Pfc. Harry D. Heikkila

Parents: David & Hanna Heikkila

Home: Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Occupation: orderly - county hospital

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 1941 - Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

        - truck driver

Units: 

    - 194th Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

    - Battle of Bataan

        - delivered gasoline and ammunition to tanks

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - started march at Mariveles at the southern tip of Bataan

                 - went for drink at artesian well

                  - Japanese guard hit his elbow with butt of his rifle 

                 - dislocated his elbow 

                  - cursed at guard, if guard spoke English he would have been killed
            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
                - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
                    - 100 POWs put into each car
                    - dead remained standing
            - Capas - POWs left boxcars - dead fell to floor
            - POWs walked the 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:

    - 5 June 1942 - malaria

        - camp hospital 

Buried:

    - Camp O'Donnell Cemetery 

Reburied:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot:  N   Row:  6   Grave:  180

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