T/4 James W. O'Brien was born on July 15, 1923, at Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, Hawaii.  He was one of children born to Mr. & Mrs. Patrick O'Brien.  He was raised in Port Clinton, Ohio and resided at 517 West Fifth Street.  He was called "Jimmy" by his family.

    Jim joined the Ohio National Guard's H Tank Corp with his best friend from high school, Bob Gerding, while they still were in high school.  In the fall of 1940, Jim and Bob were given the choice to stay in school or go to Fort Knox, Kentucky with their tank company.  Bob chose to stay in school, while Jim went with the company to Ft. Knox when the company was called to federal duty on November 25, 1940. 

    At Ft. Knox, the company was designated C Company, 192nd Tank Battalion.  It was at this time that Jim was trained as a motorcycle messenger.  After ten months of training Jim took part in maneuvers with his tank battalion in Louisiana.  After the maneuvers the tankers were informed that they were not being released from Federal service, but that they were being sent overseas.

    In late October, 1941, the company was sent west to Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.  There they received physicals and were declared healthy enough for duty overseas.

    Arriving in Manila on November 25, 1941, Jim and the rest of the battalion were sent to Ft. Stotsenburg and housed in tents along the main road.  They would spend the next seventeen days readying their equipment for the training they expected.

    On December 8, 1941, Jim lived through the attack on Clark Field.  He and the other members of the company could do little more than watch as the Japanese destroyed the Army-Air Corp.

    The tankers were sent out to protect a dam and later sent north in support of A and B Companies.  They would spend the next four months serving as a rear guard for the retreating Filipino and American forces.

    When Bataan was surrendered on April 9, 1942, James became a Prisoner Of War.  He took part in the death march from Mariveles to San Fernando.  On the march, Jim carried another member of C Company who was too ill to finish the march.  At San Fernando, Jim boarded a freight car and road a train to Capas.  From there, he walked the last few miles to Camp O'Donnell.

    Jim did not remain in Camp O'Donnell very long.  Not too long after arriving in the camp, Jim went out on a detail to drive trucks for the Japanese.   Sometime during this time, Jim became ill.  On June 30, 1942, at 2:00 P.M., Pvt. James W. O'Brien died of dysentery in the Philippine Islands.  He was 19 years old. 

    After the war, Jim's family requested that the his remains be returned to Port Clinton.  He was buried in Riverview Cemetery next to his brother, Ralph, who was Killed in Action in Europe.