4th MARINES on Corregidor

[BLT 14 USMC]

Sirs,

Looking for pics and any info regarding the Marines of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines...

We just landed on Okinawa for a 7 month deployment and I wanted to see if I could get any better pics of the 4th Marines fighting on Corregidor...

I have several citations (silver star) of our Bn's guys that fought at Fort Mills... but I can't find the citations... (not even sure where Fort Mills is in the PI?)

PFC Farner
Corporal Benjamin George Baum
Captain Golland Lee Clark
1stLt John Sheppard Fantone
PFC Edward Gorman Free
PFC James L. Hoops
PFC Donald E. Lake
1stLt Allen Shearer Manning
Cpl Melvin W. Petersen
1stLt Ralph Roger Penick
Plt Sgt Frank George Rossell (Army Silver Star) (POW KIA)
1stSgt Darrell Shawan Staley (Army Silver Star) (POW KIA) Corregidor
PFC Berkleyu R. Swahn (Army Silver Star)
SgtMaj Thomas F. Sweeny (Army Silver Star) (Corregidor)
Sergeant Everett S. Williams (Army Silver Star)

Any help would be great
SF,


Kevin A. Norton
Lieutenant Colonel
Commanding Officer
Battalion Landing Team 1/4

[wwalker]

Mr. Norton,

Fort Mills was located on Corregidor in Manila Bay. I would highly recommend a recent book that was published and is available from the Naval Institute Press:

Fighting for MacArthur: The Navy and Marine Corps' Desperate Defense of the Philippines by John Gordon

This is one of the most in-depth books detailing the 4th Marines on Corregidor (and in other parts of the Philippines) during the first part of World War II prior to their capture by the Japanese on May 06, 1942 on Corregidor. It also has some good photographs and maps.

There are also some really good pages located on the corregidor.org website (of which this forum belongs to) about the 4th Marines on Corregidor. These are a few of the links:

www.corregidor.org/USMC/chs_41-42/from_shanghai_to_corregidor.htm

www.corregidor.org/USMC/rkv/USMC_00.html

Good luck in your search, and if you ever find the citations of which you mention in your post, I would love to obtain copies if possible.

Best Regards,

Will

PS: I am attaching a photo that I recently found of some of the 4th Marines when they arrived in the Philippines from China in late 1941. I'm not sure which battalion these men belonged to. The photo was taken by Life Magazine photographer Carl Mydans in November 1941.

Attachments:

[wwalker]

Here is another photo of the 4th Marines after their arrival in the Philippines. Also, these same men were prisoners of the Japanese for 3 and a half years, and a vast majority of them were eventually held in POW camps in Japan under very harsh conditions.


Will

Attachments:

[Karl Welteke]

Marines visited Corregidor 2016-11-07

I just started an album in Photobucket of that visit, but so far only 4 images have been uploaded. The pictures are the regular size I maintain in my albums. This is the URL:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Corregidor%20at%20Random/CI%202015-2016%20Random%20Albums/2016-11-07%20Marines%20visited%20Corregidor?sort=9&page=1

These same 4 pictures are also presented here but are much smaller:

On this day, 7th of Nov. 2016, two Marine Officers visited Corregidor Island, the former Fort Mills. They invited me to come along so I can point out specific 4th Marine History points on Corregidor. We signed up for the regular day tour package, ferry from Manila, trolley guided tour, buffet lunch. The weather was great and here are a few images from that visit.



V397. (c1 161107 Corregidor Isl. 1,Marine friends). Marine friends Chris and Vonn at the Philippine Heroes Memorial, I explained the fighting that occurred here in 1942 with the 4th Marines and again in 1945. It was referred to as Water-Tank Hill



V398. (c2 161107 Corregidor Isl. 2, Marine friends). We stopped at the Middleside Barracks and I explained to Chris and Vonn that here the 4th Marines learned very quickly that these modern concrete barracks (modern then) were not bomb proof.



V399. (c3 161107 Corregidor Isl. 9, Marine friend). Both Marines were Captains; I had to take this picture with Capt. Vonn (an immigrant from the Philippines) standing by the old style 4th Marine Colors. I will explain the history of these 4th Marine Colors another time.



V400. (c4 161107 Corregidor Isl. 15,Marine friends Karl). We also signed up for the light and sound show going thru the Malinta Tunnel. The Sun Cruises photographer shot our picture, I am in the middle.

Some other URLs about the Marines in our Corregidor pages:


URLs Marines on Corregidor and the PI



4th Marines on Corregidor

corregidor.proboards.com/thread/1081/4th-marines-on-corregidor





From Shanghai to Corregidor, Marines in the Defense of the Philippines; text:

www.corregidor.org/USMC/chs_41-42/from_shanghai_to_corregidor.htm





From Shanghai to Corregidor, Marines in the Defense of the Philippines; photo essay:

www.corregidor.org/USMC/rkv/USMC_00.html





Marines captured in the Philippines, General board, forum

corregidor.proboards.com/thread/1265/marines-captured-philippines



Remains of 36 Marines Recovered on Tarawa, a forum thread:

corregidor.proboards.com/thread/1838/remains-36-marines-recovered-tarawa





The Siege and Capture of Corregidor, the Official USMC Viewpoint

corregidor.org/USMC/chs_41-42/marines.htm

[Karl Welteke]

Marines and Filipinos were very close in WWII

The United States Marine Corps Fourth Regiment established and continued support the Corregidor School because out of gratitude to the people of the Philippines for the help and treatment given during WWII.

