Sgt. Ben R. Devine


Born: 1919 - Kentucky

Wife: Ruth

Nickname: Bud

Enlisted: Kentucky National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 25 November 1940 - Harrodsburg, Kentucky

Training: 

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

    - Camp Polk, Louisiana

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements:

    - Battle of Luzon 

    - Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs started march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanesee artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire
            - 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 spiget for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 

Died: 19 May 1942 - scurvy & malaria

    - Ben was so sick that he couldn't relieve himself

    - his lips were soars 

        - Jack Field would wet his mouth to get it open and feed him

            - Bud stopped eating - died because he wanted to die

Buried: American Military Cemetery - Manila


 

 

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