Pvt. William Sonny Ball

Parents: Martin Ball & Susie Letrich-Ball

Siblings: 1 sister

Nickname: "Sonny"

Home:

    - 7229 West Franklin Avenue - Forest Park, Illinois

Education:

    - Stevenson School

    - Proviso Township High School

         - Graduating Class: 1936

    - Note: one year of college

Occupation:

    - draftsman

Enlisted:

    - 5 August 1940 - Chicago, Illinois

        - U. S. Army Air Corps

Serial Number: 06731558

Training: 

    - Unknown

Units:

    - 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group

Stationed: Nichols Army Airfield - Philippine Islands

Engagements:

    - Battle of Luzon

    - Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War:

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

             - Mariveles - POWs start march at southern tip of Bataan

               - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing on Corregidor

               - American artillery on Corregidor returned fire

            - San Fernando -POWs put into small wooden boxcars used to haul

              sugarcane

               - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men

               -  Japanese packed 100 POWs into each boxcar

               - POWs who died remained standing

            - Capas - POWs left boxcars - dead POWs fell to the floor

            - POWs walked the last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell 

POW Camp:

    - Camp O'Donnell

Died:

    - 24 May 1942 - Camp O'Donnell - dysentery

Buried:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot: F    Row:  7   Grave:  86

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