I assembled 7 images about the former Corregidor Elementary School and put them into this new Photobucket album about the Marines on Corregidor. This is the URL for this new album:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Corregidor%20by%20subject/CI%20Subalbum%20No%202/Marines%20%20on%20Corregidor?sort=9&page=1

The same 7 images are presented here but the images are much smaller:



V401. (g1 04-01-25q plaque 4th Marines, dedicated to school). The US Marines and the Filipinos were very close at one time. Judging by this plaque, the 4th Marines maybe financed building this school. This must have been way before the year 2000.



V402. (g2 03-12-12 f3 #07 school buildings). These are the former Corregidor School Buildings; my guess is that the school got closed between 2000 and 2003. They are located on the Stockade level on Corregidor; look at the map.



V403. (g3 060902 Row House transportation). In this picture, dated 2006, we can see the plaques nearby. Having all the families with children and the required boat rides, which are risky at times, caused many logistics and administrative problems, so the school was closed. The tricycle and motor bike belonged to a foreign couple who just assumed the responsibility to manage the Rowhouse, a budget barracks for budget visitors like me.



V404. (g4 Corregidor map from CFI). On this map from the Corregidor Foundation Inc (CFI), I marked in the location of the former Corregidor Elementary School. The school buildings are now used for other utility purposes.



V405. (g5 050820b Span-Ft,Sch-Corn,# 3,behind school building). This is the rear area of the three former Corregidor Elementary School buildings, this is a 2005 image. The old Spanish fort is just behind me.



V406. (g6 04-01-25r plaque to SGM La Fever's support). Just under the 4th Marine plaque, on the former Corregidor Elementary School building is a plaque of another benefactor.
We have written about Sergeant Major La Fever at another place in this forum. Click this link: corregidor.proboards.com/thread/1384/karl-corregidor-trips?page=4
It is called : COL. ALFRED A, XEREZ BURGOS AND SGM LYNN W. LAFEVER




V407. (g7 03-12-12 f3 #10 Elementary School sign). The sign of the times, time goes on. This is a 2003 image of the former Corregidor Elementary School sign. The school was closed; the sign fell and is rotting away to eternity. Will we remember that the Filipinos and Marines were close?

[beirutvet]

As long as I am alive we will!

[Registrar]

The Corregidor Primary School was deliberately closed by an administrative diktat, not by a shortfall of popular support, not after a consensus of stakeholders, and not by lack of utilization of the facilities. I see no point in revisiting the reasons, other than to say what might have seemed right in the instant does not always hold water over time.

The 4th Marines sponsorship moved to a school in Mariveles, which I visited a few years back, but I don't know how the sponsorship arrangement is travelling.

[Karl Welteke]

The 4th Marines support the first and oldest high school in Mariveles

On my many walks thru Bataan I came across a high school in Mariveles that had a sign which said this:
Llamas Memorial Institute. Corregidorian 4th Marines Center of Knowledge.

In 2011 I had a closer look and took some of these pictures. I was intrigued and searched the internet and found more information. The other images came from the Llamas Memorial Institute Alumni Facebook page in 2011. I uploaded 8 more images (numbered h1 to h8) into this album in my Photobucket account. This is the URL:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Corregidor%20by%20subject/CI%20Subalbum%20No%202/Marines%20%20on%20Corregidor?sort=9&page=1

These same 8 images are also presented here but are much smaller than in the album above.



V408. (h1 111010g Mariveles, Lakandula St.,2nd St... 7,4th Marines). This is a 2011-10-10 picture of the Llamas Memorial Institute in Mariveles at corner of Lakandula St and 2nd St.



V09. (h1a). Map of Mariveles marked up by me with important landmarks.



V410. (h3 111010g Mariveles, Lakandula St.,2nd St... 9,4th Marines). This is a 2011-10-10 picture of the Llamas Memorial Institute in Mariveles at corner of Lakandula St and 2nd St.



V411. (h4 111010g Mariveles, Lakandula St.,2nd St... 8,4th Marines). This is a 2011-10-10 picture of the Llamas Memorial Institute in Mariveles at corner of Lakandula St and 2nd St.



V412. (h5 Llamas Memorial Institude Facebook page,1of3 sections). This is the history of the Llamas Memorial Institute and the help of the US 4th Marines. This is image 1 of 3 from the Llamas Memorial Institute Alumni Facebook page in 2011.



