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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 21, 2011 23:06:19 GMT 8
The ABMC database contains the following entry:
SKELTON JOHN H PFC 39303460 31st Infantry Regiment, entered from Oregon, died May 6, 1942, Manila American Cemetery Tablets of the Missing
He is undoubtedly buried as an unknown in the Manila American Cemetery.
I believe anyone who takes out 20 enemy before giving his life deserves at least to have his name on his headstone.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 21, 2011 8:42:09 GMT 8
Very interesting posts, John. And best wishes for success in your legal case. It's hard to believe they would send such a bill when you are doing their work for them! Work that they should have seen to long, long ago. They should be sending you a message of gratitude, not a bill. Thanks, Chad. Its hard to understand their logic in withholding the documents. The people there now didn't have anything to do with the coverup, but their continued withholding of the documents makes them complicit.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 18, 2011 0:27:00 GMT 8
I just remembered a story that may provide some insight on the recovery of remains from Corregidor. One of the men rescued from Cabanatuan was Abie Abraham, a M-Sgt from the 31st Infantry who had survived the Death March, O'Donnell and Cabanatuan. (He has written several books and I believe is still alive.) I believe he was married to a Filipino and asked or was asked to remain in the Philippines and work with the graves registration units cleaning up after the fighting died down. The camp cemeteries were pretty obvious and the story is that they traveled throughout the countryside interviewing locals to find isolated graves. Apparently, this phase was pretty through.
Regarding Corregidor, the information I've seen makes me think there were quite a number of graves in different locations on Corregidor. I've also seen references describing burials on Caballo Island, but all I have heard of were in a cemetery there. I know that even in the camps there was quite an effort to account for everyone and I'm sure there were locations included in some of those statements. However, I've only seen one abstract, that of 2LT Walter Gage, which says much more than just buried on Corregidor. (In his case, 200 ft SE Kinley Fld, Corregidor, PI).
What I'm getting at, and why I think the Corregidor clean up was probably a little disorganized is that I've not heard of anyone from Corregidor working with graves registration to find the graves and I would imagine that any Filipinos (as well as GI's) who were there at the time were probably keeping their heads down and wouldn't have been aware of the location of a grave unless they were there when it was dug.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 18, 2011 0:01:07 GMT 8
Doesn't surprise me in the least. Actually, I believe it was typical that they policed up all the remains after the war and in many/most cases botched the identification of the remains. Most are now buried in the Manila American Cemetery as one of the 3,744 unknowns interred there.
IMHO, at the very least, every one of these heros deserves his name on a headstone. I'm glad they are known to God, but I think they should also be known to man and remembered properly.
In most cases, there will be information in a man's IDPF (Individual Deceased Personnel File, which can be FOIA'ed) which will connect him to an X-file (which is a file on un-identified remains). The X-files have the location of the current grave. The IDPF's contain the name of the NOK - who is usually long gone, but it is a start at finding a living family member (really not that difficult).
If the right family member can be found and a family reference sample (DNA) can be obtained, there's an excellent chance the remains can be identified. At that point, the family can elect to leave them in Manila or return the remains to the states at government expense for burial in a national or private cemetery. Even if they are un-interested in returning the remains of their family member, their DNA sample may - by exclusion - help some other family to identify their loved one.
Typically, a couple of IDPF's or X-files can be obtained under FOIA at no charge. (hint-hint, let me know if you need the address) FWIW, I've asked for all the IDPF's and X-files on the unknowns from O'Donnell and Cabanatuan - about 165,000 pages - and they sent me a bill for $24,750. We're now in Federal Court arguing that a fee waiver is appropriate.
There's a lot more to the story, but the bottom line is the records needed to find these men have now been declassified and can be obtained as a first step in identifying their remains.
Oh - and if you have any doubts about maybe it would be better to leave them where they have laid for the last 60 years - the most requested song in Viet Nam was by the Animals, We Gotta Get Out of This Place. I don't know what the equivalent song was during WWII, but I'm sure all GI's share the sentiment.
Best,
John
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 17, 2011 6:39:29 GMT 8
Howdy Okla. I had a Aussie teacher who had done time in Changi as a guest of the japanese (POW ). What he told us was that they learnt the weakness of the nips in the way the nips checked things especially when they used the Aussies to empty big storage sheds ( GO Downs as they were called in Singapore) . The Aussies would pilfer cigaretts and tin food items especially Vegemite in jars it is a concentrated yeast extract and comes in glass jars and is high in vitamins . The nips thought that Vegemite was shoe polish as it is black in color . Consequently the aussies didnt have too much trouble pilfering it . Most items were concealed or hidden under their hats. Because of the lack of decent food the teacher swore if it wasnt for the vegemite a lot more prisioners in Changi and surrounds would have died. Feeding Vegemite (or Marmite) to the POW's could be considered torture. <G>
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 10, 2011 3:52:40 GMT 8
FWIW, I can't find Haskins on the ABMC database. This usually means that his remains were recovered after the war and returned to his family for burial in the states.
