Manila Cemetery - the 34th on Corregidor

[Deleted]

Paul,

I have not completely reviewed your website, it is pretty extensive. However, in viewing the HONOR ROLL of CORREGIDOR'S OTHER KIA'S, I found that there is one name from A Co, 34th Infantry missing. Three or four years ago I ordered from the National Archives a copy the 34th Infantry Regiment KIA Roster. I have
attached a copy of the front cover page and the page covering February of 1945 for Co. A 34th Infantry. All of the names on the KIA Roster except for Cecil H. Schmidt 38657703 are listed on your website. The men listed on Feb 5 were killed at Zig Zag Pass at the base of the Bataan Penisula east of Olongapo.

My father-in-law’s best friend (they were both newly arrived at the regiment in Hawaii before the 24th Division left for Australia) was killed on Mindinao in May of ’45 and is interred at the Manila Military Cemetery at Fort Bonifacio. If you are ever there and have the opportunity, I would be indebted to you if you could visit his gravesite. He would also have been on Corregidor. I recognize
that this is very forward of me to make this request of you, whom I have exchanged only two emails with, but I feel that I must. I feel very strongly about those who shortened their lives to the benefit of the rest of us. It is not a request to make a special trip, only if you are in the area :

John J. Williams
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Service # 13155586
34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division Entered the Service from:
Pennsylvania
Died: 4-May-45
Buried at: Plot B Row 8 Grave 13
Manila American Cemetery
Manila, Philippines
Awards: Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster

Thanks and God bless,

Neal

[fireball]

Neal,

I live close to the cemetery so will look for the gravesite this Saturday.

Of more general interest I found this guide on the internet:

www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ml_pict.pdf

Amusingly, for those who know 'modern' Manila the guide tells us it can be reached by "taxicab or other automobile via Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Highway 54) ..." Or, as most would call it, EDSA.

[fireball]

The gravestone of John Williams:



It is located to the rear of the memorial (which can be seen in the main picture):

[chadhill]

Nice job, fireball. Even though I don't know the gentleman I thank you, too.

[okla]

Hey Fireball. You the man. I also send my sincere thanks. Your act of kindness has got to mean a lot to the fellow making this request.

[fireball]

Thanks for the comments but it was really to my benefit as by visiting an individual gravesite the experience is quite different. As a general visitor to the cemetery there is a tendency to view the experience in terms of architecture, art or how it all looks (something digital cameras probably have a lot to blame for) but when you stand in front of an individual grave the sacrifice of the individual, the pain of their families and the importance in the remembering of names becomes far clearer.

[Deleted]

I am overwhelmed and honored by the response to what I considered to be very forward request. Thanks to everyone involved , especially Paul and fireball. There is no way that in my lifetime I would be able to visit the gravesite. You guys are the best.

Ps – okla - I , my wife and my father in law are from Oklahoma.

Thanks,

Neal

[EXO]

A definitive list of men who lost their lives during the Corregidor operation is a work in progress, and cannot ever be considered final or exhaustive. The 503d PRCT list is available but the KIA's from all the other Rock Force units have never been listed or linked to their involvement in the fighting there.

For the last few days I have been working on updating that list, assisted by Neal Watson, whose father-in-law was with A Co. 34th Infantry Regiment and landed on Corregidor with the 3rd Battalion 34th Infantry on 16 Feb 45.

Of significant value to the listing was a Roster of Killed of the 34th Inf Regt., 24th Inf. Div for the period 20 Oct 1944 - 30 June 1945, which neal has donated to the website collection. This is now linked from the relevant pages.

The Roster enabled me to add six names to the existing list, although I consider the names provisional for, though the date periods of their deaths are squarely within the Corregidor time frame, they are not yet definitively linked geographically.

The Roster also enabled me to make a number of corrections to earlier pages, thus making the listing more comprehensive.
Being in Manila, I have also been able to add photographs of the graves of all those men who are buried at the American Cemetery.

The photographs are contained in the individual pages about each man.

The Honor Roll of Corregidor's Other KIA's is at:

rockforce.org/rock_force/taps/kia_draft_listing.htm