Pvt. Robert E. Jesser

Parents: Philip E. & Edna Mae Jesser

Siblings: Unknown

Home: 325 East Fifth Street, Sheridan, Wyoming

Enlisted: Wyoming National Guard

Inducted:

        - 24 February 1941 - Sheridan, Wyoming

            - U.S. Army 

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 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

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
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate 

        - Cabanatuan #1

 Died:

    - 10 November 1942- malaria

        - Approximate time of death - 4:00 PM

Buried:

    - Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery

        - after the war, his remains could not be positively identified

Reburied:

    - Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery - 13 February 1950

        Plot: 82,   Row: 0,   Grave: 1-1

Note:  The reason the four men were buried at Jefferson Barracks was because it

            was the most centrally located National Cemetery for each man's family to

            travel to and visit the grave .

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