Pvt. Carson Claude Hopkins
Born: 22 July 1919 Clinton County, Iowa
Parents: Guilbert Hopkins & Glenna Nichols-Hopkins
Siblings: 1 sister
Home: 731 Twelfth Avenue South - Clinton, Iowa
Enlisted:
    - U.S. Army
        - 1941
Training:
    - Fort Lewis, Kentucky
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 on southern tip of Bataan
           - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
           - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
               - 100 POWs packed into each boxcar
                   - those who died remain standing
           - Capas - living left cars - dead fell out of boxcars
           - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell
Prison Camps:
    - Philippines
        - 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
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 

        - Cabanatuan
    - Japan:
        - Funatsu Camp
            - Work: POWs worked in lead & zinc mine and refinery
Hell Ship:
    - Canadian Inventor
        - Sailed: Manila - 4 July 1944
            - returned with boiler problems
            - stayed in port for eleven days
            - POWs remained in holds
        - Sailed: 16 July 1944
            - additional boiler problems
            - left behind by convoy
        - Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 23 July 1944
            - salt loaded into hold
        - Sailed: 4 August 1944
        - Arrived: Keelung, Formosa - 5 August 1944
            - remained for twelve days for boiler repairs
        - Sailed: 17 August 1944
        - Arrived: Naha, Okinawa
            - stayed six days
        - Sailed: Unknown
        - Arrived: Moji, Japan - 1 September 1944
Liberated:
    - 6 September 1945
Died:
    - 20 May 1974 - San Diego, California

 

 

 


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