Also, while most of the entries for Corregidor just state that someone saw the dead body, there are quite a few which say the body was cremated or buried in the Corregidor cemetery. Most of the Corregidor cemetery entries are a few days prior to May 6, however, some are as late as May 9.
A few say the body was buried at the Barrio at Bottomside. A few others from Ft Hughes even give row and grave for the Ft Hughes cemetery.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 10, 2011 3:32:23 GMT 8
Perfect timing - I just transcribed these yesterday. The originals are so hard to read that there is no way one can just scan ahead, and even when I take my time it is often difficult to make out many letters. But here is what I found on a list of Corregidor casualties:
89. Floyd L. Tebo, Sgt, USMC, 227505 swore on July 26, 1943, that he saw the dead bodies of the following men who died on the dates noted on Corregidor Island, PI: Foreman, Edward W. Sgt 4th Regt USMC 5/6/42 Haskin, John A. S-Sgt 4th Regt USMC 5/6/42 Dunham, John W. Jr. PFC 4th Regt USMC 5/6/42 Armstrong, Paul E. Sgt 4th Regt USMC 5/6/42 Jerrett, Kenneth L. Pfc 4th Regt USMC 5/6/42
100. Fred D. Winton, PFC, USMC, 269084, swore on Aug 8, 1943, that he saw the dead bodies of Sgt Maj Thomas F. Sweeney, 4th Regt, USMC, and Sgt. George W. Smiley, 4th Regt, USMC, 280838, who were killed in action on May 6, 1942 on Corregidor Island, PI.
And even if I guessed right at the words, there are a lot of obvious errors in this list which was compiled while they were still in the camps.
Anyone recognize any of the other names?
I don't know how complete my list is - anyone have any idea of the total number of casualties from Corregidor?
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 5, 2011 8:41:35 GMT 8
Not yet, but we still have a long way to go. Most of what I'm working on now are from the Death March or Corregidor. Most just say I saw the bodies of blank. But every now and then there's some narrative. Here's one:
During the engagement with the enemy in the vicinity of Kindley Field following the hostile landing on Ft Mills, and at about 0200 6 May 1942 I observed Capt Noel D. Castle, C.O., Co D, 1st Bn, 4th Rgr, walking the Malinta Point trail at _ towards the north side of the road. PFC Edward G. Free, USMC and I were manning a machine gun about 20 yards away. Upon recognizing Capt. Castle I called out, “Go back, there is a sniper shooting this way”. Without stopping Capt. Castle continued on. About a yard from the enbankment on the north side of the road he was hit by what I believe to be rifle or machine gun bullets. I saw him fall forward and disappear from sight over the edge of the road. Shortly after this the enemy opened up with an artillery concentration from Bataan and Free and I were forced to take cover. I jumped into a nearby hole and Free ran across the road into the draw where Capt Castle lay. The concentration lasted maybe ten or fifteen minutes after which each of us returned to our gun. Free then told me that Capt. Castle was hit in the chest and abdomen and was in a bad way. He told me that the Captain could not move and that he had loosened his pistol belt and other equipment. We then moved our gun to a new position and continued in the fight. I did not see Capt. Castle after he fell over the edge of the road.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 4, 2011 21:45:50 GMT 8
I'm not sure this is the same water tower, but last night I was transcribing some abstracts of death records and found this:
63. Sobert Richard Nuest, Ens., USNR, Swore on May 22, 1943, that George L. Cook, SF2c, USN, while a prisoner of war at the 92d Garage, Corregidor Island, PI, was sent out of the prison area on a wood gathering detail and that this occurred on May 17, 1942; that while in the vicinity of the water tower in the eastern sectar of Corregidor Island Cook picked up a hand grenade which exploded, killing him instantly; that his body was brought to the 92d Garage and identified by Richard Enoch Tirk, Ens., USNR, that the foregoing facts were related to me by Ens. Kirk and that I believe them to be true.
Even if it is not the same water tower, it is consistent with there having been a grenade battle in the area and may be indicative of the amount of duds. Sad, though that someone would survive such fighting only to die from XO.
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Post by JohnEakin on Dec 5, 2010 5:23:03 GMT 8
Hi johneakin, You are welcome for the photos. Here is one more photo of the Corregidor Inn for your wife. She can relax while you are exploring. Good luck… ;D I think I'm making progress with her now. I just have to put together a stealth itinerary that doesn't sound like battlefields, POW camps and cemeteries. <G> John
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