Tec 5 Wilmer Henry Franck

Parents: William C. Franck & Frieda Bartels-Franck

Siblings: 6 sisters, 6 brothers

Hometown: Route 1, Benton Township, Carver County, Minnesota

Occupation: worked on family's farm

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 1941 - Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

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     

             - started march at Mariveles at southern tip of Bataan

            - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing on Corregidor 

            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars

                - boxcars could hold eight horses or forty men

                - 100 POWs put into each car - those who died remained standing

            - POWs left boxcars at Capas - dead fell out of cars

            - 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   

Died:

    - 27 May 1942 - dysentery

Buried:

    - Camp O'Donnell Cemetery

Reburied:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot:  F   Row:  16   Grave:  20

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