Pfc. Dwight E. Maxson Jr.


Born: 8 July 1918 - North Dakota

Parents: Dwight E. Maxson Sr. & Ina Crane-Maxson

Hometown: Powers Township, Cass County, Minnesota

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 10 April 1941 - Fort Snelling, Minnesota

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:

    - 14 June 1942 - dysentery & malaria

        - Approximate time of death - 2:15 A.M.

Buried: Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery

Reburied:

    - 15 May 1952 

    - Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery - Saint Louis, Missouri

        - Section:  85   Site:  54 - 58


 

 

 

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