| Pfc. Charles D.
McKenzie |
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Born: 10 February 1922 - Greenup, Kentucky Parents: Ray & Kittie McKenzie Siblings: 1 brother Home: Stone Call Road - Johnson County, Kentucky Occupation: worked on family's farm Enlisted: - U.S. Army - 13 January 1941 - Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky Training: - Fort Knox, Kentucky Units: - 19th Ordnance Battalion - 17th Ordnance Company - company created from A Company of 19th Ordnance - trained alongside the 192nd Tank Battalion at Ft. Knox Overseas Duty: - Philippine Islands - serviced tanks of Provisional Tank Group Engagements: - Battle of Luzon - 8 December 1942 - 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 the southern tip of Bataan - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing on Corregidor - American Artillery returned fire - knocked out three Japanese guns - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars - each car could hold eight horses or forty men - Japanese packed 100 POWs into each boxcar - POWs who died remained standing - Capas - POWs leave boxcars - dead fall out of cars - walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell POW Camps: - Philippines: - Camp O'Donnell - unfinished Filipino Army training base - Japanese use camp for POWs - one water spigot for entire camp - as many as 50 POWs died each day - Japanese opened new camp at Cabanatuan to lower death rate - Cabanatuan - Japan: - Narumi Camp - Work: Hell Ship: - Nissyo Maru - Sailed: Manila - 14 July 1944 - Arrived:Takao, Formosa - 17 July 1944 - Sailed: 28 July 1944 - Arrived: Moji, Japan - 3 August 1944 Liberated: 4 September 1945 Discharged: 28 May 1946 Residence: Kentucky Died: 16 March 1977 |
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