Page 69 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine
P. 69
nM national Guard
World War ii
canteens, if they had one, wash fainting, many suffocating and
grime off their faces and hands, dying. Locked in those conditions,
and fill their stomachs with, at the ship stayed docked for a
least, some water. week, and then a week later
arrived in Japan.
Ordered back in formation, they
marched 1½ miles to the train During the trip, one of the
station. There, box cars were freighters holding POWs was
waiting. With 100 men in each sunk by the Americans, and Carl
car, the doors were closed. The later wrote, “We were hoping our
temperature soared, and the ship would be next so as to end
stagnant air and dirty bodies our suffering and misery.”
made the stench extreme. After
two hours, when the door was In Japan, Carl labored in a steel
opened, amazingly only three mill and a brick kiln. Brutal
needed help to unload. Back in beatings were regular, and food
formation, they hiked six more Carl, shortly after his release was scarce. After learning Carl
miles. They learned from a was a rancher, he received a job
Filipino that they were in Tarlec, in the amount that would fit taking care of cattle that fed the
a town north of San Fernando, into a man’s hand. Carl helped Japanese soldiers. While there,
Pampanga. But they soon realized dig trenches for the massive occasionally he was able to trap
the surest way to get the full force number of POWs dying daily. (It and kill wild dogs and mice to
of a rifle butt was to talk to the is estimated that 1,500 American supplement his group’s diet.
natives. All information came at a soldiers died at O’Donnell.) Years later, when his daughter-
cost. Before nightfall, they arrived in-law was doting on the family
at O’Donnell. In August 1942, Carl’s group was pet, Carl commented, “You’d be
moved to Cabanatuan prison. surprised at how much meat there
At the same time Carl’s group Transported again in boxcars, is on a dog like that.”
was paving the way, what was the heat, stench, and filth were
taking place some miles down the unbearable— and packed so While taking care of the cattle,
road was what became known tightly those who died remained there were opportunities to escape
as the Philippine (Bataan) Death upright until — except for one big problem.
March. Japanese soldiers were the door was The POWs were
marching 76,000 POWs 65 miles reopened. divided into
to their prison camps. One report groups of 10, and
says, “Prisoners who fell out of In July 1944, if one in the unit
line due to exhaustion or sickness their captors escaped, the others
were bayoneted or shot to death. forced them were executed.
An estimated 10,000 prisoners, into the cargo (Recaptured
including 2,000 Americans area of a ship escapees were
died on the Death March.” headed for publicly tortured
The treatment imposed upon Japan, clubbing and killed.) Out of
Carl’s group was as brutal and, them in an effort Carl’s group, with
percentage wise, as deadly. to shove more no one attempting
into an area to escape, and
He spent approximately three that couldn’t by helping each
months at O’Donnell. Dysentery, possibly other, four lived to
malaria, dengue fever, and hold them. be rescued.
starvation were ever present. Men became Carl (left) at the Memorial site of
Food usually consisted of rice hysterical, some his first imprisonment
Lubbock Senior Link 69
