Pfc. James W. Gillespie

Parents: William & Stella Gillespie

Siblings: 1 sister

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 25 March 1941 - Ft. Thomas - Newport, Kentucky

Training: 

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

        - mechanic 

    - 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:

    - 24 September 1942 - dysentery

        - Approximate time of death - 2:00 PM

Burial: American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

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