Post by dmether on Jan 26, 2014 10:50:56 GMT 8
First off, the cemetery at Clark Air Base falls under the American Battle Monuments Commission on 1 Feb. On that date they'll begin restoring and maintaining it. All of the headstones are buried up to half their length in ash, they will all be raised up and a base set in place to keep them there.
Looking into one of the headstones in the cemetery, a SSgt Hershel Lee Covey and his wife Ellen C. Covey. Hershel died at the Cabanatuan POW camp on 17 July 1942 of Cerebral Malaria. Ellen Covey died of Tuberculosis in Manila and was buried in Ft. McKinley.
Mystery is, how did they both end up in the Clark AB Cemetery?
My first though was, he died 17 July 42, same time as the Tayabas Road detail was going on. Was he on it and was sent back due to illness? According to Dr. Paul Ashton, the sick were sent to Manila, not back to Cabanatuan. 16 July 42. 32 prisoners arrived in Bilibid from Tayabas. Again, since he died in Cabanatuan he probably wasn't on the detail.
Although, there are 3 guys listed as being on the Tayabas Detail who died at Cabanatuan:
-James B. Thompson, died 6/30/42
-Weber S. Underwood, died 6/30/42
-Richard H. Weber, died 6/30/42 His IDPF states he died at Tayabas and was recovered and identified.
Hershel Covey was recovered from Cabanatuan POW Camp, he is listed as being X-3013. He came out of grave Plot 3, Row O, Grave 303 at Cabanatuan. It's interesting because the first tooth chart taken (29 Mar 46) lists the remains as having "perfect teeth" but by 3 Dec 47 the remains are missing most of the lower and over 1/2 the upper teeth and part of the maxilla is missing as well. Then a 9 Dec 49 tooth chart shows some of those missing teeth as being present. Not a small discrepancy, going from perfect teeth to most of the teeth gone, to some of those being back in place.
Ellen Galliher father was Robert Franklin Galliher, mother was Juana De La Serna.
Robert survived WWII (don't know if he was in the Philippines at that time or not) and died in 1953, buried in Arlington. If it's the same guy, then Robert F. Galliher from Kentucky enlisted in 1898 and was discharged in 1899. Probably came back in the military and went to the Philippines.
Serna died 27 Nov 1938 and is buried in Manila.
Hershel and Ellen had some children, The Philippine Trust Company was appointed guardian of the children's property. Since he was a SSgt, I bet he didn't own any property, so did the children inherit it from their mother? If so, did she come from a wealthy family?
Could it be that she was from a wealthy Manila family and after the war her family wanted both to be buried together? If she was American and died as a result of the Japanese, both should have been buried in the American Cemetery in Manila. Which makes me wonder if she wasn't a US citizen and her family wanted the two of them buried together.
Looking into one of the headstones in the cemetery, a SSgt Hershel Lee Covey and his wife Ellen C. Covey. Hershel died at the Cabanatuan POW camp on 17 July 1942 of Cerebral Malaria. Ellen Covey died of Tuberculosis in Manila and was buried in Ft. McKinley.
Mystery is, how did they both end up in the Clark AB Cemetery?
My first though was, he died 17 July 42, same time as the Tayabas Road detail was going on. Was he on it and was sent back due to illness? According to Dr. Paul Ashton, the sick were sent to Manila, not back to Cabanatuan. 16 July 42. 32 prisoners arrived in Bilibid from Tayabas. Again, since he died in Cabanatuan he probably wasn't on the detail.
Although, there are 3 guys listed as being on the Tayabas Detail who died at Cabanatuan:
-James B. Thompson, died 6/30/42
-Weber S. Underwood, died 6/30/42
-Richard H. Weber, died 6/30/42 His IDPF states he died at Tayabas and was recovered and identified.
Hershel Covey was recovered from Cabanatuan POW Camp, he is listed as being X-3013. He came out of grave Plot 3, Row O, Grave 303 at Cabanatuan. It's interesting because the first tooth chart taken (29 Mar 46) lists the remains as having "perfect teeth" but by 3 Dec 47 the remains are missing most of the lower and over 1/2 the upper teeth and part of the maxilla is missing as well. Then a 9 Dec 49 tooth chart shows some of those missing teeth as being present. Not a small discrepancy, going from perfect teeth to most of the teeth gone, to some of those being back in place.
Ellen Galliher father was Robert Franklin Galliher, mother was Juana De La Serna.
Robert survived WWII (don't know if he was in the Philippines at that time or not) and died in 1953, buried in Arlington. If it's the same guy, then Robert F. Galliher from Kentucky enlisted in 1898 and was discharged in 1899. Probably came back in the military and went to the Philippines.
Serna died 27 Nov 1938 and is buried in Manila.
Hershel and Ellen had some children, The Philippine Trust Company was appointed guardian of the children's property. Since he was a SSgt, I bet he didn't own any property, so did the children inherit it from their mother? If so, did she come from a wealthy family?
Could it be that she was from a wealthy Manila family and after the war her family wanted both to be buried together? If she was American and died as a result of the Japanese, both should have been buried in the American Cemetery in Manila. Which makes me wonder if she wasn't a US citizen and her family wanted the two of them buried together.