Dietrich

Pfc. George R. Dietrich was the son of Joseph F. Dietrich & Eva Venemann-Dietrich. He was born on August 17, 1914, in Hibbing, Minnesota, and grew up at 407 Godfrey in Louisville, Kentucky, with his two sisters and brother. Before he was drafted into the U. S. Army on March 5, 1941, he worked for his father's contracting company.

After being drafted into the army, he was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for basic training. Upon arriving there, he was assigned to the 192nd Tank Battalion. The reason for this is that he was from one of the four states that the National Guard companies that made up the battalion were from.

George was assigned to D Company and worked in supplies. In this capacity, he went to Louisiana with the company to take part in maneuvers in the late summer of 1941.

After the maneuvers, George learned that his battalion was being sent overseas. He and the other men received leaves home to say goodbye to their families and friends.

George traveled west to Angel Island by train. It was from there that the 192nd Tank Battalion left the United States for the Philippine Islands.

Arriving in the Philippine, George spent the next two weeks organizing the supplies D Company needed for the expected maneuvers. On December 8, 1941, George lived through the Japanese attack on Clark Field. He spent the next four months attempting to get the tanks of D Company the supplies they needed to fight the Japanese.

On April 9, 1942, George became a Prisoner Of War when Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese. He took part in the death march and was held at Camp O'Donnell. He was later held as a POW at Cabanatuan.

In September 1943, George was selected for a work detail to build runways at Las Pinas. He and the other men found themselves working with picks and shovels on land that was usually flooded. He remained on this detail until July 1944.

George was sent to Japan on the Nissyo Maru. The ship sailed on July 17, 1944. After a stop at Takao, Formosa, it arrived in Japan on August 3, 1944, and was held at Fukuoka #23 at Keisen. He and the other POWs were used as laborers in a coal mine.

George remained in the camp until the end of the war. He was liberated in the camp in September 1945. After he was liberated, he returned to Louisville and was discharged on April 20, 1946.

George R. Dietrich passed away in October 19, 1985.