Cpl. Alpheus Ward Brown


Born: 23 August 1919 - Orleans, Iowa

Parents: William H. Brown & Lois O. Edwards-Brown

Siblings: 3 sisters, 2 brothers

    - Brother: Billie Brown - also in A Company

Lived: Superior, Iowa - 1930

Hometown: Lake Edwards, Minnesota

    - living with his two brothers 

Occupation: laborer - road construction

Nickname: "Al"

Enlisted: Minnesota National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 10 February 1941 - Brainerd, Minnesota

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

        - mechanic 

Units: 

    - 194th Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

        - 8 December 1941 - 6 January 1942 

    - Battle of Bataan

        - 7 January 1942 - 9 April 1942

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs start march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire

            - Al took five days to complete march

            - only food was clumps of sugar thrown to POWs by Filipinos
            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
                - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
                - 100 POWs packed into each car
                - POWs who died remained standing
            - Capas - dead fell to floor as living left boxcars
            - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell

POW Camps:

    - Philippine Islands:

        - Camp O'Donnell

            - unfinished Filipino training base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spigot for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 
 

        - Cabanatuan #1

        - Bachrach Garage Detail

            - POWs rebuilt equipment for Japanese

    - Japan

        - Fukuoka #3

            - POWs worked at Yawata Steel Mills

                - worked as a mechanic and truck driver 

Hell Ship:

    - Clyde Maru

        - Sailed: Manila - 23 July 1943

        - Arrived: Moji, Japan - 7 August 1943

Liberated:

    - 13 September 1945

Discharged: 13 May 1946

Married:  20 February 1946

Children:

    - 3 daughters, 2 sons

Residence: Lake Hubert, Minnesota

Died:

    - 11 February 1976 - Beltrami, Minnesota

Buried:

    - Lake Edwards Cemetery, Lake Edwards, Minnesota


 

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