illinois
Parents: Martin Ball and Susie Letrich-Ball
Siblings: 1 sister
Nickname: “Sonny”
Home:
– 7229 West Franklin Avenue – Forest Park, Illinois
Education:
– Stevenson School
– Proviso Township High School
– Class of 1936
– Note: one year of college
Occupation:
– draftsman
Enlisted:
– 5 August 1940 – Chicago, Illinois
– U. S. Army Air Corps
Serial Number: 06731558
Training:
– Unknown
Units:
– 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor)
– unit activated – 1 October 1941
Stationed:
– Nichols Army Airfield – Philippine Islands – 5 December 1941
– Clark Airfield – 9 December 1941 – 25 December 1941
– Pilar Airfield – 26 December 1941 – 8 January 1942
Engagements:
– Battle of Luzon – 8 December 1941 – 6 September 1942
– Battle of Bataan – 7 September 1942 – 9 April 1942
– members of the Air Corps fought as infantry
Prisoner of War:
– 9 April 1942
– Death March
– Mariveles – POWs start the march at the southern tip of Bataan
– POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing on Corregidor
– American artillery on Corregidor returned fire
– San Fernando -POWs put into small wooden boxcars used to haul sugarcane
– each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
– Japanese packed 100 POWs into each boxcar
– POWs who died remained standing since they could not fall to the floors
– Capas – POWs left boxcars – dead POWs fell to the floor
– POWs walked the last ten miles to Camp O’Donnell
POW Camp:
– Camp O’Donnell
Died:
– 24 May 1942 – Camp O’Donnell – dysentery
– he was the 722 POW to die in the camp
Buried:
– Camp O’Donnell Cemetery
– Plot: I Row: 4 Grave: 10
Reburied:
– American Military Cemetery – Manila, Philippine Islands
– Plot: F Row: 7 Grave: 86
