S/Sgt. Steve M. Eliyas


Born: 1916 - Pennsylvannia

Parents: Michael Eliyas & Mary Yurtinus-Eliyas

Siblings: 2 sisters, 3 brothers

Occupation: worked as waiter

Enlisted:

    - Ohio National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 25 November 1940 - Port Clinton, Ohio

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 start 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
 

        - Cabanatuan #1

Died:

    - 26 September 1942 - dysentery

Burial:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot:  G   Row:  3   Grave:  44 


 

 

Return to Company C