Pvt. Reid Thompson Shewmaker

Parents: James L. Shewmaker & Ina Rae Sims-Shewmaker

Siblings: 1 half-brother, 2 brothers, 1 sister

Occupation: plumber's apprentice

Enlisted: 

    - Kentucky National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 25 November 1940 - Harrodsburg, Kentucky

Training: 

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

    - Camp Polk, Louisiana

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

            - Mariveles - POWs started march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanese 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: 

    - 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 - May 1942 - 1 July 1942

        - Davao - 1 July 1942 - 6 June 1944

            - Work: farming - Philippine Experimental Farm

        - Bilibid Prison - June 1944 - 5 February 1945

Hell Ship: 

        - Interisland Steamer  

            - Sailed: Manila - 1 July 1942

            - Arrived: Lasang, Mindano - 9 July 1942

        - Yashu Maru  

            - Sailed: Lasang, Mindano - 12 June 1944

            - Arrived: Cebu City - 17 June 1944

        - Teiryo Maru  

            - Sailed: Cebu City - 21 June 1944

            - Arrived: Manila - 24 June 1944

Liberated: Bilibid Prison - 5 February 1945 - 148th Infantry Regiment

Discharged: 24 November 1945

Married: Mabel Gritton

Children: 1 daughter

Died: 1 September 1983 - Fayette, Kentucky

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