King R.

Sgt. Ronald J. King was the son of John & Berglioth King. He was born on October 29, 1919, in Nebraska. After his family moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, he was raised at 331 North Franklin Street. He attended both grade school and high school in Janesville.

In 1938, Ronald joined the 32nd Divisional Tank Company which was headquartered in an armory in Janesville. For him and the other National Guardsmen, much of the training consisted of drilling.

In November of 1940, the tank company was federalized as A Company, 192nd Tank Battalion. In late November, the company left Janesville for Fort Knox, Kentucky. Ronald would train there for almost ten months.

In January, 1941, Headquarters Company was formed with men from the four letter companies. It was at this time that Ronald was reassigned to the company. The purpose of the company was to take care of the daily operations of the battalion and ensure that supplies are distributed to the letter companies.

In the late summer of 1941, the 192nd took part in maneuvers in Louisiana. Ronald like the other men hoped that they would be released from federal duty upon completion of the maneuvers. On the side of a hill at Camp Polk, Louisiana, they heard the news that they were being sent overseas instead. Ronald received a pass home to say goodbye to his family and friends.

From Camp Polk by train, A Company traveled west to California. It was there that they were ferried to Angel Island for physicals and inoculations. The battalion next sailed for the Philippine Islands with stops in Hawaii and Guam. They arrived in Manila on Thanksgiving Day, 1941.

Most of Ronald's time after arriving at Ft. Stotsenburg was spent making sure the tankers had what they needed to prepare their new equipment for use. A little over two weeks later, on December 8, 1941, Ronald witnessed the Japanese attack on Clark Field. When the attack was over, there was no Army Air Corps and the airfield was pretty much in ruins.

After four months of constant fighting and strafing by enemy planes, Ronald became a Prisoner Of War when Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. With the other members of the company, Ronald made his way to Mariveles at the southern tip of the peninsula.

Ronald took part in the death march and made his way to San Fernando. He was crammed into a steel boxcar with 99 other men and road the train to Capas. There he disembarked and walked the last few miles to Camp O'Donnell. With most of the POWs, Ronald was reassigned when Cabanatuan #1 opened in May,1942.

Sgt. Ronald J. King died of dysentery and malaria on September 14, 1942. After the war, his family requested that his remains be returned Janesville. On October 22, 1949, Sgt Ronald J. King was reburied in the military section at Oak Hill Cemetery in Janesville.