Born: 13 April 1909 – Stuntz, Minnesota
Mother: Edward M. Gonsolin Sr. & Ida Gonsolin
Siblings: 1 sister
Hometown: Stuntz, Minnesota
Education: University of Minnesota – Class of 1933
Residence: 1940 – living at the Y.M.C.A. in Kelly Lake, Minnesota
Occupation: swimming director Y.M.C.A.
Married: Ruth M. Nelson – 13 April 1941
Enlisted: Unknown
Training:
– Fort Lewis, Washington
Unit:
– 194th Tank Battalion
Overseas Duty:
– Philippine Islands
Engagements:
– Battle of Luzon
– 8 December 1941 – 6 January 1942
– Battle of Bataan
– 7 January 1942 – 9 April 1942
may have been promoted to captain
Prisoner of War:
9 April 1942
– Death March
– started march at Mariveles on southern tip of Bataan
– POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
– San Fernando – POWs put into small wooden boxcars
– 100 POWs packed into each boxcar
– those who died remain standing
– Capas – living left cars – dead fell out of boxcars
– POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O’Donnell
POW Camps:
– Philippines:
– Camp O’Donnell
– unfinished Filipino training base
– Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
– only one water spigot for entire camp
– as many as 50 POWs died each day
– Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
– Cabanatuan
Died:
– Sunday – 20 December 1942 – beriberi
– Approximate time of death: 8:00 A.M.
Buried:
– Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery
Reburied:
– American Military Cemetery – Manila, Philippine Islands
– Plot: D Row: 16 Grave: 80