V413. (h6 Llamas Memorial Institude Facebook page,2of3 sections). This is the history of the Llamas Memorial Institute and the help of the US 4th Marines. This is image 2 of 3 from the Llamas Memorial Institute Alumni Facebook page in 2011.



V214. (h7 Llamas Memorial Institude Facebook page,3of3 sections). This is the history of the Llamas Memorial Institute and the help of the US 4th Marines. This is image 3 of 3 from the Llamas Memorial Institute Alumni Facebook page in 2011.



V415. (h8 Capt. Louis E. Duncan USMC (Ret)). The Marine Captain Louis E. Duncan who is mentioned in the above history has visited Corregidor after the war and in the Corregidor.org web pages is an entry from him. This is the URL, where you find the Captains entry:
corregidor.org/503_fox/patsylog.htm
You have to scroll down to about the ¼ mark from the bottom.

Below, I copied the Captain’s entry again, directly out of the above URL



Louis E. DUNCAN
Capt. USMC (Ret.) 17 Oct 1984
Today I came back to Fort Mills, Corregidor Island. This is the first time since I left here, when the island was taken by the Japanese on 6 May, 1942. At the time I was the Sergeant Armorer of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. When we left this island all the island was bare, the trees had all been destroyed by shellfire + bombing. Today the island is a jungle. It is very hard to find landmarks that I would know from 1942.
Today I can see the places where my friends were killed along the road. It brings back many memories of friends who are now dead. I am glad that I was able to come back to see The Island once more.
Louis E. DUNCAN

[beirutvet]

Karl

Thank you for bringing this tribute to life in our pages here.  Captain Duncan would surly be proud.

[Karl Welteke]

THE CHINA MARINES REMEMBER


On the 8th July 2006 the US 4th Marines helped inaugurate a new school building addition to the Llamas Memorial Institute and this new building was called The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge. I added a text and 5 images from these two web pages: www.chinamarines.com/ver3/school.htm and www.chinamarines.com/ver3/pix_school/index.html The pictures are numbered i1 to i5.



V428. (I1). When you open this web page: www.chinamarines.com/ver3/school.htm you see the above image.

This is the text with the above China Marine web page:

The Corregidor School has been a project of the 4th Marines for many years and was spearheaded by my father, Louis Duncan and fellow 4th Marine Ted Williams. They took up this cause upon learning no school existed on the island fortress of Corregidor and therefore the children were not receiving an education. Wanting to give back to the Philippine people for their help and generosity during the war, helping their children was chosen as the best thing to do. They enlisted the financial aid and backing of the 4th Regiment and were not disappointed. Unfortunately in 2001, the Philippine government, upon declaring Corregidor Island a Military Shrine, evacuated the families of the workers. With the children gone, there was no longer a need for a school, therefore the school was closed. This left us wondering what to do with the remaining monies.

Ted Williams requested the assistance of Ric Catahan, a Philippine survivor of the Bataan Death March and current president of The Corregidorian, USA, Inc., in finding a school. Ric suggested Llamas Memorial Institute, the oldest high school in Mariveles (on the Bataan Peninsula at the entrance to Manila Bay - the closest town to Corregidor on the Philippine mainland). Llamas Memorial Institute was opened in the 1940's to offer continuing education to qualified high school students of Mariveles. Initially, eggs, chickens and other farm products were accepted as tuition to ensure even the poorest would be admitted. Upon learning more about the school and the history, we, the trustees of the Corregidor School Fund, have decided to shift our support and remaining monies to one grand project which will benefit the students of Llamas Memorial Institute. This decision is consistent with the initial purpose and philosophy of giving back to the children.
In 2006, construction of a library was completed at Llamas Memorial Institute. The library was christened
"The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge."

The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge will benefit
the children of today and the children of tomorrow,
giving eternal tribute to the well deserved heroes of
World War II.

Can we count on your help to continue the benefits of
The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge?
Please make your check payable to
The Corregidorian, USA, Inc. and mail to:

Debby Duncan Cossart
P. O. Box 2887
Fallbrook, CA 92088
Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness and help in creating a legacy for the 4th Marines.

Semper Fideles,
Debby Duncan Cossart
Treasurer | Corregidor School Fund



V429. (I2). The angel behind the continued support of the 4th Marines helping in the education of the Filipinos. She is Debby Duncan Cossart, daughter of Capt. Louis Duncan USMC (Ret.) This picture came from this web page: www.chinamarines.com/ver3/pix_school/index.html




V430. (I3). The inauguration of the The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge was on the 8th July 2006, this banner was displayed at the new building. This picture came from this web page: www.chinamarines.com/ver3/pix_school/index.html



V431. (I4). The inauguration of the The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge was on the 8th July 2006, this banner was displayed at the street side fence. This picture came from this web page: www.chinamarines.com/ver3/pix_school/index.html



V432. (I5). For the inauguration of the The U.S. 4th Marine Center of Knowledge on the 8th of July 2006 the US Government sent a worthy representative; Maj. James Norcross, Attaché from US Embassy. This picture came from this web page: www.chinamarines.com/ver3/pix_school/index.html