Tec 5 Paul E. Reutinger


Born: June 1916 - Chillicothe, Ohio

Parents: John E. Reutinger & Nellie Mitchell-Reutinger

    - father died when he was fourteen 

Siblings: 4 brothers

Hometown: Chillicothe, Ohio

Home: Circleville, Ohio

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 7 February 1941 - Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio

Training: 

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

    - Camp Polk, Louisiana

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

    - Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs start march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanesee artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire
            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
                - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
                - 100 POWs packed into each car
                - POWs who died remained standing
            - Capas - dead fell to floor as living left boxcars
            - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell

POW Camps: 

    - Camp O'Donnell

            - unfinished Filipino training base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spiget for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 

Died:

    - 7 May 1942 - malaria & dysentery

        - Approximate time of death - 3:00 PM

Buried:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot:  L   Row:  6   Grave:  26 


 

 

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